VeloViews for Friday, March 18, 2022 – Arches National Park, Moab, UT (Part 2)

Last year, I did a VeloViews for Friday on Arches National Park, which is located in Moab, Utah. So, I thought with winter mostly over and spring on its way, a lot of people may be thinking about future travel plans once summer arrives.

One of my favorite places to visit, both as a tourist and a bicyclist, was Arches National Park. I both drove through and did a road ride there. The big difference between those two options was when I rode there from my hotel, I didn’t have to pay to enter the park. And being on my bike made it easier to hop off and take a few pictures.

The ride through the park is a real treat. There aren’t many cars, the pavement is in pristine condition, and I got better views of the rock formations as opposed to looking out the window of my car.

There is one nice descent when first entering the park, which means a steep but short climb on the way out. Just a guess at the grade because I haven’t been back to Arches in a long time, but off I’d say it is close to 8%.

Roundtrip, the ride is around 50 miles with a rest area at the end of the loop. So, you could feasibly pack a lunch or enjoy your banana and a bar of some kind at the end before riding the 25 miles out of Arches.

Overall, Moab, UT and Arches National Park are both great places to visit for a summer cycling trip. And if you still have some energy left in your legs, you can always ride to Canyonlands and do the loop road there. However, if you have time, I would save that for the next day.