5-Nights Utah Arches & Canyonlands Hiking Lodge Based from $3,699

Itinerary Details

MT Sobek: Utah Arches & Canyonlands Hiking

Day 1 Travel to Moab & Hike to Sandstone Canyon Views
2-hour private van transfer
2 hours/4 miles hiking with 800' elevation gain and loss
Begin this morning at the Grand Junction airport in Colorado. After introductions to your guides and fellow travelers, drive to Colorado National Monument to enjoy a picnic prepared by your guides while admiring the Colorado Plateau landscape of sandstone canyons. After a short hike, transfer to your comfortable accommodations on the banks of the Colorado River in Moab, Utah. After settling in, load up your daypack and set out on a hike that provides incredible views of massive fin-like sandstone rock formations. Admire the deep red and pink hued colors of the canyons while enjoying a guide-prepared picnic dinner.
Accommodation: Hoodoo Moab, Curio Collection by Hilton
(L, D)

Day 2 Marvel at Red Rock Vistas in Canyonlands National Park
2-hour private van transfer
4-5 hours/8 miles hiking with 600' elevation gain and loss
Today's hike is in Canyonlands National Park. The trail begins with a gradual climb across open wildflower-filled grassland toward the rim of Island in the Sky mesa. The sandy trail eventually changes to slickrock before reaching a mesa-top vantage point offering awe-inspiring views across the Colorado River Canyon to the soaring sandstone pinnacles and spires of White Rim. Watching for bighorn sheep, hike just below the mesa rim along the Lathrop Trail, with the cliffs of Island in the Sky above and the fantastically carved red rock canyons of the Colorado River spread out before you. Returning to the lodge, enjoy a satisfying dinner together to cap off the day.
Accommodation: Hoodoo Moab, Curio Collection by Hilton
(B, L, D)

Day 3 Hike to Delicate Arch, Devil's Garden and the Windows in Arches National Park
1-hour private van transfer
?4-5 hours/8.5 miles hiking with 1,000' elevation gain and loss
Arches National Park is your focus today. With giant balanced rocks, colorful hoodoos, and more than 2,000 sandstone arches of all shapes and sizes, Arches National Park is truly nature's sculpture garden. Start the day hiking through the tall canyon walls of Park Avenue, surrounded by imposing red cliffs to reach iconic Delicate Arch, perched above a striated sandstone basin. Admire its graceful shape and color, pausing for a picnic lunch with wonderful views of this natural work of art. Next, hike the Devil's Garden Trail to view Landscape Arch, the longest in the park, stretching to more than 300 feet. The Double Arch and Windows Trail round out an amazing day of exploring. Tonight, dinner is on your own in Moab, with transfers provided by your guides.

(B, L)

Day 4 Discover a Hidden Gem at the Klondike Bluffs in Arches
2.5-hour private van transfer
3 hours/5.5 miles hiking with 800' elevation gain and loss
Returning to Arches National Park, travel along a dirt road through the Salt Valley to the remote Klondike Bluffs region. This area is seldom visited by other hikers. Hike to Tower Arch via a series of steep climbs over slickrock and sand, walking between massive cliffs that are hundreds of feet high. Enjoy a picnic lunch with time to enjoy views of the magnificent monoliths of the surrounding landscape. You can also practice your scrambling skills! The next section of the hike includes a multitude of sandstone fins, the enormity of the landscape providing a sense of awe.

(B, L, D)

Day 5 Marvel at Petroglyphs & Hike in the Needles District
4-hour private van transfer
3 hours/6 miles hiking with 600' elevation gain and loss
Set out for Canyonlands National Park today and the remote and stunning Needles section. Before entering the park, stop to view a series of ancient pictographs and petroglyphs at Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument—hundreds of glyphs, some dating back 2,000 years. Travel to the Needles District and begin your hike at Squaw Flat, where you climb to unforgettable vistas of the entire region, including an astonishing array of sandstone "needles" rising from the slickrock landscape like a city of stone skyscrapers, finishing at Elephant Hill Trailhead. This area is far from the crowds, leaving you to witness the cliffs and spires in the hush of the desert.

(B, L, D)

Day 6 Bid farewell to Utah's canyon country and return to Grand Junction
2-hour private van transfer
2.5 hours/4.3 miles hiking with 400' elevation gain and loss
Begin our journey back to Grand Junction, Colorado this morning. En route take a final hike on the Grandstaff Canyon Trail to see Morning Glory Natural Bridge, the sixth longest natural rock span in the US. Following a picnic lunch, continue the drive back to Grand Junction, arriving later this afternoon.

(B, L)