UTAH - Moab, Arches, Colorado River…oh my
When you think of Utah do you think of red dirt mountains and heat….if so you would be RIGHT! Utah in July is definitely hot, but there are many fun activities to do to keep you cooled off!
We camped at Sun Outdoors Arches Gateway which was right off the main drag and very convenient. It had a swimming pool for the kids and was the perfect location for day activities. BONUS….it was only 3 miles from Arches National Park!!! I rode my bike into the park, but having the kids do the same and trekking all the way inside the park without a car would be too hard, so we drove through with the kids.
This is the pool at the campground - Sun Outdoors Arches Gateway.
Haha I didn’t know this picture was so bad until I looked at it later. I don’t know whether to blame my husband for not retaking another pic or blame my kids for this one! But this is the best pick we got in Arches National Park!
Arches National Park has over 2,000 natural sandstone arches. The park is only 5 miles from Moab so a perfect location to spend a day in here on your Moab trip. We decided to drive the paved road (36 miles in total) through the park and stop at many of the pull off areas through the park to take some scenic pictures.
There are a few short hikes family friendly to choose from - We chose Balance Rock Hike which was only a .3 mile loop perfect for the kids on a hot hot day!
The obligatory pic in front of the national park sign, at least everyone is looking at the camera!
DAY 2
Moab is HOT HOT HOT in the summer, so we wanted to cool off in the Colorado River. We drove about 13 miles from our campsite to Take Out Beach, Moab, UT 84532 - which is just passed Big Bend Campground right along the river. You basically drive the entire 13 miles alongside the river, so it’s a gorgeous view the entire drive. You may find little pull off spots along the way to stop at but we decided to stop at this location because it was big enough to fit our RV.
There was a gorgeous sandy beach area that led to the river perfect for the kids to play in and swim in (close to the shore). The river wasn’t moving all that fast and some other people were swimming in the middle of the river, but that did make me a little nervous.
We also saw a lot of people paddle boarding the river, which looked like a ton of fun. But how often do you get to swim with these red rocks in every direction. This was a pretty amazing, perfect little day trip activity in Moab.
The Slickrock Bike Trail is a famous Moab mountain bike trail. This trail was about 15 minutes from our campground and another great day activity, make sure you go early to avoid the heat though! This is a 10.6 mile trail that has views over the Colorado River. Brandon did the entire trail and said it was difficult, however, myself and the kids just played around in the mile or so at the beginning of the trail which is pretty open and easy over big red slick rocks, go figure!
DAY 3
Another great day trip is near Salt Lake City - 4 hours away - we spent some time there and stopped at the Great Salt Lake - Antelope Island. The Great Salt Lake is the largest salt lake in the western hemisphere. The average depth of this lake is 16 feet so we were able to walk out 50 yards and we were still only knee deep. We didn’t realize this lake has sooooo much salt in it that you actually float in it without even trying!
There are 5 national parks in Utah, so there is plenty to do if you want to drive a bit further and have the time. My favorite of them all is Zion National Park. However, we went there two years prior without kids, so we didn’t deem it necessary to go back. Bet if I had to recommend one park it absolutely would be that one. My second favorite thing in Utah would be the Colorado River. Rafting the Colorado is on my bucket list! Hopefully, this got you inspired for a little trip to Utah. Check back for other fun vacation tips shortly!
