After packing up camp, which took us until about 11:30 a.m., we hit the road for the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Arches National Park. The drive itself was part of the adventure. Towering mountains gave way to colorful rock formations, and the skies seemed to put on a different show around every bend. We made plenty of stops to snap photos of the scenery before arriving at our campsite.

The afternoon view from our campsite was absolutely breathtaking. Just like we had done earlier in the trip, we positioned the trailer sideways so that every morning we’d be able to open the door to an incredible view. With the possibility of windy weather, we decided to skip setting up the canopy this time. Instead, we finished setting up camp, settled into our chairs, and simply enjoyed the peaceful surroundings.

After a late lunch—complete with my favorite chili—we decided to stretch our legs with an evening hike that started right from the campground. Before long we reached Tapestry Arch, and to our surprise, neither of us remembered ever seeing it before. Discovering a new arch in a park we’ve visited before made it feel even more special.

We continued on to Sand Dune Arch before finishing the evening at Skyline Arch, a perfect way to begin our stay in Arches.

A Rough Road to Tower Arch

The next morning, we took our time getting started. Today’s adventure was the drive out to Tower Arch, which meant tackling nearly nine miles of rugged backcountry roads.

The route was slow going as we carefully worked our way around rocks, deep sand, and steep hills. Cas was behind the wheel, looking like Willie from Premium Rush, constantly choosing the best line to keep the truck safe.

After scraping a particularly large rock while climbing one hill, we decided it was smarter to park the truck and continue on foot. Once we started hiking, however, we realized just how much farther we had to go. So…back to the truck we went to grab our bikes!

That turned out to be a great decision. The bikes handled the rough road surprisingly well and made the nearly 9-mile round trip much quicker than hiking would have.

On the drive back, another visitor stopped to ask how our truck had handled the road. Before leaving, she told us not to miss Eye of the Whale Arch. We took her advice, and we’re glad we did. It’s one of those hidden gems that many visitors drive right past.

After returning to camp for some rest and dinner, we headed out one more time for sunset at Delicate Arch.

Because we’d made this hike before, we thought seeing the arch at sunset would offer a completely different perspective. Ironically, the sunset itself was actually more impressive along the trail than it was behind the arch, since the sun doesn’t set directly behind it. Standing there again, we both laughed because Delicate Arch somehow seemed smaller than we remembered. Funny how memories can change over time!

Devils Garden: One Amazing Hike

Our final full day in Arches was dedicated to hiking the Devils Garden Trail, and it ended up being one of the highlights of the entire trip.

Along the way we visited Tunnel Arch, Pine Tree Arch, Landscape Arch, Partition Arch, Navajo Arch, Double O Arch, and finally Dark Angel.

One of the biggest surprises was Landscape Arch. As we approached, we thought, “No big deal—we’ve seen this before.”

But the park has added a longer viewing area since our last visit, allowing visitors to truly appreciate just how massive and delicate the arch really is. On our previous trip it had been difficult to get a good perspective. This time we absolutely loved it.

Partition Arch was another beautiful stop. Cas remembered it immediately, while I didn’t remember it at all. While we were there, we helped a couple take some photos. They were from Venezuela, and during the conversation the husband jokingly asked Cas, “Do you have an iPhone 2?”

Without missing a beat, Cas replied, “No…I have an iPhone 17.”

It took him a second before he burst out laughing and said, “I love your sense of humor.”

As we continued toward Double O Arch, the trail became much more adventurous. Crossing the large sandstone fins required scrambling over boulders with some steep drop-offs. I honestly didn’t remember this section from our last visit, and it was a little intimidating. Behind us, another family was making the crossing, and Mom was understandably a bit nervous, but everyone made it safely.

Double O Arch was worth every step. With only one other couple there, we had plenty of time to soak in the scenery and take photos without feeling rushed.

Eventually we reached Dark Angel before beginning the long hike back. At one point we wandered slightly off trail and found ourselves standing on top of a rock with no obvious way down. After a little backtracking, Cas quickly found the correct route. He’s incredibly good at spotting the trail markers—I would have been completely lost without him.

As we made our way back, we continued discovering beautiful rock formations, several unnamed arches, and some wonderfully unique desert trees.

By the time we returned to the parking lot, we had covered 8.4 miles in just under five hours, including plenty of photo stops. The hike also included about 2,257 feet of elevation gain, which definitely explained why we were feeling it by the end of the day.

We made it back to camp completely exhausted, but in the best possible way. After dinner, it didn’t take long before we crawled into bed. We only had two vacation days left, and we wanted to make the most of every moment.