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Plans are such a moving target, but I was looking at going to Arches National Park in November. Anyone with experience with that time of year or the park? My schedule keeps getting compressed, so we might be down to 2 1/2 or 3 days only which frustrates me, but this might be our best shot.
I have not been there at that time of year, but I bet it's beautiful. Have you tried looking at the NPS website? Usually they have pretty useful information for things to do and what to expect during different times of the year.
We went just before Thanksgiving about 10 years ago. It was beautiful but very cold overnight and it snowed a few times, so be ready for more adverse conditions and maybe more restricted where you can go. It was wonderfully quiet that time of year!!
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It is a fantastic time to go!! We go to Moab every year over Presidents Day weekend. It's crowded that weekend or on any holiday weekend. (In fact, we don't go into Arches on those weekends and just do other hikes outside the park) But if you are not going over Thanksgiving, it will be awesome. If there is snow, it is even more beautiful. Where are you flying into? Salt Lake is 4 hours away, not sure about Vegas. You can also fly into Grand Junction CO which is about 2 hours away. I think you can even fly into Moab but I have no idea what kind of rental cars they have???? Are the kids going or is this an adult trip? Our favorite hotel is one of the 2 Marriotts north of town. If you have kids, there is a family room that consists of a sitting area, kitchen, eating places and then a separate king size bed and small bunk bed area which is separated by a bathroom. Let me know who is going and how much hiking you want to do and I can give you a customized itinerary. You will love it!
We stayed in a one bedroom suite here:
https://www.archesvacationrentals.co..._area_id=15553
It has a full kitchen and the owners (at least 10 years ago) were great.
We were in Moab in July but didn't go into Arches because I didn't want to deal with the crowds and getting up at the crack of dawn. My friend went after us and you have to go at sunrise to get a spot in the parking lot in order to get in. I'm not sure if it will be that crazy in November but the crowds have been insane since Covid. We did a ziplining tour when we were there and my friends did the Hell's Revenge off road tour (too scary for me). Our ziplining tour guard said to skip the crowds seeing the Delicate Arch and instead head to the Corona Arch which is bigger and had no crowds. We stayed at the Best Western Plus Canyonlands, which was walking distance to the little downtown Moab area. We flew in to the Grand Junction Airport. Island in the Sky is also supposed to be a breathtaking scenic drive but we didn't get a chance to do it.
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There will not be crowds like essence is describing, at all. When DH and I went in February, we had no problem getting in and parking at Delicate Arch had plenty of empty spaces. The trails won't be vacant but you will be able to park. The summer is bonkers which is why we never go then (and the fact that it is beyond hot-ugh). Realize that not all of the restaurants are open, but you should be able to eat at Zax, the Blue Pig, and/or the Moab Brewery and be fine. It is nice to stay right on main street and walk places. But when you go in the winter, you sleep in, get going around 9-10, go the Red Rock Bakery for amazing breakfasts and sandwiches to go. Then head to the park. The hiking depends on who is with you. You can easily spend 2 days in Arches. Dead Horse Point is a cool view. But if I had a 3rd day, I would either go down to the Needles District and do 1-2 hikes there or go to Fisher Towers up Route 128, which is really awesome. In the winter, you don't have as much daylight. But the temps from 11-4 or so are in the 50s to 60s, which is perfect hiking weather. Hit Back of Beyond Books for a great experience--all sorts of books on the area and the west in general. An amazing kids section!!!
StantonHyde- do you think it would be crowded during Thanksgiving week? Is it usually snowy that time of year?Quote:
Originally Posted by StantonHyde
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PunkyBoo:
Arches could be very crowded then. (Zion is the worst for Thanksgiving, FYI) Snow will be hit or miss. It really doesn't snow tons down there--you could get a couple of inches on the roads. If you are used to snow, it's no big deal. The only time we encountered some iffy snow was on the way into the Needles District of Canyonlands. We were fine in our Subaru. Some years, Thanksgiving is downright warm--you never know what you could get.
You can do things to get around all of this. One is bring warm clothes, get up early and get into the park starting by 8 am. If you were there the Monday/Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, I would plan 2 days in the park and those would be the days. Do Delicate Arch first thing Monday morning. If your family is ok with longer hikes--but fairly flat--do the Devils Garden hike Tuesday morning. You see a ton of Arches and if you take the primitive trail (which is actually pretty well marked) you see fewer people and its fun.
For the rest of the week, you can sleep in a bit and get going around 10. Wednesday, I would do Fisher Towers. Thursday I would go down to the Needles District and do the Cowboy Camp/Cave Springs hike and stop in to see Newspaper Rock. And Friday I would do a driving tour of the rock art sites around Moab, maybe hike a small canyon (can't remember the name right now), and maybe go see the Dinosaur Footprints and the Dinosaur Trail north of Moab. You could also go to Dead Horse Point for the view. This way you avoid the worst of the crowds. When we go at Presidents Day, we don't go into Arches because we don't want to hike when it's too cold. We do all of the hikes outside Arches or go down to Canyonlands.
ETA--The Marriotts on the north end of town have a huge outdoor heated pool and hot tubs. My kids always go in--even in February!