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Isabel Kƶster
@iotasubscript.bsky.social
PhD; she/her; assistant professor of Roman history and literature; particularly enthusiastic about Roman religion and insults; never speak for my employer
588 followers426 following1.4k posts
IKiotasubscript.bsky.social

Oh (and that's it), Moab can be ridiculously expensive for hotels. If it is absurd for your exact dates, there are options further afield. I loved the River Rock Inn in Green River, for example.

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IKiotasubscript.bsky.social

I should mention: I live near Denver and the altitude of Ouray/Black Canyon gives me a little bit of trouble. Arches isn't noticeably different from Denver, but once you're over 2000 meters, almost everyone feels it.

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IKiotasubscript.bsky.social

Also, all National Parks and big state parks have a visitors' center that's very well-equipped to deal with "what can we do in a car/what really easy walks do you recommend?" They pride themselves in having something for everyone no matter what their abilities and interests. So always start there.

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IKiotasubscript.bsky.social

If you have some extra time/want a side quest and the weather isn't adventurous, Ouray in extreme western Colorado is amazing and can easily be combined with the Black Canyon of the Gunnison (someone posted about that already). Hot springs! Gorgeous mountains!

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IKiotasubscript.bsky.social

You will have to pick if you also want to do Colorado since driving distances are so big (Denver to Salt Lake is about 9-10 hours on the fast route). Both are terrific (I've done all the Utah parks), though I think for a first timer, Arches and Canyonlands are unbeatable.

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IKiotasubscript.bsky.social

In Colorado you may need to decide whether you want Alpine (Rocky Mountain National Park/going north from Denver) or exotic (Garden of the Gods/Colorado Springs/going south from Denver). Both are great. in Utah, you have a cluster of things around Arches in the East and around Zion in the SW.

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IKiotasubscript.bsky.social

(U.S. 50 looks like an option on maps, but between construction and a landslide, it is not going to get you all the way through + I-70 makes Colorado to Utah doable in one very long day)

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IKiotasubscript.bsky.social

ok, great. November is tricky because the weather can still be fine or it can be a problem. Regardless, if you're doing Colorado and Utah, you're dealing with I-70, which will be an exasperating drive depending on weather (pretty, but exasperating).

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IKiotasubscript.bsky.social

Since it hasnā€™t had a shout-out, if youā€™re doing Arches, you also should do Goblins: stateparks.utah.gov/parks/goblin...

Goblin Valley State Park | Utah State Parks
Goblin Valley State Park | Utah State Parks

Goblin Valley State Park

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IKiotasubscript.bsky.social

What time of year are we talking about and are you ok with renting a car? I have lots of opinions given that I live here.

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IK
Isabel Kƶster
@iotasubscript.bsky.social
PhD; she/her; assistant professor of Roman history and literature; particularly enthusiastic about Roman religion and insults; never speak for my employer
588 followers426 following1.4k posts