A few months ago, my good friend called and asked if I would be down to visit Arches National Park in Utah. Hiking is not normally my thing - I cautiously but enthusiastically said, yes. We booked our flights for the second weekend in October and then I started my research.

October is reportedly the best time to visit Arches so my friend was right on target for our visit. The weather is supposed to be very beautiful - a breezy and cool, sun-shining 65 degrees. The park is about a 3.5 hour drive from Salt Lake City, Utah in Grand County, Utah which is right outside of Moab. There are about 2,000 arches across the park including the Delicate Arch, Balanced Rock and Devils Garden.

This was a quick turnaround trip so we flew into Salt Lake City on a Friday so that we could hike the park on Saturday and return home Sunday morning. Literally 48-hours. We left Salt Lake City about 3am and started the scariest drive I have ever endeavored. It was raining and cold (I had to get a coat from Costco the day before). It was pitch black outside and foggy for multiple stretches of the drive. It took us about 3.5-hours to get to the park but we arrived right at sunrise and the scene was breathtaking. I was so nervous upon entering the park because thousands of feet above me, I saw all the other cars driving up and around the mountain and I quickly realized that I would have to do the same.

Tip: Parking lots around the park fill up very quickly which is usually around 7:30am. We knew we wanted to hike to the Delicate Arch first and when we arrived to the site, the parking lot was about halfway full, filling up about 15 minutes later. ARRIVE EARLY! Also, it costs $30 per car to enter the park.

Moab - Grand County also has a small regional airport and if you aren’t up for the long drive from Salt Lake City, if you can pony up the nice coin, I would suggest flying into Moab as it is only 10 minutes from Arches.

If you’re a hiking novice like me, here’s an essentials list of my exact items that helped me survive hiking at my first National Park (some items are linked and available for purchase):

The hike to the Delicate Arch took us a little more than an hour and on the way up, we met the nicest people that gave us some tips and tricks, helped us take pictures and provided a little comic relief. The views on the way up to the arch left me speechless and were honestly one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. Groups of hikers and families took turns taking pictures directly inside the arch and the other sandstone structures. I will say, it was much easier coming down than hiking up and took less time - about 45 min. We got back to the parking lot and sat in in the trunk and ate some snacks and water to refuel to prepare for the next hike. Initially, we planned to hike Devils Garden next, but no one in our party had the strength so we opted to drive down to Balanced Rock and hike around there and take more pictures. On the way, we stopped at multiple turnouts to take in the different views of the park and of course more pictures.

Some of the hikers we met along the way suggested we also visit the Visitors Center to learn more information about the park and pick up a little Arches swag. I always like to get a little tchotchke from every travel destination and picked up a beautiful picture book for my office. All in all, we hiked about 4.5-hours and left the park around 1pm to head back on another 3.5-hour drive to Salt Lake City. The drive to Salt Lake City was much more enjoyable this time around as it was daylight, there was no rain and we could see all of our surroundings.

As I mentioned earlier, I was cautious but excited about this trip and it has been one of the coolest experiences I’ve had in my life. I wouldn’t consider hiking to be my “thing” but being surrounded and enveloped in nature and experiencing this with my friends made the short but grueling trip worth it!

Arches National Park | Grand County, Utah