October 2020 Trip Report: NM, Utah, AZ Road Trip

(Be sure to hit the arrow on some of the photos to scroll through for photos of the whole experience!)

Fri, Oct. 16th:

After a long day at the clinic, I got off work, finished packing the car, and drove from Fort Worth to near the Texas-New Mexico border. Driving through Texas is miserable so it was nice to get most of that out of the way when it’s dark. Unfortunately this meant that I had gone through all the podcasts I had saved by the first day. Thank goodness for Audiobooks. Spent the night boondocking at a rest stop (it had security - no worries Mom!).

Sat, Oct. 17th:

Woke up and drove a few more hours to Albuquerque where I explored Petroglyph National Monument, a NPS unit that protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America. There are thousands of petroglyphs carved by both the Puebloan peoples as well as early Spanish settlers. I hiked the 2.2 mile trail within the Rinconada Canyon section of the park, enjoying trying to figure out what each carving signified, imagining the area’s inhabitants painstakingly carving out each detail. I wonder if they knew that people would still see them centuries later?

I then made my way to Chaco Canyon, an unplanned but incredible stop. Home of the famous Pueblo Bonito, this site contains massive stone buildings several stories tall with hundreds of rooms. It was built by the Ancestral Puebloans starting in the 800s and was clearly a place of great cultural significance. Because I didn’t plan this stop, I mostly walked around marveling at the architecture, but when I go back, I will definitely purchase some sort of guide to help explain some of the things I was seeing.

That night I crossed into Utah and spent a lovely night boondocking at Muley Point where the stars were endless.

Sun, Oct. 18th:

Sunday was a productive day. That morning I watched a gorgeous sunrise over the canyon at Muley Point (I could see Monument Valley in the distance!) before making my way down the slightly sketchy Moki Dugway.

At the bottom of the canyon I made a quick stop at Goosenecks State Park, a place with an incredible example of entrenched meandering.

Next was a quick stop to see the “Mexican Hat” rock formation before taking a drive through the Valley of the Gods, a landscape similar to that of Monument Valley, dotted with various buttes and red rock formations.

Afterwards I made my way up towards the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, stopping at Newspaper Rock along the way.

The Needles District was absolutely incredible and it’s a shame (or maybe not?) that it’s not as well-visited as the Island in the Sky District. I started off by checking out the “Roadside Ruin,” a small, hidden stone structure that likely would’ve been used as some sort of storage.

I spent the rest of the day hiking the Chesler Park Loop Trail, a beautiful trail that took me right into the heart of the Needles. Look for a blog post soon going into more details about this amazing experience!

Mon, Oct. 19th:

Woke up super early to capture the iconic sunrise shot at Mesa Arch in the Island of the Sky District of Canyonlands. It was pretty crowded but still worth it to get to experience that moment in person.

I spent the rest of the day taking short hikes to places like Upheaval Dome, Elephant Rock, and the Aztec Butte granaries, and stopping at a few overlooks that were stunning.

I really enjoyed my somewhat treacherous drive down the Shafer Trail, a dirt road that winds its way 1500 feet to the bottom of the canyon. It was fun, it was sketchy, and it had some pretty views!

I ended the day with a 3.5 mile hike on the Murphy Point Trail, spending the afternoon hanging out and reading a book at an incredible overlook. The sunset there was nothing short of spectacular.

Tues, Oct. 20th:

This day was spent exploring Arches National Park. I entered the park at sunrise and saw the Windows Section of arches, including the North and South Window Arches, Turret Arch, and Double Arch.

I then spent most of the day hiking the Devil’s Garden Loop, which you can read more about here.

I also got to see a few other arches, like the roadside Skyline Arch and the Sand Dune Arch, which was a quick jaunt from the car. I ended the day in the park with a sunset stroll down the Park Avenue Trail.

Afterwards I made my way into Moab where I finally was able to take a shower and enjoyed a delicious dinner at Thai Bella.

Wed, Oct. 21st:

I began this day by heading south out of Moab to check out a bucket list item. I finally got the chance to hike to the famous “House on Fire,” an Ancestral Puebloan structure that has stood the test of time and has been featured on National Geographic. If visited in the late morning, the light reflects off the canyon and causes the rock around the ruins to glow, giving it it’s namesake appearance. The immediate surrounding area was really interesting as well. I saw marks gouged into the rocks that signified where tools were likely sharpened, and even came across a small shard of pottery (left where it was found of course because Leave No Trace).

Afterwards I made a quick trip to see the Butler Wash Ruins, which were somewhat similar in style to the cave dwellings of Mesa Verde.

On my way back towards Moab, I stopped to visit the Edge of the Cedars State Park, a museum containing a collection of Ancestral Puebloan artifacts. The collection was absolutely incredible. They also featured a restored kiva that visitors could go down into which was very special.