Cross Country Adventure - Day 12 - Moab to Flagstaff, AZ

Day 12 was another day on the road, driving from Moab, Utah to Flagstaff, Arizona. Fortunately, there was plenty to see on the way to give us an excuse to get out of the car at regular intervals.

First stop was just south of Moab for a quick photo opportunity at Wilson Arch which looms over the west side of US Route 191 and which we thought rivaled many of the arches in Arches National Park.

Cross Country Adventure - Day 11 (Part 2) - Canyonlands, Utah

Having spent the afternoon recuperating from the morning’s exertions in Arches National Park, we decided on the spur of the moment to visit nearby Canyonlands and try and catch the sunset.

Canyonlands is at the heart of the Colorado Plateau, the canyons carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers.

To our surprise, the park was almost empty. We must have come across no more than about 20 people in total during our visit. Perhaps that made it even more special as we could enjoy the grandeur without the crowds.

Cross Country Adventure - Day 11 - Arches National Park

Our plan to spend a full day in Arches National Park had to be quickly revised when we discovered how hot it was in Moab. With temperatures heading towards 100°F, we decided instead to start early and be out of the park by early afternoon.

The towers of Park Avenue

It turned out to be a good decision because it meant we were able to do a 2 mile hike through the canyon from the Park Avenue Viewpoint and Trailhead (so called because it was thought to resemble the buildings along Park Avenue in Manhattan) to Courthouse Towers and back before it got too unbearable.