In June we went on an epic two week long road trip across the Southwest USA, up the west coast, and then back over to the Midwest. Inspired by our 4th Grader and the Every Kid Outdoors Program that gives you access to the country’s national lands for free for the entire year! If you have a 4th Grader in your house, you should definitely check it out! It’s super simple to do and good for your whole family!
We flew from Florida to Denver bright and early and rented a minivan, hit the closest Sonic for breakfast, had a Target pickup all ready to go for supplies, and hit the road! It’s about a six hour drive to Moab from Denver. I didn’t think much about this leg of the trip when I was planning… it’s just a drive on the interstate right? Well, yes, it is a drive along Interstate 70 west through Colorado, but even this Interstate drive was so gorgeous! I was in kind of a hurry to get the trip going and get to Moab, but really could have stopped so many places along the way! (Another trip, perhaps!)
As we got closer to Moab, we started seeing this mountain range in the distance, and John pulled up the map to see if we could get a little closer to it, since it at least sorta seemed to be along the direction we were going. Well, he found this sweet road, called the Highway 128 Scenic Byway… and yes, it was amazingly beautiful! The scenery keeps changing as you drive west and each new view kept us saying wow, wow, and wow again! This was just the beginning of an amazing trip!
This Scenic Byway we ended up on ran along the Colorado River (we had been driving along the Colorado River quite a ways through Colorado as well, on the Interstate), and this little river has a lot of impact on our entire trip! (A pretty famous stop later on our road trip too. Any guesses where?). This little road was like the teaser of all the amazing things we would see on this trip! What I’m saying really, is if given the chance, take the scenic route!
When we pulled into Moab, we had a couple of places that we had been given tips about that we wanted to check out. First, because my son really loves dinosaurs and my husband really loves rocks and fossils, we headed for a rock shop that my coworker, Ross, had told me about! The Moab Rock Shop was a delight! We found cool rocks, ammonite, a velociraptor claw, and jewelry! This is a great stop if you like to pick up something from the local area to remember your trip!
The next place that was recommended was The Sunset Grill. By dinner time and after traveling across a big chunk of the country, we were hungry! The Sunset Grill is nestled high above Moab and is in the former home of the Uranium King Charlie Steen, who struck it rich after discovering uranium in the area in 1952. The view was amazing from the outdoor balcony. The service and food were both excellent!
After dinner, we were ready to stretch our legs a little bit after the early morning flight and long drive! Just at the north side of town is a little park along the river. The Lions Park has a bridge that crosses over the Colorado River that you can walk across. It was right at sunset and the views were gorgeous! (Pro tip though: bring bug spray!)
Next, we headed to a couple of the shops in town for some fun Moab souvenirs and then headed to the hotel. When choosing a hotel, I tried to be as close to the national park’s entrances as possible. But after visiting, I will say that if you’re staying in Moab, it isn’t too great a concern how far you are as the town is not very big. It is mostly situated along one road. That being said, we stayed at the Aarchway Inn and had a great stay. It is really close to the entrance of Arches National Park. Our room was upgraded, so we had three beds in the room (kids were excited to not have to share!), a table and chairs as well as an easy chair, mini fridge and coffee pot. They have continental breakfast in the morning. A big plus for us since we were on the go every day and getting breakfast before heading out helps the day to start off smoothly!
Our visit to Moab continued the next day with a visit to both Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. I’ll save those for another post! We had a big road trip planned for the two weeks and we had lots of stuff to see. Sort of like the cliff notes version of each stop… every place we visited for just a day or two, and really each stop could have been a week or more! There is SO much to do in Moab. The Jeep tours looked really fun, so if we go back, that will be on the list! This was the first day of our trip. You can check out our entire itinerary across the Southwest US here: National Parks in the Southwestern United States: Our Epic Road Trip Itinerary (Includes Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Yosemite, Redwoods, and more!)
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[…] Drive to Moab, UT via I-70 (about a 6 hour drive). It. Is. A. Gorgeous. Drive. So so pretty! There were a hundred places I wanted to stop! You’ll go by Vail, Grand Junction, and the Glenwood Canyon area (which I think is a place I definitely need to go back to visit). Winding along the Colorado River on this drive gives you the beginning glimpses of all the amazing things this river has done! […]
[…] across the southwestern United States last summer. We flew from Florida to Denver and made it to Moab our first day, and the second day, we visited not just one, but TWO national parks! We were making […]