Spring Break: Day 5 - Arches

Our hotel had a nice little breakfast for us. Avery always wakes up first and is starving. So, she and I grabbed breakfast while Morgan slept in. Matt and Morgan came down to breakfast later. There was a waffle maker with both regular and strawberry waffles. Avery loved it!

We headed to Arches National Park, which is right outside Moab. Well, the entrance is outside Moab, but some of the trailheads are quite a drive into the park, depending on what you want to see. They are starting timed entry on April 1st, so we just made it before we would have had to make reservations to enter. The line of cars to get in wasn't too bad when we went. There are signs that say "30 minutes from this point" and "1 hour from this point", but we got through in about 15-20 minutes.

Here we are at the entrance!

We wanted to do the Delicate Arch trail because that is the most iconic arch in the park. The trail is 3 miles round trip with an elevation change of 538 feet. It's difficulty level is strenuous, with over 1/3 of the hike on steep slickrock. Also, there are some narrow rock ledges to maneuver. So, I was a little bit worried about all of us getting to the top. I was also worried that we wouldn't find parking at the trailhead because it's the most popular hike at Arches. The parking lot was full, but we drove around a few minutes until someone left and snagged their spot. The weather was in the upper 40's and cloudy when we started the hike, which was perfect. There is no shade on this hike and people end up getting really sick during the summer months due to heat. There were a lot of warnings including how much water to bring on this hike. Avery read everything to use on our 30 minute drive to the trailhead. :)

You start off crossing a bridge and walking by a little cabin preserved to show how people lived here. Then, it's straight up the slickrock after that! You can't see the Delicate Arch from the road or from the trail until you are all the way up there.

We took a few breaks along the way to catch our breath. The altitude and the strenuous hike were no joke! Here the girls are pretending to nap - ha! It wasn't THAT bad.

We're getting closer! This is towards the end of the trail when we got to the top. There was a narrow rock ledge for about 200 yards that takes you around to where the Delicate Arch is. Avery was a little leery of this part and made sure to stay close to the wall.

Then, when you get around the corner, you see the amazing arch! The opening in the arch is 46 feet tall and 32 feet wide. It's the largest free standing arch in the park and very impressive!

I was expecting it to be flat up by the arch, but it was still pretty sloped and not easy to walk around. We made our way over to the line to get our picture taken in the arch. You can see how it slopes down in front and there is a drop off in the back. Some nice person volunteered to walk down and take our picture for us.

Here we are... so tiny! My legs were shaking a little while we were out there, but it wasn't too bad.

You can see here that there is a big basin to the right of the arch. I kept thinking someone was going to fall in there!

We spent a bit of time by the arch, had a snack and some drinks and then headed back down. Avery was ready to get going. She doesn't like heights and the elevation was making her feel bad. She and I both got headaches, but she also just wasn't feeling well in general. I think being anxious about the heights and drop-offs also made her feel off. About half way back down, she was feeling much better and back to her happy self!

Morgan had to go to the bathroom, so she and Matt went ahead of Avery and me. You can see them down the trail in the middle.

Morgan and Matt stopped at the petroglyphs... 

And so did Avery and I. Pretty cool to see!

Afterwards, we were starving and went back into Moab to get a late lunch. We ate at Antica Forma, which is a pizza/pasta place. We even got a dessert pizza with Nutella and strawberries. It was a mess, but super tasty!

After resting a little bit, the girls and Matt went out to play basketball at the hotel. They had a little hoop in the parking lot. They played their version of Horse... Poopies vs Toots. :)

Then, they did some swimming at the hotel pool. I can't believe they had any energy left at the end of the day!

For dinner, we walked down to the Moab Diner. It's a cute little diner that serves breakfast all day and has delicious milkshakes! We all loved it!

We went back to the hotel and the girls crashed! It was a fun day!