 |
Spending time in Arches National Park on your Utah family vacationEveryone who has ever heard of Arches National Park, automatically thinks of the Delicate Arch and wonder how something like this ever even came about. When we took a Utah family vacation a couple years ago, we decided we should spend some time in Arches National Park. My wife was inspired by the pictures and since my wife is an Earth Science teacher, she was very motivated to get a bunch of pictures for her class. I have to admit, this wasn't too interesting to me and I really wasn't that excited about visiting Arches National Park. We camped on a side road about 20 miles north of the park, then drove in early to the park and spent the whole day taking hikes and lots of pictures. I had to eat my comments and apologize for my attitude by the middle of the day, because much to my surprise, I really got taken up in the beauty of the formations. I especially liked the "marching elephants" formation, which actually looked like a herd of elephants.
Some of the hikes we took were to Landscape Arch, Delicate Arch, and Fiery Furnace. All of these hikes were done in late July and the weather was hot (high 90's). We brought plenty of water and recommend that you do to. We ran into one family that had 2 nalgene bottles for a family of 4 and they were hiking the Delicate Arch trail. This hike is only about 3 miles roundtrip, but please don't make a disaster of your Utah family vacation by getting dehydrated on a simple hike, all because you were too stupid to not bring enough water along! Too often, we ran across families who just didn't bring enough water along. When the temps are in the 90's and you are hiking in the sun, your body goes through a ton of water. This needs to be replenished. Children are especially susceptible to dehydration because they don't know their bodies as well as adults do. It is our responsibility to make sure they keep chugging that water! When you go on the hikes around Arches National Park, keep your eyes and ears open to wildlife that may be on the trails. We ran into a bighorn sheep on the Delicate Arch trail, but it was promptly scared away, when some loud young adults came around the corner. We weren't too happy since we were just about to take a picture too! At the visitor center, you can check in and find out when the Ranger is doing interpretive walks. It is good to take advantage of these, since you will get a good piece of history as you hike along. They also offer free Junior Ranger booklets for your kids. Be sure to get your stamp! When you are done touring Arches National Park, we suggest you head in to Moab and check this quaint little town out. We had fun walking up and down main street and grabbing ice cream at one of the ice cream parlors.
|
