Once in a lifetime experience

Tuesday June 28

I didn’t know much about Arches National Park. I had just heard from other people how much they enjoyed it. It was unlike any other park we’ve seen this trip. I’m all out of adjectives for truly amazing place. Suprisingly, there is only one entrance in and out of the park. Thankfully we had early reservations, but we obviously weren’t the only ones. It was a long wait to even get in to the park. A park ranger at the visitor center gave us suggestions of what arches to see and what hikes would be good with the kids. I really appreciate their knowledge and expertise. Our first stop was the Balanced Rock. It is a 3500 pound boulder on top of a thin hill, that is eroding more quickly than the top. It is stunning and a little scary walking around it. Thankfully it was a quick walk that Liam could handle too.

The long line into the park

The Three Gossips

Balanced Rock

Our next stop was the Windows and the Turret Arch. We stayed here the longest. We hiked up the the North Window, down to the South Window and back up to the Turret Arch. Liam was getting pretty heavy, so he and I headed back to the car, while Dave and the three big kids climbed every rock around the Turret Arch. They had an amazing time!

The North Window

The South Window

The Turret Arch

Lastly we climbed to the upper lookout to see the Delicate Arch. This is the famous one in all the pictures of the park. It’s too bad we couldn’t get closer, but it was a long uphill hike that it was way too hot for.

The delicate arch

Finding a little shade

Dave, Caleb, and Josh definitely had the coolest experience tonight taking a Razor tour in Moab at sunset. The boys said it was bumpy, crazy, and amazing.