Day 3: Mostly at Arches
The town of Moab is small and primarily geared toward active outdoor tourists, and several tour companies have nice shops and restaurants. However, the main attractions are the nearby national parks, Arches, and Canyonlands. Not really interested in off-roading, we booked a guided tour of Arches National Park, and our ex-park ranger tour guide gave an amazingly informative tour of most of the sights.
Click on an image to pop up a larger version.
Window Arches
While Moab is a charming outdoor town, we intended to spend the majority of the day at Arches. We had a guide and aimed to see most major rock formations' sights.
Double Arch
This formation of two arches joined by a single rock column offers excellent viewing.
Courthouse Tower
This rock formation is known as the courthouse. Due to its vertical cracks, it "sort of" resembles one.
Rock Formations Near Balanced Rock
I’m not certain what these are called, but they are another stunning collection of red rocks.
Balanced Rock Up Close
Open the full image to see Balanced Rock. The formation stands 128 feet tall and is composed of two different rock formations.
A Little Closer to Double Arch
Although we stayed away from challenging hiking paths, we still managed to get close to several of the arches.
Park Avenue Viewpoint
A short trail connects the parking lot to the viewpoint for the Park Avenue rock formations, providing an impressive view of natural erosion.
Red Cliffs Overlooking Main Street
The small town of Moab cannot compare to the stunning beauty of the national parks; so only a few pictures were taken. This is the main street, with red cliffs in the distance.
Balanced Rock From a Distance.
The top boulder of Balanced Rock is composed of Entrada Sandstone and is connected to its eroding pedestal, which is made of Dewey Bridge mudstone.
Formations Near Double Arch
This image features some intriguing rock formations. I'm not sure if they have names.
Maybe This is Turret Arch
Yet another arch. We believe this is Turret Arch. We also spotted Delicate Arch, but we were too far away for a good picture.
Again, Cliffs Overlooking Our Hotel
Here is the hotel with its pool, framed by red cliffs in the distance. Rocky Mountaineer selected beautiful hotels in prime locations.