When planning this road trip, I knew I wanted to see Arches National Park. On my previous trip to Utah in May 2021, I explored the southern part of the state and saw Bryce, Zion, Kodachrome, Natural Bridges, Grand Staircase Escalante, and Capitol Reef.  This time, along with Four Corners, I decided to also go to Arches.  Nanine, having been to Arches a few times in the past, decided to head straight to our campsite for the night, Green River State Park.

The drive from our mountain top home of three nights, Grand Mesa National Forest, to Arches was lovely.  The change from the forest to the desert revealed multiple layers of geological wonders.  I took the long way to Arches, traveling along the Colorado River.  Beautiful!

Arches itself was… Okay, I admit it.  I was a bit underwhelmed.  I thought I’d see, you know, more ARCHES.  The red rocks, buttes, and hoodoos are terrific.  But they aren’t ARCHES.  Maybe if I ventured out for longer hikes, I would have seen more of them.  Given the 105 degree temperatures, though, I pulled off at scenic overlooks and walked around several of them. (Hey, I still got nearly 15,000 steps in!)

Regardless, I’m very happy I went to Arches.  The photos below capture some of the beauty.