Holy cow! This last trip to Moab was a roller coaster of a trip but it was so fun! Brady and I went with another couple and we all brought along our little dogs. They absolutely loved it! You could tell because their little tails were wagging as fast as they could. They got to play and run and we as dog owners learned a lot about them. Ash is a little swimmer! Who knew! Anyway, here is what we did. (Heads up. I am terrible with directions. Ask anybody. Most of the trails that we went on this time are commonly known and you can usually find them on Google Maps.)
The first day, we set up camp in Brady and I's favorite camping spot that looks out over Canyonlands. It is absolutely beautiful and camping anywhere else seems dull now. I love it that much. Unfortunately, because of the weather we weren't actually able to camp there. The wind was so bad that it snapped one of our tent poles and bent our friends' tent poles. Plus, lightning and tents just didn't seem like a good idea. We ended up staying in a hotel. There are a lot of dog-friendly hotels in Moab but be sure to call them ahead of time (like more than an hours notice) to make sure that they have a room available.
The first hike that we did was Mill Creek. This is one of my favorite hikes that we do every time we are in Moab. It takes you to a little waterfall and if you go further up above the waterfall, there is a swimming hole that you can play around in that usually has less people in because it is a little harder to find to get up. If you go past the Moab cemetery onto Mill Creek Dr it takes you up a little canyon. Go past the green waste dump area that is chain-link fenced and take the next right. From there it takes you down a dirt road and you should see the top of the parking area. On the right, Jeeps will rock climb up the hill so avoid parking over there if the lower section is full. Stay left in the top parking area and it will take you to the lower section. The trailhead for Mill Creek is on the left side of the road at the bottom. Be prepared, you will cross through the creek many times so wear water shoes or Chacos. The highest that I have walked through was about knee high (I'm short so probably shin high for most people), usually it is about ankle deep if you don't want to get too wet. This trail is about a mile long round trip and is shaded for a lot of the trail. It is perfect for dogs. Ash loved walking through the water! I would bring a towel for their paws before they get back in the car because they do get muddy.
The next day, we drove down Potash Road. I have never really wanted to go on this road because it is so long! Ok it's only 16.4 miles, but it seems long because you're only going about 20-25 Miles per hour max. We started on the Moab side which if you are going into Moab as you are about to get to the town, before you cross the river, there is a road called Potash Road on the right. There are some neat things to see along this road at the beginning if you don't want to drive the whole road. Our first stop was some petroglyphs on the right side of the mountain about 5 miles down the road if you are coming from the Moab side. It is paved and there are signs for it.
A little further down the road, there is a parking lot on the right and a day area/paddle board loading dock on the left. On the right side, there is a hike that is about 4 miles round trip that takes you to Bowtie Arch and Corona Arch. We took the dogs on this hike and they did surprisingly well. There is one area that you climb up a rock wall (don't worry, there is a chain rope that you can hold on to and steps carved into the rocks to make it easier). I had to carry Ash about half-way up (about 3 ft) and then she was able to climb the rest of the way up as it leveled out. There is also an area that has a little ladder that you can climb up but you can also climb around on the mountain to get up too. I would definitely suggest keeping your dog on a leash for this hike because the rock is steep at the top and a little sandy making it slick. This sounds like a dangerous hike, but it's really not. Just be cautious and smart and you will be fine.
As you continue down the road you will see Potash Farms which looks like this mill and then you will see the Potash pond further up. It is this gorgeous blue pond that they use to get the Potash cleaned for fertilizer. There is also Velma and Louise Cliff that looks cool as you are driving forward but when you get to the top turn around. You can see the Colorado River and the red rock. It is beautiful! You can also stop at Deadhorse Point and see where the Colorado River makes a horse shoe shape. It is really pretty and cool that you are so close but for photography, it is better if you are at the top at the viewpoint in Canyonlands or if you have a drone. The rest of the road isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I do suggest you have a high clearance vehicle with 4-wheel drive and there are signs that will tell you the same because there are some big rocks and bumps in the road. The switchbacks at the end towards the Canyonland side was the scariest part for me, just because the road was narrow and we passed a few people. The dogs slept the entire drive, exhausted from the Corona Arch hike. We let them out a few times but made sure that they were on a leash. It is a beautiful drive and I would do it again.
The last day was quite an adventure. We hiked Grandstaff Canyon to the Natural Bridge. I am pretty sure that this was Ash's favorite hike. Once we got to the end she just ran and ran and ran. She loved it so much. This one is about 4 miles round trip. You walk through water on this hike too but again it is about ankle deep in some spots. You can get away with wearing tennis shoes because they have created spots that you can cross without getting too wet. When you get to the Natural Bridge, there is a big puddle that looks like it won't be that deep. Do not be deceived. It is deep in the middle. Ash ran through the puddle and sunk halfway through and had to swim for a second.
After our hike we decided to take our paddle boards and Kayak out. It was super windy so we decided against going on the Colorado River. We went to Ken's Lake on the south side of town. This wasn't much better. The wind blew us to the back side of the lake and we couldn't paddle back. There is a road that goes all the way around the lake if you need to move your car which is what we did. It was actually pretty fun despite the wind.
Overall, I'd say that it was a pretty good trip despite everything that happened. The dogs did really well and we had a lot of fun with them. Moab is still one of my favorite places to go and there is so much to do that each trip can be completely different from the last.
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