Day 10 - Southwest National Parks Adventure

10/3/2025

Today we woke up to a beautiful sunrise in Arches National Park.

We decided to head to the popular Delicate Arch area to try and get a parking spot before they were full, which it did 20 minutes after we arrived. Delicate Arch is the arch used in all the pictures of Arches National Park. We had our coffee and breakfast in the camper before heading out on the trail. The trail is mainly up hill across vast expanses of sand stone. Some nice ledges to hike on and a viewing area that holds dozens of tourists.

After that we went to Double Arch area and did a short walk and took a few pictures. Parking was very crowded but luckily we found parking for the truck and trailer.

We found a nice turnout to make sandwiches for lunch in the camper with more spectacular views.

We spent the afternoon in Moab checking out the shops. We parked near Swanny City Park and walked a couple blocks to the main tourist area. We took a little rest before heading back to our campsite in Utahraptor State Park.

We unloaded the bikes and tried to ride to the KlonZo mountain bike trails, but the road from the campsite went from paved, to gravel to deep sand. It was impossible to go further with our bikes. We abandoned the idea of trying out the mountain bike trails and turned around.

We rode the other direction and followed road signs to a historic site. Considering the state park is located on a large deposit of dinosaur bones we expected something about dinosaurs. We were thoroughly surprised to discover that the site was once a CCC camp and housed men sent here to work on flood control damns to help the areas farming and ranching. During WWII, the site was used as a Japanese internment camp. Displays explained the very different experiences for the two camps that were once located there. The CCC, a shining example of American know how, and the horrific treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

After our ride, we headed back into Moab for dinner at Pasta Jay’s for a hearty meal.