Travel: Getting to Arches National Park, Utah
Part of a series: (links to go live as they get posted)
- Packing
- Getting to
- Moab, Utah
- Silver Sage Inn
- Arches Tips and Trails, part 1
- Arches Tips and Trails, part 2
- Canyonlands Tips and Trails
- Salt Lake City, part 1
- Salt Lake City, part 2
The usual jumping off point to visit the Canyonland’s area (Arches National Park and more) is Moab, Utah. Moab’s room rates, however, are very expensive. If cost is a concern, look up lodging options in Green River, fifty-seven miles away.
Moab also tends to book up quickly on the weekends. Try to plan ahead if possible. In addition to hotel rooms, there are also campgrounds and RV parks.
The quickest way to Moab is to fly into Salt Lake City. Then it’s about a four hour drive along Route 6 (in yellow). In this rare occasion though, I feel that the interstate is actually the more scenic drive. If you’re brave enough to take mountain driving at around 85 mph, as the Utahs do, the drive along US 15 and US 70 may take about six hours. US 15 runs down the middle of the state along a valley. There’s a mountain range on the right and a mountain range on the left. With every mile, the angle changes and the light changes.
The short trek over Route 60 (in orange) is stunning.
The shorter way is not horrid by any means. The road goes high into the mountains so depending on the time of year, snow may still be visible. Little patches of domesticity and even some ghost towns dot the drive. With the mountains right on top of you and so many twists and turns along the road, the view is just not as expansive.