We packed up in the morning and headed toward Moab Utah. We knew the weather was about 10 degrees hotter in Moab than where we just were. We were looking forward spending a couple hours driving in the
car so we could have air conditioning for a little while. 

We had read online that it’s best to get to Arches early because the line to get in the gate can take several hours. We were glad we listened to that advice because we saw the place get much busier as the day went on. Several of the parking lots were quite congested and took a while to find a place to park. We were able to find parking at all the places we wanted to stop, it just took a while.

With the hot dry weather, we choose easy short hikes for our exploring. It was awesome to be out there and see the arches, some up close, others from a distance. There are over 2000 of them. They come in all sizes.

One of our favorite was actually a small one. It was the sand dune arch. The kids enjoyed playing in the sand that was all around it and climbing the rocks under it. The adults liked it because it was shaded with a nice breeze. It was a good respite from the hot temperatures.
This is a place we’d love to come back to during a cooler time of year. There are many hikes we’d love to do, but in the heat it was just too much. We would have melted into puddles in the hot sun.

Our day at Arches was a good quick glimpse into what the park has to offer. We had an enjoyable day with friends, watched the film in the visitor center, earned Jr. Ranger badges and did several short hikes. We look forward to the time when we can go back and explore some more.