Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in one day

We did not originally set out to see Utah's Mighty 5 - but after we decided to pop into Capital Reef and I figured out how close Arches and Canyonlands were - we made the decision to try.....and we DID!  Canyonlands was not on our itinerary, but I am so glad we went.

We started our day at Arches National Park.....Balanced Rock was our first stop.

We then chose to do the Delicate Arch Hike - which ended up being our favorite experience of the day.  The hike itself was wonderful, but the Delicate Arch is definitely worth seeing from the top.

After the hike, we drove and stopped at the highlights of Arches, as fitting two national parks (and one state park) into one day is a lot and we knew we couldn't see everything.  

We saw Skyline Arch and Sand Dune Arch....

We experienced the Double Arch as well as viewing from the drive the North and South Windows.

We ate our picnic lunch at the Arches Visitor Center parking lot, popped back into Moab for a coffee, then headed to Canyonlands.....

Once at Canyonlands, we stopped into the visitor's center for a map and our first view....

then explored the Shafer Canyon Viewpoint (heights and the drop off were a bit unnerving for me!)

We hiked to the Mesa Arch.....

Stopped at the Green River Overlook and the Grand View Point....

We then exited Canyonlands and drove to Dead Horse State Park as we had heard that the sunset from Dead Horse Point was spectacular.....and it did not disappoint.

Lessons Learned Today:

1.  There are ravens EVERYWHERE.....they seem to follow you....

2.  Arches and Canyonlands are doable in one day if you plan it right

3.  Screenshot on-line itinerary because you will have little to no service in the parks

4.  Visiting these national parks in December can be very enjoyable....we have had great weather and NO CROWDS - which is probably why we were able to get as much in as we did.

5.  Teens and young adults may get "rock-weary", but it's not a permanent condition

6.  The conversations that occur with young adults on long hikes are priceless.

We have very much enjoyed our time in Utah and are very happy with the experiences we have had......tomorrow we will head to Colorado.