After a long, wet winter, it's time to head to the desert for some much needed sun. Escape to Moab, UT for an outdoor adventure.
Hike to Bow-tie & Corona Arches
Spend a day in red rock country with a visit to Moab, UT. Before arriving in downtown Moab, take a detour on Potash Road, UT 279, located northwest of town. Take your time to enjoy the scenery along Potash Road, as you drive parallel with the Colorado River. About 5 miles up the road you will come across a large panel of Native American petroglyphs, which are believed to be from the Fremont Indian culture. The rock art depicts images of humans, animals, hunting scenes, and abstract shapes. My personal favorite is the large bear. Park in one of the pullouts along the highway, and watch for traffic. This is also a popular rock climbing spot, it's fun to watch the climbers maneuver up the sandstone. When admiring the petroglyphs, please avoid touching, as the oils from our hands can cause them to fade or erode much quicker. Keep them preserved for the future generations.
Step a little further back in time with a quick stop at the dinosaur tracks, located roughly another mile up the road at the Poison Spider trail head. To hike into the dinosaur tracks the distance is an easy .5 mile round trip.
Make your way up the road another 4 miles to the Corona Arch trail head, located on the right side of the road. Parking is also available across the road in the Gold Bar campground and day use area, complete with picnic tables and a vault toilet. Gold Bar day use area also has prime river access. The trail into Corona and Bow-tie is 3 miles round trip and it is dog friendly. Start by hiking up a short incline, then you will cross a set of train tracks, which are still actively used to haul potash from the mine further up the canyon. The trail will follow alongside a cliff and into a canyon; look up to the left along the canyon rim and you will see Pinto Arch. Continue to follow the trail until you reach a section of slick rock, on your right you will see a rock cairn garden, often the rocks are assembled into mini arches. As you begin up the slick rock there is a cable to assist with the climb, along with some foot holds. Reaching the top of this slick rock section, there is a short ladder leading to the next section of the trail where you will follow a sandstone bench until you reach Bow-tie Arch, which is considered to be a pothole arch, meaning it has a hole at the top that was formed by a pothole eroding away to form an arch. Corona Arch is the large rainbow bridge at the end of the sandstone trail and it makes for a great lunch spot with views of Bootlegger Canyon.
If you plan to head into Moab after the hike into Corona Arch, Moab Brewery and Zax Restaurant are great places to grab a bite or unwind with a local brew.
Comments