Getting to Arches National Park from Denver

 

My wife and daughter went to Europe last week, so I decided it was time to take a road trip to Arches National Park where I could do some dry camping Arches is one of my favorite destinations and it’s really been far too long since I went there, so I figured I was about due. I already had a tent, sleeping bag, propane stove and camping cookware, but I did not want to get lost in the wilderness so I got an inexpensive watch compass from http://www.watchcompass.net and headed out onto the highway.

 

The drive from Denver is about 6 hours long and passes through some spectacular scenery and old mining camps. I used to go metal detecting in some of those towns, but it’s getting harder and harder to do that anymore as more and more of them have been blocked off. It is an interesting trip nonetheless. The mining towns are among the first points of interest as you pass through the countryside. First Idaho springs, then past a side road that leads to Central City and Blackhawk, then past Empire and Georgetown. 

 

Much of the trip runs through the Rocky mountains and sometimes it’s fun to hop off the highway and take a drive down an old mining road. The last time I did that, one of the plastic tumblers my drink was in nearly flew right out of the cup holder, so be forewarned, those old roads can get rough.

 

Vail comes up about an hour and a half into the trip and maybe an hour after that you pass the road to Aspen One of my favorite stops along the way is Glenwood springs, a beautiful old town with terrific hot springs and a number of nice oldish hotels from the mid 20th century and older. The road to Glenwood springs passes through a gorgeous canyon called Whitewater canyon. You drive on the northern side of the Colorado river and on the southern side is a railroad, really not to be missed.

 

After Glenwood you head towards Grand junction and eventually into Utah. I always take the scenic route along Utah 128. Blood red buttes and mesas predominate as you pass through Castle Valley which is a canyon along the Colorado river. This is probably my favorite part of the entire journey, and truly not to be missed.