Life of a Gal Named Liv

Just as I have promised, here it is: The Spring Break Edition! A three day trip maximizing the amount of hiking/ biking possible was planned months in advance. The plan was for my whole family to head down to one of the coolest hiking towns of the USA for Spring Break. Unfortunately only my dad and I were able to make the trip, but it was still an awesome experience.

Day 1 we headed down from Boise, ID to Moab, UT stopping in SLC for lunch. The drive was exhausting, but the next morning the view was incredible! Red rock everywhere, hundreds of hikers, and insane amounts of “Patagonia” stickers- basically the college- age hikers dream!

Day 2 consisted of exploring Arches, and hiking 15.6 miles in total. Arches was definitely the most “touristy” place we hiked, due to its mass amount of erosion- created natural arches filled with iron oxide! The average amount of visitors spikes to over a million a year, with the majority coming in June (Something to take this into account when planning your road trip here!)   Below I have included some of the highlights of the day, starting with the most famous:

 

The Windows Section of Arches had various Arches of all types… When standing under them I could feel the strong wind coming through their centers- amazing how much weathering these Arches have gone through to look like this!

 

 

I was amazed with the contrast between the bright blue sky and the weathered sandstone as seen on The North Window (Right) of The Windows and a “Sandstone Hallway” on the hike to Landscape Arch (Left) of The Devil’s Garden.

After nearly 8 hours of exploring Arches, (We covered 3/7 main sections) we decided to head back and have a relaxing evening chowing down on authentic Mexican food (yes, carb- loading is essential!)

Day 3 we changed it up and decided to go mountain biking at Dead Horse State Park and later visit Canyonlands National Park. Although Dead Horse isn’t as well known as Arches or Canyonlands, it was an amazing sight! Honestly, I enjoyed it better than Canyonlands because we got to ride right alongside canyons on Intermediate/ Black Diamond trails rather than just hike to the edge. The trails were definitely an adrenaline rush, and the views were extraordinary!

Here is a glimpse of our biking:

If you can see, the canyon behind me is the one we rode along! Here it is below in panorama form:

After a lunch break, we decided to take on a few hikes at Canyonlands National Park. It was amazing and very much like Dead Horse, just had exponentially more canyons!

Our photo- op for the day! My dad thought he was hilarious for “falling off the edge!”

 

Below (left) is the Arch of Canyonlands known as Mesa Arch- it was at ground level so we were VERY tempted to walk across!

On the upper (right) is a zoomed in photograph of the detail in the walls of Shafer Canyon (entire canyon pictured already). Below: I am walking across the sandstone of Upheaval Dome!

Alrighty…Hope you enjoyed and now REALLY want to head down to Moab, Utah! The trip was quick, but if you plan in advance it IS possible to see a majority of the two National Parks and the State Park in two full days. So, pack up your gear and head down to Moab for a few days (or more) this summer!

Just a few tips:

1.  Drink at least 3-6 Liters of H20 a day (Gets super hot down here and while the hikes may not seem super intense your body does need to be replenished frequently.)
2. Buy the “America The Beautiful Pass” ($80) beforehand and get into any National Park in U.S. for a year for free!

Want to go on this Trip? Let me know and I can send you the itinerary to maximize your sight-seeing!

Explore on, Liv