This is the longest day of driving on the trip. Four hours in the car seems to be around the limit where it starts to feel like too much. This is particularly true when you have back to back days of long driving. But when the day is broken up it with stops, rests and sights, it can still be a lot of fun without being exhausting. The important thing though, it arriving at your destination with enough time left in the day to rest and unwind so everyone is ready to start early tomorrow.
Todays 4 hour drive includes enough stops to keep it interesting. Including a tourist trap, a giant arch, a national monument and a lot of scenic spots.
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This is another day where food can be difficult to find. The town of Blanding, just before heading west on 95, will be the last town you pass through for a long time. I recommend grabbing something you can take with you here, or in the morning at Moab. When you first hit the road you will pass City Market in Moab, that’s a great place to pick up something for later.
Hole ‘N The Rock
A literal hole in the wall…..or rock, actually….but close enough. It’s not a real road trip until you hit a real roadside attraction. And this one has it all…a petting zoo….a tour….a souvenir shop…a sculpture garden…and more. Don’t forget to look for big foot while you’re here.
Wilsons Arch
About 10 minutes down the road from Hole N’ The Rock is another hole in the rock. Wilsons Arch is on the northbound side of the highway. There is parking on the southbound side, and with some patience and skillful timing you can frogger over to the other side for the short hike up to this arch.
Mule Canyon Kiva
There is a cool archeological dig site at this roadside rest stop. It’s a great place to stretch legs after over an hour of driving from Wilson Arch. After a quick walk around the dig site we were back on the road.
There are also a couple of toilets here, although these facilities lean toward being classified as another hole in the rock rather than a real toilet. Still, you take what you can get…or hold out for another 30 minutes to Natural Bridges.
Natural Bridges National Monument
We arrived around midday and Natural Bridges felt near empty. As hot as it was in August, this seems hardly surprising. Except when you consider Arches was similarly hot and very crowded. Natural Bridges has a nine mile one-way loop road that will take you to viewpoints overlooking each of the major natural bridges in the park. In each case the viewpoints just felt too far away to be really blown away. The bridges look huge, much larger than the arches in Arches National Park (we couldn’t help but compare the two). But seeing them far away just looses something. On the final bridge, Owachomo Bridge, we decided to brave the heat and hike down. This one is the closest one to the road and therefore the easiest hike. We actually started down the trail to try to get a better picture and just kept going until we were standing under the bridge. From underneath the bridge it was awe inspiring and honestly more impressive than the arches. If we ever make it back in Spring or Fall I would love to hike to all three of the bridges in this park.
For anyone wondering, the difference between a natural bridge and an arch is mainly just the shape. Bridges sometimes span water, but not always. Natural bridges are more bridge-like and arches are more arch-like. That’s really it, we looked it up.
Moki Dugway
Heading south along Utah 261 from Natural Bridges the road is somewhat dull. It is mostly straight with rolling hills and light traffic. It’s a sleepy drive along a quiet country road, and then the road becomes dirt and soon after you arrive at Moki Dugway. The Moki Dugway is a dirt road carved into the side of a cliff winding down to the Valley of the Gods. The view is incredible. While you wind your way down this road the flat plains below stretch farther than you can see. The roads at the bottom are thin lines going off to the horizon and the valley is dotted with enormous geologic formations that appear as if they were tiny stone piles.
Mexican Hat Rock
What else can you say about the Mexican Hat Rock, it looks like a sombrero. There is a small dirt lot a few yards off the main road. We stopped there for a few shots and continued on. It is possible to continue further down the road to a spot where you can hike up to the rock. This dirt road is not as smooth and well maintained as Moki Dugway, so prepare to bounce while crawling along.
Monument Valley
Shortly after passing through the town of Mexican Hat our final destination came into view. Approaching Monument Valley from the north is the best way to get that wow moment. From the north you are treated to the most famous view of Monument Valley and the location where Forrest Gump ended his run and decided to go home. You also find opportunities for some delicious Navajo fry bread. Get at least two so you can try both sweet and salty versions.
We stayed the night at The View hotel, which is inside the Monument Valley Tribal Park. We booked early and managed to get a cabin with a view. The main hotel lobby looked very nice, but being off in our own cabin with a front porch overlooking the valley was a great experience. We caught a beautiful sunset from the back of the cabin, then woke up early to sit on our front porch and watch an even more impressive sunrise.
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