I woke up early on a Friday and left my house at 4am. Knowing that it was a 10-hour drive, I was planning to arrive early in the afternoon so that I could do a little hiking before the sun set.
The drive into Utah was so gorgeous. I pulled over many times just to take pictures of the beautiful rock formations.
I made a quick stop in Castle Valley to admire the Salt Wash.
The further I drove towards Moab, the more spectacular the views were.
After checking into my hotel 11 hours later, I arrived at the Arches National Park. My hotel was only 5 miles away in the heart of Moab.
My drive through the park was very scenic, and it was very cloudy. I decided to do a short hike and check out the Delicate Arch which was categorized as strenuous and made me laugh. Obviously, it was not the strenuous trail that I am used to. The entire trail is only about 4 miles, and there are a few parts of the trail that you ascend, but the elevation is very minimal. Probably the hardest part of the trail to inexperienced hikers is a rock slab that you have to ascend but leads to a flat trail. It's far from dangerous.
Finally, the Delicate Arch with its beautiful views.
