Not every trip to Arches has to include sweaty climbs and three-mile uphill slogs on slickrock. Maybe you’re traveling with kids, older family members, or you just want to see the highlights without feeling like you joined a CrossFit class which is why these stops to make in Arches National Park if you can’t hike are perfect.. The good news? Arches has plenty of jaw-dropping views that require little more than stepping out of your car—or at most, a very short stroll.
Here are the best stops in Arches if you can’t (or don’t want to) hike. While you're exploring these easy stops, you might also like my list of the Top 5 Epic Views Around Moab—they’re perfect for non-hikers too.
Distance from Car: 1–2 minutes
Difficulty: Easy, paved
Best Time: Morning for glowing canyon walls
This viewpoint gives you the dramatic “sandstone skyscrapers” effect of Park Avenue without hiking into the canyon. The trail does go down if you’re up for it, but the overlook itself is spectacular and accessible.
Distance from Car: Less than 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Best Time: Early morning
These massive formations stand like stone government buildings. You don’t have to trek far—just pull over and walk a short distance to take in the view.
Trail Length: 0.3 miles (paved loop, optional)
Difficulty: Easy
Best Time: Sunrise or golden hour
Balanced Rock looks like it shouldn’t exist, and yet there it is—a giant boulder perched precariously on a pedestal. You can walk the short paved loop if you’d like, but honestly, the view from the parking lot is already incredible.
Distance from Car: Steps from the lot
Difficulty: Easy, uneven ground if you wander further
Best Time: Midday
This isn’t a formal trail, but a pullout where you can wander a few feet for a great panorama of sandstone formations. It feels wild and open without requiring effort.
Lower Viewpoint: 0.2 miles, short but uphill
Upper Viewpoint: 0.5 miles, more difficult
The full Delicate Arch hike is strenuous, but the viewpoints are perfect alternatives. From the lower viewpoint, you’ll see the arch in the distance. If you can manage the short climb to the upper viewpoint, you’ll get a much better angle without committing to the full three-mile trek.
Distance from Car: Immediate, right at the pullout
Difficulty: Easy
Best Time: Sunrise or sunset for glowing rock formations
This pullout overlooks Fiery Furnace and the sweeping red rock valley. It’s one of those “don’t skip it” roadside stops.
Trail Length: 0.3 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy (soft sand, shaded)
Best Time: Morning for full shade
This is one of the few arches that feels like a secret hideaway. The trail is short and leads through a sandy slot to a shaded arch. Even though it’s a short walk, it’s very doable—and the cool sand and shade make it a great stop in summer.
Trail Length: 0.4 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Best Time: Anytime
An easy stroll (or even just a view from the road) takes you to Skyline Arch, a massive window perched high in a sandstone wall.
Trail Length: 1 mile round trip if you do all three (North Window, South Window, Turret Arch), but you can see plenty right from the lot
Difficulty: Easy
Best Time: Late afternoon into sunset
This area is packed with arches. Even if you don’t do the full loop, you can walk just a few minutes from the parking lot to see North Window and Turret Arch. The formations are huge and impressive without requiring a serious hike. This area offers some of the best stops to make in Arches National Park if you can’t hike.
Trail Length: 0.5 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Best Time: Anytime
One of my personal favorites. The short, flat path leads to two enormous arches joined at one end. Even if you don’t hike all the way up, the view from the lot is spectacular. If you're building a longer itinerary, check out my Spend a Weekend in Moab: The Perfect 3-Day Itinerary for a mix of easy walks and scenic overlooks.
Finish your trip at the visitor center—it’s air-conditioned, has exhibits, and plenty of souvenirs. You can explore interpretive displays, watch the short introductory film, check out the topographic map, or talk to rangers about the park’s geology and wildlife. It’s also a great place to cool off before heading back into Moab, and it’s one of the top stops to make in Arches National Park if you can’t hike.
Arches doesn’t have to mean miles of hiking. With overlooks, short strolls, and easy loops, you can see most of the park’s highlights with minimal effort. From the drama of Park Avenue to the grandeur of Double Arch, you’ll still get the “wow factor” without breaking a sweat.
Whether you’re traveling with family, need a rest day, or just want a more relaxed visit, these stops prove that Arches is just as rewarding even if you keep the hikes short and sweet. These truly are the top stops to make in Arches National Park if you can’t hike. If you want even more inspiration for planning your trip, my Arches National Park: A Complete Guide to Moab’s Most Iconic Landscapes breaks down all the must-see spots.
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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