Arches National Park is the crown jewel of Moab, and visiting with an Arches National Park guide makes it even easier to plan your trip. With over 2,000 natural stone arches, it’s basically a red-rock playground where every corner looks like it belongs on a postcard. The best part? You don’t need weeks to explore it. In just a day or two, you can see most of the park’s highlights.
On my last trip, I timed it just right—school had just started back in Utah, it was over 100 degrees (yes, HOT), and somehow, the park was nearly empty. Normally, you can expect an hour wait at the entrance, but I drove right in. Worth the sweat. Before diving in, check out my guide to the Best Sunrise and Sunset Spots in Moab Utah if you want the best lighting for your Arches photos.
Here’s everything you need to know, stop by stop.
Fee: $30 per vehicle (valid for 7 days)
Tip: Stop at the visitor center first. They always have updated trail conditions, maps, fun park history, and souvenirs.
Trail Length: 2 miles out-and-back (to the bottom of the canyon)
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (steep descent at the start)
Elevation Gain: About 300 ft
Estimated Time: 1–1.5 hours (or 5 minutes if you just do the viewpoint)
Best Time: Morning for soft light on the cliffs
This is one of the first stops in the park and a perfect way to set the tone. The viewpoint is just a one-minute walk from the parking lot, with towering sandstone walls that look like—you guessed it—a city avenue of skyscrapers. If you hike down, you’ll follow a primitive trail (rocky and uneven, not a groomed path) that drops you into the canyon. Walking between those massive cliffs makes you feel tiny in the best way.
Trail Length: Short walk to viewpoint (less than 0.25 miles)
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Estimated Time: 10–15 minutes
Best Time: Early morning when the sun lights up the towers
Courthouse Towers stand tall just beyond Park Avenue. These massive stone monoliths resemble—you guessed it—giant courthouse buildings. While it’s more of a viewpoint than a hike, the scale is impressive. The morning light casts dramatic shadows across the desert floor, making this a quick but rewarding stop.
Trail Length: 0.3-mile loop
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Estimated Time: 15–20 minutes
Best Time: Sunrise or golden hour for glowing light
Balanced Rock looks like it shouldn’t be standing—but somehow it is. A huge boulder teeters on a narrow pedestal, and the short loop lets you see it from every angle. It’s a quick walk, but a must-stop.
Garden of Eden isn’t a full trail, but it’s a fun pullout where you can scramble up a few short rock mounds for a wider view of the park.
Trail Length: 0.5 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy but steep at the end
Elevation Gain: About 100 ft
Estimated Time: 20–30 minutes
Best Time: Morning for fewer crowds, sunset for dramatic views
If you’re not up for the full hike to Delicate Arch, the lower viewpoint gives you a solid taste. The short trail climbs quickly, but the reward is worth it. Secret tip: don’t stop at the official viewpoint. Keep going down the rock slope and you’ll get a much better, direct view of the arch.
A quick stop with sweeping views over Fiery Furnace and the red rock valley beyond. Especially pretty at sunrise or sunset when the colors glow. You can see the maze-like fins of Fiery Furnace from above, plus long stretches of open desert dotted with red rock formations. It’s one of the best places to get a feel for just how massive Arches really is without doing any hiking. If you have zoom on your camera, you can even pick out some of the narrow passages inside the Furnace from a distance.
If you love arches glowing at golden hour, don’t miss my Top 5 Epic Views Around Moab for even more dramatic photo spots.
Trail Length: 0.3 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Estimated Time: 15–20 minutes
Best Time: Morning (completely shaded)
This was my favorite stop of the day. The trail leads into a shady slot between fins, with soft sand underfoot and an arch hidden inside. It feels like a secret little desert hideaway. In the morning, the whole area is shaded, which is a gift if you’re hiking in the heat.
Trail Length: 0.4 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Estimated Time: 15 minutes
A short and easy walk brings you to a massive window perched high in a sandstone wall. Quick but worth it.
Trail Length: 2.5 miles round trip (to Landscape Arch, including Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches)
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (sandy in parts)
Elevation Gain: About 300 ft
Estimated Time: 1.5–2 hours
Best Time: Morning before the heat
This hike packs a lot into a couple of miles. Take the spur trail to Pine Tree Arch first (a short walk with one small hill), then Tunnel Arch. Both are quick detours. From there, continue on to Landscape Arch, one of the longest natural arches in the world at 306 feet. The span is so thin it looks like it could collapse at any moment (and large chunks already have). The trail continues into a much longer loop if you’re up for adventure, but I stopped at Landscape Arch when the sand and heat got to me.
Trail Length: 1 mile round trip (primitive loop option available)
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: About 200 ft
Estimated Time: 45 minutes–1 hour
Best Time: Late afternoon into sunset
This area is perfect for exploring multiple arches in one go. North and South Windows sit side by side, while Turret Arch rises nearby. If you want a fun detour, take the primitive trail around the back of North Window for a different angle. A couple of hours before sunset, the light peeks through Turret Arch in dramatic fashion—one of the best photo ops in the park.
Trail Length: 0.5 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Estimated Time: 20 minutes
Best Time: Anytime
Double Arch is one of the park’s showstoppers. Two arches soar above you, joined at one end, creating a three-dimensional effect that makes you feel tiny. The short walk makes this an easy addition to any itinerary, and it’s one of my absolute favorites.
Trail Length: 3 miles round trip
Difficulty: Strenuous (steep, exposed slickrock, uneven surfaces)
Elevation Gain: About 500 ft
Estimated Time: 2–3 hours
Best Time: Sunset for the glow (arrive an hour early to get a good spot)
This is the big one—the hike everyone comes to Arches to do. And I’ll be honest, it’s not easy. The trail climbs steadily uphill, across wide slickrock with zero shade. But when you finally round the corner and see Delicate Arch standing alone on the edge of a cliff, it’s unforgettable.
I went at sunset, and while my legs weren’t thrilled with the climb, the payoff was worth every sweaty step. My friend warned me that the arch is usually packed with people—50+ at times—but I lucked out with a smaller crowd. My advice: get there at least an hour before sunset so you have time to take photos and then relax as the arch glows in the fading light.
Best Time to Visit: Spring and fall for mild weather. Summer is brutally hot but less crowded.
Water & Snacks: Bring more than you think. I went through multiple bottles and was glad I had LMNT packets for electrolytes.
Crowds: Expect long entrance lines in peak season. Early morning or late afternoon is best.
How Long to Stay: One full day covers the highlights, but two days lets you slow down and soak it in.
Arches National Park is one of those places that doesn’t feel real until you’re standing there. The arches are incredible, but it’s the mix of short walks, fun scrambles, and longer hikes that makes the park special. Whether you’re up for the full trek to Delicate Arch or just want to wander through Double Arch and the Windows, Arches has something for everyone.
Bring water, bring snacks, and bring a sense of wonder—you’ll need all three. If you’re spending more time in Moab, my 24 Hours in Moab: Two Perfect Ways to Spend a Day will help you round out your trip.
Some places you visit. Key West you embark on.
It doesn’t have a dress code, a quiet hour, or much patience for taking itself seriously. The streets are loud, the colors are aggressive, the chickens have no respect for personal space, and somehow all of it works together into something that feels completely its own.
This is not the trip for everyone. If you need a resort schedule, a pool with reserved chairs, and a plan for every hour, Key West is going to fight you on that. But if you show up willing to wander, eat well, watch the sunset from Mallory Square with a crowd of strangers who all somehow feel like regulars, and let the island move at its own pace... it will absolutely deliver.
Key West doesn’t try to be anything except exactly what it is. That’s the whole point.
Full guide linked in bio for anyone ready to embark. 🌴
#travelling #keywest #florida #keywestflorida #visitflorida
One day in Key West sounds like a lot until you realize Key West is very good at making one day feel like enough... if you plan it right.
The goal isn’t to hit every single attraction. It’s to experience the parts that make the island actually feel like Key West: Old Town, colorful streets, Whitehead Street, a photo at the Southernmost Point (get there early, the line is real), key lime pie, Mallory Square at sunset, and dinner somewhere that earns it. Café Marquesa was my favorite meal of the entire trip, and it has nothing to do with an ocean view. The food just stands on its own.
Swipe for the full day broken down by time, plus a shorter version if you’re visiting on a cruise. Full itinerary linked in bio. 🌴
A three-hour walking food tour through Old Town Key West that functioned as breakfast, lunch, and my new personality.
The Secret Food Tour hits five stops... and no, I’m not telling you where because discovering them is genuinely part of it. What I will tell you: the mutton snapper fish tacos with key lime mustard sauce were the dish I kept thinking about for days. There was also key lime pie involved at some point, which should surprise no one.
Our guide Deanna was excellent! She mixed local history and food stories in a way that felt like being shown around by someone who actually lives there rather than following a checklist. The group was small, the pacing was easy, and by the end I was completely full and slightly sad it was over.
Full review with everything you need to know before booking | link in bio 🌴
If you’re doing a Netherlands tulip trip and renting a car, staying directly in Amsterdam might actually be working against you…
We stayed at Hotel Heemskerk it’s on a historic estate outside the city, quieter than I expected, and about 20-30 minutes from the tulip fields. Free parking included, which after seeing Amsterdam parking prices felt genuinely exciting in a way I’m not embarrassed about. @hotelheemskerk worked really well as a base for exploring northern Holland without fighting city traffic every single morning.
Full review with room details, parking tips, location breakdown, and what’s nearby | link in bio. 🌷
I planned to spend maybe an hour at a cheese farm outside Amsterdam and left several hours later with an engraved clog birdhouse, way too much cheese, and a strong opinion on 1.5-year aged Gouda.
Clara Maria Cheese Farm near Amstelveen does a free cheese and clog demonstration that was genuinely one of my favorite things from the entire Netherlands trip. The farm is over 160 years old, the people running it are wonderful, and the tour guide Delo was hilarious in a way I was not prepared for.
A few things that surprised me: Dutch cheese gets its golden color naturally from beta carotene in cow’s milk. The entire cheese-making process is still done largely by hand pressed, flipped, salt-soaked, and hand-waxed before aging even starts. And Americans (myself included) have been pronouncing Gouda wrong our whole lives. It’s closer to “HOW-da.” I understand this now and will still panic and say it wrong anyway.
We tried about ten cheeses ranging from fresh to 20 years aged. The 20-year was aggressively pungent, think concentrated smelly feet... but the 1.5-year was perfect. We also met the cows. Honestly the whole thing was a lot more personal than I expected from a tourist stop.
Full review with what to know before you go, link in bio. 🧀
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