There are many advantages to living in Grand Junction: the university, the nature or its 245 days of sunshine. Another great thing about Grand Junction is that its proximity to notable towns and scenic attractions allows for wonderful weekend or day trips.
A trip to Moab, Utah is just an hour and 20 minutes away from Grand Junction, making it the perfect outdoor adventure for the weekend.
The little town of Moab is home to Utah’s famous Arches National Park where the Delicate Arch and the Windows Arches reside.
Recently my friend and I took a weekend trip down there to clear our heads and reconnect with nature.
We originally planned on visiting Mesa Verde near Cortez, CO, but a snowstorm had decided to change those plans. By the time we made it to Cortez, the Mesa Verde was closed due to snow, so we improvised and began driving to Moab.
To say the least, getting to Moab from Grand Junction is a much shorter drive than from Cortez. It’s actually about three hours longer, but that gave us plenty of time to see the scenic views of Utah along Highway 191 North. Our first stop on the way to Arches National Park was a tourist attraction called “Hole n’ the Rock.”
This roadside attraction is in San Juan County, Utah, and is centered around a house carved from a sandstone cliff. Designed by Albert Christensen in 1940, the home was moved into by the Christensen family in 1952 and opened to the public after Albert Christensen’s death in 1957.
It was a fun stop after being on the road so long, and a great look into Utah’s famous Red Rock mountains. We wandered around there for a little while, walking through the inside of the rocks’ vast tunnels, seeing the statue of Bigfoot and feeding the petting zoo animals. There’s also a convenience store, bathroom and souvenir shop at the little rest stop.
We continued on the road straight to the city of Moab since there wasn’t much distance left. After getting into Moab, we stopped at a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and the delicious Jailhouse Cafe.
Jailhouse Cafe is a local restaurant that has specialized in breakfast foods for over 27 years. Originally built as a house in 1885, it was later turned into the first Moab Courthouse in 1892. After the town expanded it was turned into a jailhouse. Later the current owners turned it into a cafe back in 1997, with their one specialty, eggs.
My friend Naida and I both got the Scrambled Eggs Mexicana, which came with scrambled eggs, chorizo and potatoes. It was the best breakfast-lunch I’ve had in a while and the perfect place to stop for brunch before heading into the national park.
After that, we got dessert from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory and headed ten minutes out of town to the national park.
Arriving at the National Park we had to pay an entrance fee of around $30 which allowed entry for the next week. I would say it is a lot for one day’s entrance but makes sense for a week-long entry into the park.
Windows Arches was our first stop, which can be seen from the window of your car as soon as you enter the park. It was like staring through an actual window of thick red rock that made a picture-perfect crop of the desert of Moab through the other side of the opening.
Next was the famous Delicate Arch, a 52 feet natural standing arch. To get to Delicate Arch, it is a 3-mile round trip hike. This hike plus time to view the arch takes most people two to three hours, which the National Park Service describes as difficult.
While we didn’t do the hike because of a time crunch, what I saw was amazing and now we have an excuse to go back again with a better plan.
From Grand Junction, it’s an hour and a half drive to Moab. It’s a nice place to visit during any weather for the food, like JailHouse Cafe, its historical roadside attractions such as Hole N’ The Rock and a peaceful place to explore the Arches’ amazing scenery.
