Arches National Park is the crown jewel of Moab. 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.
Here’s everything you need to know, stop by stop.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A short and easy walk brings you to a massive window perched high in a sandstone wall. Quick but worth it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A hotel that’s also a free 24-hour contemporary art museum penguins included. We booked a Corner Suite at 21c and it was massive: separate bedroom, living room, dining area, 699 square feet to spread out in. The bathroom alone had a double vanity and custom Rookwood Pottery tile that made getting ready weirdly entertaining.
The location is downtown, two minutes from Fountain Square, walkable to Boca for dinner, and close enough to hop the free streetcar into Over-the-Rhine. If OTR is where most of your plans are, you might want to stay closer to that neighborhood instead downtown worked for us, but we spent more time in OTR than we expected to.
And yes, there’s a recycled-plastic penguin sculpture that will absolutely scare you the first time you open your door and forget it’s there. Link in bio for the full review rooms, parking, walkability, and everything else before you book 🎨
Three neighborhoods, one streetcar, and more Cincinnati specialties than I could finish in one afternoon.
We hit a goetta breakfast sandwich, chocolate chip ice cream from a shop that’s been at it since 1870, a Liège waffle that earned its Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives spot, and Cincinnati chili the way it’s actually meant to be eaten... over a hot dog, buried in shredded cheddar.
$75 got us three and a half hours, a local guide, free streetcar rides, and a genuinely full stomach. Don’t eat breakfast before this one, the portions add up fast.
My third Secret Food Tour in my third city, and it’s still undefeated.
Link in bio for the full review cost, route, parking, and every stop we hit 🥟🌶️
13 creek crossings, a canyon that keeps closing in around you, and a hike I’d genuinely put back on my itinerary, West Fork Trail was the one.
We got to Call of the Canyon at 7:15am and the lot was barely a quarter full. By 12:30 it was 85% full, so if there’s one tip that matters most, it’s this: go early.
The maintained trail is 6.6 miles round trip, mostly flat, mostly shaded, but I kept my regular tennis shoes dry the whole way by hopping across the rocks at each crossing. It’s rated moderate, and honestly that’s about the distance, not the terrain.
Here’s what nobody tells you though ✨ the maintained trail isn’t the end. We changed into water shoes at the official endpoint and kept going another mile straight through the creek, canyon walls narrowing around us the whole time. That extra mile ended up being my favorite part of the entire hike.
5/5 for me. I’d bring the water shoes again in a heartbeat.
Link in bio for the full guide parking, timing, what to pack, and everything I wish I knew before I went 🥾
Two hours, zero regrets. The Pink Jeep Broken Arrow Tour is hands down one of the most fun things we did in Sedona.
Open-air Jeeps crawling over slickrock, backcountry views you can’t reach on your own, and the famous Road of No Return, steep, thrilling, and somehow completely safe the whole way down.
If you’re picking one paid activity in Sedona, make it this one.
You have to do @pinkjeeptours 🌵🚙 Link in bio for the full review.
Dinner beside Oak Creek at Cress, and yes, it’s a splurge, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.🤍
Candlelit tables under the trees, the creek running right beside us, a menu that mixes Arizona ingredients with French technique. We ordered a little of everything: the squash and beet salad, milk rolls with three different butters, sweet potato gnocchi that somehow felt light instead of heavy. Then two desserts because we couldn’t decide. The Vanilla Crème Caramel with Manchego cheese completely stole the show, salty and sweet in a way that sounds strange until you taste it.
Plan on $100–250 for two depending on what you order, and this isn’t the spot for a quick casual dinner, it’s slow, intentional, and worth every minute. Book ahead and ask for a creekside table if you can.
If you’re looking for one unforgettable meal in Sedona, this is it. Link in bio for the full review 🍽️
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