At the end of April, our family took a trip to visit Moab, Utah! This trip had been planned for 2 years! Last year in April Moab closed since it was just the start of COVID. We were so happy to get the chance to make some new memories and stay in the same group campsite as our friends. Getting to Moab was quite the ordeal. Keep reading for the full story!

We left our house around 6:15 am, nice and early, and it turned out to be a good thing. Little did we know it was going to take 16 hours to get to Moab! Our Sequoia was pulling our enclosed trailer, full of camping supplies, dirt bikes, and other bikes. A few hours after we left we had a tire blow out. No problem. We put on the spare.

Then ANOTHER tire blew! So we ended up leaving our enclosed trailer behind and drove 40 min to Tremonton. Luckily we were traveling on a Wednesday so everything was open. We were able to get two of the tires replaced at Big O’s and we ate at Mack’s Family Drive In. It wasn’t the In-n-out we were planning for, but it was really good! We got an Oreo shake we all enjoyed. After we got the new tires and filled our stomachs with fries and burgers, we made our way 40 min. back to get our trailer. So. Much. Driving.

When we got to Highland, UT, the kids and I hung out at my husband’s aunt’s house (which is currently empty). Cameron went to drive 30 min. away to West Jordan to pick up our rented toy hauler. We used Outdoorsy to rent it. After we had everything loaded up in the other toy hauler trailer, it was already dinner time! Our drive to Moab took another 4 hours (we experienced high winds and we were being careful). We got in around 10:15 pm, making it the longest drive ever! Ok, maybe not the longest ever, but it sure felt like it!!!

When we arrived it was dark, so in the morning we were all so delighted to see this view from our group campsite!

In the afternoon we went to Moab Giants. It was fun! I would recommend visiting if you have children who are into dinosaurs. It’s an open air museum where you get to walk around (no shade FYI) and see the different dinos in life size!

I would recommend visiting only in the spring/fall months or first thing in the morning. There is zero shade and walking around in the summer would be a nightmare! We spent about an hour and a half there. I don’t think we would go back again, but I’m glad we went once just to experience it.

The next morning we got up early, packed our lunch, and drove to Arches National Park. If you are visiting Arches, I recommend getting there before 8 am. Especially in the warmer months. None of the trails are shaded, so it gets warm pretty quick! The line to get into the park was insanely long when we left around 2 pm.

Tip: Get there early!

The first place we visited was North and South Window and Turret Arch. All were short walks that were very easy for our four children (ages 11-4).

The next place we visited was Double Arch Trail. This one was also very easy and great views! Perfect for the kids. I love how you can get right underneath the arch. The kids loved climbing on the rocks.

The last big thing we did in Arches Park was the hike to Delicate Arch. I did this hike when I was about 10 years old and I still have very vivid memories of it being super hot and we didn’t bring enough water. So this time around with my own family, we made sure to bring lots of water (which turned out to be a good thing!) and we brought our lunch along as well.

I knew this hike would be stretch for our family. I told my kids that if we can get through this hike, we can accomplish anything! It was no walk in the park. My girls were feeling very hot and tired during the whole hike.

Delicate Arch Trail is 3 miles long, it took us about an hour to get up to the arch. We stopped a bunch of times to drink water and rest. There is no shade, so I would recommend doing this hike only in cooler temperatures! Bring lots and lots of water! Like 2 water bottles a person. Seems over-kill, but the air is so dry and the trail is very steep. If you have any children 0-4 years old, you will need to carry them in a pack.

When we finally made it to the top, we were so happy! But it was super windy and it made me super nervous because you are only on a ledge, and there is a drop off on both sides. The kids started to freeze too, since we were covered in sweat and it was very cold and windy at the top. We quickly ate our lunch then started to head back down.

There was so much more of Moab we want to explore. Next time we hope to check out more of the other featured arches and trails! Until next time!