‘What draws us into the desert is the search for something intimate in the remote.’-Edward Abbey

While Jackson Hole was fun, I was over the cold. When planning the trip, I know I was going to go north one way and south another. The other took me straight through one of my most favorite places, Moab! If you’ve read any of the blog, you will know that Southern Utah has a big piece of my heart and will take any opportunity to visit. This trip, I was going to visit someplace I hadn’t been, Dead Horse Point State Park!

I was able to snag an incredible campground at the park, which is close to a lot of things. You actually drive past the entrance headed up to Canyonlands National Park and only 30 minutes or so from Moab and Arches National Park. There is not a lot of shade at the campsites, although there was a covered picnic area with each one. End of May, the weather was perfect but something to make note of if you’re here when it gets hot. I had already pre-booked my campsite, which included my entry fee to the park, and just gave my name when I pulled up.

Dead Horse State Park is dog friendly! Gus put on his Ruffwear hiking pack and we walked along the rim trail. There are lots of trails but this is the main one we did, accessed via the visitor’s center. It was pretty warm as there was minimal shade on a very sunny day so while the hike was not a strenuous one, I was pretty drained when we finished. I did treat myself to an ice cream from the shop. The views are pretty spectacular! The glacier blue ponds you see in the canyon (or in photos) is from salt deposits that are harvested. Due to it being dog friendly and it is part of the same system, I have to give preference to Dead Horse Point over Canyonlands, a place I love.

Gus and I did spend sometime in Moab. They had a dog park, so we went there so Gus could run around without being on a leash. If traveling with a pup, local dog parks are a great way to let them stretch their legs and be off lease. Gus will run off to explore if left to his own devices so he is quite tethered a lot. We walked around town and stopped for some amazing gelato in the food truck park downtown.

Due to time and Gus, I didn’t spend a ton of time at Arches or Canyonlands. Arches, during peak season requires timed entry until 4 pm. I did snag a timed entry on my last day and just drove around a bit, I had already been and you can see a lot from the car. Canyonlands had VERY long lines to get in, like 4 hours, so I waited until the evening to watch the sunset. They do have signs along the route saying from this point your wait time is X…very helpful! The crowds were significantly smaller at sunset. As I had Gus, I did not do much hiking (like to Mesa Arch) but, again, I had been before so not as big of a deal-this trip the views were a lot clearer than the first time. Sunsets at both Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point are perfection, so I encourage you to do both if you are able. I also got my now favorite photo of Gus-taking a selfie with him is hard but I love his expression!

Even if just for a couple of days, I cannot recommend the area around Moab enough. It’s a great town and some of the most beautiful scenery in the world surrounding it. Already trying to figure out when I can go back!