Moab and Colorado Trip 2020
On my first day, I flew into Denver and drove to Moab. I made two stops on the drive, first to get coffee and food in Idaho Springs and then at Colorado National Monument. I made it just in time for sunset. I would recommend going for sunset; seeing the desert part of Colorado shine when the sun was setting was magical. After that, I drove to Moab for the last hour and a half. I stayed at the Lazy Lizard Hostel that night since I knew I was arriving late and didn’t want to deal with sitting up camp. This hostel was really unique because they were cabins instead of your traditional hostel, or you could pitch a tent and camp. I highly recommend this place. Fun fact, you can take a shower here even if you don't book a stay with them; you have to pay three dollars, and they take credit cards or cash.
I went to Dead Horse State Park for a sunrise hike the next day. I have deemed this as my favorite part of the Moab area. Dead Horse State Park near Canyonlands, so you can do both on the same day, which I did. It is 20 dollars to enter since it's a state park, but I promise it's the best 20 dollars you will spend. As I was driving to the park, it was all black; once I got into the park, I started to see the sunrise. I pulled over at the visitor's center to check out the viewpoint. For the first minute, I couldn't see much until the sun rose, then you saw the vastness of the canyon; I started to tear up because it took my breath away because I had never seen anything like this before. I continued down to the other viewpoints and swore I saw magic happen. The canyon kept getting brighter and brighter. I saw all the shades of browns and reds on the rocks and then the greens of the Colorado River. My home page's picture is the sunrise from Dead Horse State Park.
After visiting here, I went to Canyonlands Island in the Sky. Again, the vastness of the canyons was breathtaking; at this point, though around 10 am, the park was packed with people, I overheard someone saying they closed Arches down, and there was a queue for Canyonlands. I hiked to Mesa Arch, Grand Viewpoint Overlook, a little off-roading, and a few smaller trails. I ended my day around 1 ish. I was hungry, tired, and jet-lagged to fully enjoy the park since so many people were there. I was also up since 4 am. When I left, about a mile or so of cars was waiting to arrive.
As I mentioned in my longer post, I could not find a spot to camp after exploring Canyonlands. I wanted to camp at Goose Island, along the Colorado River, and less than 10 mins drive to Arches. I knew I was getting up early to go there for a sunrise hike, and this was the best place to camp, besides inside the National Park, which that campsite was already booked. A couple of things about Goose Island, it gets filled up fast. You want to get there before 10; even then, it's still hard to get a spot, especially on a Friday morning or a holiday weekend. I learned this from my next trip there. Most people are cleaning and checking out around then. Don't get there after 11, especially on the weekend, because you won't get a spot.
When I was there in October 2020, the park was open to everyone until about 9/10 am; the park got full, they shut down the park for a few hours until people left, then they reopened. The park is now on a time entry ticket from 3 April to 3 Oct. To get your time entry ticket, you can go to Recreation.gov. Before going to Arches or any National Park, I highly recommend getting a National Park pass, it saves you time and money, but you also support the park. This park pass is good for one year and allows entry to all Big National Parks and other parks in the National Park system. I also HIGHLY recommend checking out the website of any of the parks you go to. The National Parks does a good job of providing you with all the information you need. I personally love calling the National Park I am visiting and talking to a few different rangers to get their advice before I head to the park.
My first hike at Arches was a sunrise hike to Delicate Arch. I highly recommend that hike for the morning for a couple of reasons. First, as the sun rises from the La Sal mountains over these red rocks, you feel like you are hiking on Mars. It was an incredible experience hiking in the dark seeing nothing for one minute to seeing these huge rocks since everything turned from black to blackish-blue to red in a short amount of time. Once I reached Delicate Arch, we all were waiting for the sunrise over and shin on the arch. It was breathtaking how the arch was lit up by the sun. The second reason I say to hike Delicate Arch in the morning is that the parking lot will be full by 8 am and crowded. Hiking back at 9 am, the trail was filled with people hiking up, and at times I had to stop to let people pass. When I got to my car past 9 am, the parking lot full and blocked off.
Words can't describe Arches or Canyonlands. I loved both dearly, but I think Arches may be my favorite. There is something to be said driving around the red rocks and seeing the formations of all these Arches. At Delicate Arch, I saw this woman watching me, so I asked her to picture me. She obliged. We talked, and she mentioned she had a son who was like me, a solo traveler enjoying the wonders of the earth, which is why she was watching me in my element. It was so refreshing to meet new people with different stories to tell. I used to/sometimes still travel to escape from my problems or my life ( see my second post!). I know you shouldn't do that, and I am learning not to do it as much. But for a moment, no one gives a shit if you are a Director of XYZ or the son of a wealthy millionaire. Deep down, people want to be storytellers.
I left Moab and went to Telluride for a few days; I love that small town. I'm very thankful my friend lives there, and I can visit anytime I want. I would highly recommend sunrise and sunset on the Gondola. Going over the mountains and seeing a new day start or the day end is just magical. And you must get a Flatliner, their signature town drink. If you love good Thai food, you should get food at Siam. I recommend walking around town, exploring the local business, and enjoying how the San Juan Mountains surround this town. It is one of the best little box canyon towns—views in every direction.
I started my travels back to Denver in a roundabout way. I went to Crested Butte, then took Monarch Pass to Salida, where I went to Elevation Beer Company. Then went to Buena Vista and explored the town before heading to camp. That night I survived the 40 mph winds in Buena Vista and woke up to the view of the sun rising above Mt. Princeton. I went to Twin Lakes before heading to Leadville, Breck, and Frisco.
Frisco was a fun spot to hang out in. I couldn't camp anymore because of the weather and the fires, but I found the cutest bed and breakfast with a hot tub, and they gave you wine. I spent every night in the hot tub with wine and watched the smoke from the fires coming in. I went to St Mary's Glacier to hike and wandered Mount Royal in Frisco. I fell in love with driving Loveland Pass. Epic views and a little frighting driving on the pass, but you get those Colorado mountain views. I went to Garden of the Gods and Golden. I ended the trip in Denver; if you want a great steak sandwich to go to Denver Ted's, near Jagged Mountain Brewing, you can even eat the sandwich in the Brewery!
As you can see, I fit in during my week-and-a-half trip. This trip will go down as my top three favorite trips I have been on. I learned so much about myself and the areas I went and explored.