Don't miss this one! When we first arrived in Fruita, Colorado. The Colorado National Monument was…read morenot on our list of things to visit. We would of totally missed it if it hadn't been for some people we met at a restaurant. Colorado National Monument is not a National Park; it is a National Monument managed by the National Park Service. It's name doesn't portray the beauty and magnitude of this gorgeous park. It is a 23 mile drive and is often called the mini-grand canyon. The towering red rock monoliths and the Canyon views were absolutely incredible.

What bliss this is…read more Colorado National Monument is basically the smaller in scale sandstone-stacked cousin of the Grand Canyon, but without all the horrific traffic and crowds upon crowds, especially at the start of summer. This place has miles of views with gorgeous towering cliffs, dramatic canyons and many trails for walking and hiking. You can also see the Grand Mesa (the world's largest flat-topped mountain) and the Book Cliffs from the monument. And it has that Grand Canyon feeling when you look at its depth -- as though you are looking directly into a painting. Along about a 20-mile highway (with an east and west entrance) you can enjoy the full views. There are plenty of places to pull over and park to take a look or to plan for a hike. And be very, very careful. The main drive is very deeply beloved by cyclists, so be sure to drive slow and keep eyes on the road. Do not miss Independence Monument. This is a glorious rock spire. also, the Kissing Couple is adorable. The Coke Ovens are these beautifully shaped domes -- some of my favorites in the area. Also, be aware of wildlife. I did not get lucky, but there are regular sights of bighorn sheep, coyotes, red-tailed hawks, eagles and many other animals. I did see a pretty spectacular aerial fight between a hawk and a raven during a recent visit, though. Also, be sure to check out the visitor center on the west side. It has some natural history exhibits and a gift shop. There is also the Saddlehorn Campground, which is very well maintained and has a good number of spots, but not all with sprawling city or canyon views. All told, there are three loops with nearly 80 sites. Some are small and best for a pair and others that are good for a couple of tents on one site. Overall, bring lots of water and snacks, because it is dry and sometimes feels desert like. And do not over rely on cell service, as there are a number of dead zones.

The delicate arch is probably the most famous of the arches in Arches national park. There is a…read moreshort walk to the "viewpoint" where you can see the arch from a few miles away, but there is a longer hike where you can actually get up close to the arch itself. I went to the viewpoint because I was short on time and couldn't do the whole hike. Even from far away you can see pretty clearly what it is, and that there are points on the arch that are skinnier than the rest so it looks like it could easily fall (hence the name "delicate arch"). I think it's worth it to at least go to the viewpoint if you don't have time to do the full trail! It's just a short drive off the main road to get to the parking lot that leads to the viewpoint, and the walk takes about 10 min or less (there is a pretty good sized hill though -- be mindful if you have mobility restrictions that getting to the top of the viewpoint could be difficult). Of note, there are a couple national park bathrooms at the lot (the kind with sanitizer that don't flush). They had just been pumped out when I arrived (saw the staff undoing the pumps and leaving) so they were actually very clean and didn't have any smell. I don't know if they're usually like that but it was one of the cleanest experiences I've had involving a national park bathroom!

The hike was a lot longer and strenuous than we felt it was billed as. Give yourself 40 minutes to…read moreget up there, 30 minutes to check it out, wait for pictures ( there is a line). 25 minutes to hike down. Bring a headlamp for the sunset time. It gets dark quickly

Honestly... this is not worth your time if you've already hiked to Delicate Arch itself. It's a…read moreshort little jaunt to a distant view of the arch, but it won't be very exciting for those who hike it and go all the way. I hiked to Delicate Arch right before checking out this vista point. Once you get to the actual arch, this viewpoint won't be even remotely satisfying. If you can't hike to the actual arch for some reason, then I'd recommend coming here instead so that you can at least have some sort of view. Otherwise, there are so many other vista points in the park that are worth visiting instead. If you still want to hike to the arch and check out this vista anyways, I'd come here first and then complete the hike so that you won't be disappointed.

The hike to Delicate Arch was a steady climb with stunning views along the way. Seeing the arch…read morefrom the viewpoint was unforgettable and completely worth the effort.

If you are looking for a place with a bed, a microwave and a mini fridge that is close to the…read moreColorado National Monument and in walking distance of a Walgreens pharmacy and a City Market. This is the hotel for you, and I give it four stars. But if you are a remote worker, who needs to work while you are staying at the hotel, I would give Balanced Rock Inn two stars. The internet works well, but there are very few electrical outlets, and when I put my charging Block in the outlet, it kept falling out. This led me to having to buy a charging strip so I could charge my laptop. Plus there is not a desk, rather a table with a chair. On the brightside, the room was very clean, the air and heat worked great and the bed was very comfortable.

We have stayed here many times, but this last visit, it seemed the room was not cleaned properly…read more There was food left over from the last people who stayed in the room before us in the mini refrigerator. The door was very dirty from people touching it and it not being wiped off. Luckily, the sheets were clean and so was the bathroom. The room we had this time was on the first floor on the left. I hope to return as we love staying here. Hopefully our last visit was just a strange occurrence.

This is part of Devil's Garden Trail. first you go to tunnel arch, then pine tree arch, then…read morelandscape arch. Landscape Arch is the thin and longest arch in this NP. we found lot of cute creatures here: deer and squirrels. after the landscape arch, the trail to Double O Arch is primitive, it looks like a difficult trail, so we stopped at this arch.

Landscape Arch is within the Devils Garden area of Arches National Park. It's about a 2 mile hike…read moreroundtrip on Devils Garden Trail. The entire Devils Garden Trail is around 8 miles roundtrip if you keep going past Landscape Arch. You can also see the Double O Arch along the way. My buddy and I did this hike to Landscape Arch and found it easy and enjoyable. The only bad thing is that we visited during the winter season and found ourselves slipping on the ice on the trail. Landscape Arch is pretty long at 306 feet and is the longest in North America. It is pretty narrow at the center (only 6 feet) due to large segments of rock breaking off over time. But the arch is still hanging in there. They don't let anyone get near it anymore to try and preserve it. I really enjoyed the beautiful views of this hike and seeing this massive arch in person.

Double Arch in Arches National Park is quite a sight to see. It is only less than half a mile walk…read morefrom the parking lot and an easy trail to walk on. Double Arch is located within the Windows area of Arches National Park. It is the tallest and second-longest arch in the park. They call it Double Arch because two arches share the same stone as a foundation for both of their outer legs. It was formed by downward water erosion from atop the sandstone instead of side-to-side water erosion. I have been to this arch on a couple of occasions. The parking lot fills up quickly because this is such a popular area in Arches National Park. I usually try to spend some time seeing both Double Arch and the Windows arches when I am visiting this area. North Window, Turret Arch and the Garden of Eden areas are just as impressive to check out. Even though you can see this incredible rock formation from the road, definitely take the time to walk up to it. There are some spots to climb on and take pictures if you feel like it.

Nice short walk on the trail from the parking area up to the Double Arch. Such a beautiful area…read more Everything inside Arches National Park is beautiful. There was even a proposal that happened when we were there. There is a couple of pit toilets on site that weren't too bad.

This trail was a fun introduction to Arches National Park. Park Avenue Trail is one of the first…read moremajor attractions you pass by after entering Arches National Park. It is a one-mile trail that follows the bottom of a canyon where you find yourself at the feet of some of the park's largest and well-known monoliths. The Three Gossips, Courthouse Towers, The Organ and the Tower of Babel are all visible from the road. They are an amazing site to see as you drive through the main road through the park. There is a large difference in experiencing these giants when you actually hike through them. I have hiked a portion of the trail on a couple of occasions. All of these natural wonders are famous and are often photographed. The lower trailhead is located on Arches Entrance Road about 2 miles from the visitor center. There is a paved walkway with a viewpoint that is a few hundred feet from the parking lot. From there, you can continue on the trail that heads down Park Avenue and towards the Courthouse Towers Parking Lot.

Bottom Line: A fun "moderate" hike between two towering canyon walls that are said to be…read morereminiscent of walking down Park Avenue in New York City. For our last hike in Moab my husband and I decided to hike the Park Avenue Trail. We decided to hike Park Avenue because we thought the scenery would be very different than the arches we'd seen all day. So at 5pm we set out to do the two-mile roundtrip hike on the Park Avenue trail and we had a lot of fun checking out the formations. The late-afternoon lighting created spotlights on some formations and put others in the shadows so it made for some great photos. I am glad we did this hike late in the day.

We did the UTV 2-hour guided tour and chose Hell's Revenge. The staff was very friendly and helpful…read morewhen booking and we were so happy with our guide. Richard is so knowledgeable as he's been a guide of all kinds in Moab for over 30 years. He was fun and always made sure we were well informed and stopped for scenic views and photographs. He always made sure we were doing good before moving on. Our family had a great time and would recommend!

This activity was a little bit difficult to rate. I gave it a three stars because the activity…read moreitself was fun, but the food was poor and the price was a bit steep. As many have mentioned this is a cowboy style dinner that you eat in a banquet hall before the ride. The food was all you can eat eat, and the staff were more than accommodating. However, the food was just average to poor. The meat was dry, and the BBQ sauce was just ridiculously sweet. Basic salad, corn, very dry rolls, canned beans and a dessert that was about two bites of a cobbler with a squirt of whipping cream. We barely touched it. The boat ride was great. We loved being on the water really enjoyed hearing the story about the history of Moab. The lights did bring a unique perspective to the rocks which against the night sky. We were lucky that the sky was completely dark and great night for stars. I would've liked to have learned more about the constellations since this is such a great place to stargaze. Overall I'm glad we did it. It was a fun activity, But for the price and the taste of the food I'm not so sure if it was worth the price. I like how it is a family run business . I would suggest improving your menu such as updating the food. It sounds like the menu has been the same for a while and it's kind of tired. it may help to update your recorded presentation to something a little bit more current , and maybe add some constellation information. I think you have a good thing going, but it could really use a fresh update.