THE GRAND CIRCLE
Part four : Moab
Arriving at Moab was exciting! The town was modest and charming, driving through it felt like walking through an art gallery. Each and every shop has it’s own unique twist that made every block fascinating. Oh and the mountains surrounding the town made this town by far my favorite.
It was early afternoon when we arrived and first stop, YEP! COFFEE! After getting our caffeine kick we made our way to our hostel. We learned our lesson from Capitol Reef and checked the weather so we decided to rent a cabin at a hostel called “Lazy Lizard”.
If you are a backpacker or traveling alone, I would highly recommend this place. It’s cheap and full of character. They have a living room that you can chill, watch movies, play board games, communal computers, WiFi and a kitchen. If you’re lucky like us, we even got a free music performance that I’ve posted on my Instagram stories. If you haven’t already, follow me @ilhamchew_adventures for all my latest adventures.
Our adventure continued the next day as we woke up to the smell of our six morning breaths stuck in a tiny cabin for two. What a great way to start the day! Now off to Arches National Park!
Arches National Park
Delicate Arch
Delicate Arch Trail is a 4.6 km with 182 m of elevation and is a heavily trafficked trail. This is one of the most recognized trails here in Moab because you see it on most Moab’s number plates and gift shops all around town. I can imagine how busy this place would get because it was an easy hike to get to this stunning location and we were lucky to be there during shoulder season. I would highly suggest getting here early to catch the sunrise if you are here during the busy season. While we were not there during sunrise, here is a link to a travel blogger (one of my favorites) that caught the sunrise and they have some beautiful photos to go with it!
Here’s some of mine that was taken around late afternoon early evening.
Devil’s Garden Loop
The Devil’s Garden Loop is a 12 KM with 359 M of elevation. Though it was challenging it was also one of my favorite hike! You start off on a pretty easy walk till about a quarter of the way you’ll start to scramble your way up to find yourself on top of the fins (Future arches) and route finding your way around this stunning landscape. Looking around, watching at all the rock forms reminded me how elegant nature is and she’s talented AF! If you are here for a quick visit and only have time for one or two trail, I would highly recommend this and of course the Delicate Arch.
Windows Loop and Double Arch
Windows Loop is a 2 km with little elevation and is good for all skill levels. We were short of time so we decided we can wake up early the next day to catch the sunrise and we were so glad we did. As soon as the sun hit the horizon it layered the sky yellow, orange, purple and blue. Sights like this are so exciting for me because it’s so rare for myself to be up this early, I mean who wakes up this early right?
We chose this trail for sunrise because it was a short (any reason to hit the snooze button) and easy hike and it can be busy during the day. So it was a win- win situation for us, especially me! Knowing this I knew the light would be awesome and I have time to take the perfect shot with nobody around. I was like a kid in a candy store! Running around trying to find composition while the light was still good. Arches National Park is by far the favorite of this Grand Circle road trip. It dazzled me with beautiful sunrise, fascinated me with it’s graceful arches, and got me excited like a kid. I’ve couldn’t ask for more.
