Day 33: Mexican Hat, UT to Arches National Park and Moab, UT

206.4 Miles | 4:53 Riding Time

Today is Monday, May 13, 2024, and it’s Day 33 of my cross country motorcycle trip.

By far, today was the most visually stunning day so far. Monument Valley is impressive. The town of Mexican Hat was disappointing (although the “hat” in the first picture is pretty cool). Arches is amazing—the landscape is like another planet.

I started the day early with breakfast at 7am at the San Juan Inn. It was an easy choice. Of the two restaurants in town, it’s the one that’s open for breakfast. My pancakes and an egg, were good, and I was eager to get on the road. I wanted to check out a few sites near Mexican Hat, and I had a 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM entry window at Arches, which is 130 miles away.

On the way out of town, I stopped at Mexican Hat, which is the first picture. Then I headed over to the Moki Dugway to take a look. I decided not to ride it, given that 3 miles of the steepest, most dangerous sections are not paved. Not worth the risk on my decidedly on-road bike. Lastly, to Goosenecks State Park, which was cool. The Colorado river has carved several switchbacks as it meanders over toward the Grand Canyon.

Now it was time to head over to Moab and Arches National Park—my first of the Utah parks. On the way, I met Ben, from Montreal, who was riding and camping in the Southwest for three weeks. He had just come from the White Rim Road in Canyonlands National Park, and was headed down to Monument Valley. He had a BMW R 1250 GS, which is the perfect bike for the Moki Dugway. I told him about it, and he was off to ride it. About an hour later, I stopped in Moab for lunch and coffee at Moab Garage Co. The berry and goat salad was really good—no comparison to the gas station caesar salad I had for dinner last night. After cooling down for a bit it was off to Arches.

I got there at 1:15 PM, and had to wait about 45 minutes in line to get into the park, even though I had a timed entry pass. It was 85 degrees in the blazing sun, in full riding gear and a helmet. When I finally got to the gate, the ranger asked me how I was doing, and all I could think to say was “medium rare.”

Ok, so off to the visitors center to find a bathroom, more water and air conditioning. It took another 45 minutes to cool off before I was ready to ride the park road. The road is in great condition, wide and well-marked (as are most national park roads). There were a couple switchbacks, but nothing steep or treacherous. It was beautiful. Around almost every turn, I could hear myself saying, “Wow. Just wow.” The ranger at the visitors center said to make sure I take all the side roads, and he wasn’t kidding.

One of the classic views in Arches is Delicate Arch. It’s far into the park and there are three ways to see it. One is a strenuous 1.5 hour hike, and it was now about 90 degrees (in riding gear, no thanks). Two is an observation area about 1.5 miles away next to the parking lot (ok, that was nice). Three was a 20 minute walk up a hill to where I did my victory pose. I finished riding all the way in to the campground area, and headed out of the park.

Back in Moab, I found my motel, The Virginian Inn. Nothing fancy, but clean and right in the center of town, so everything is walkable. I peeled my gear off, took a long shower, and headed over to Gloria’s Corner Cafe for a mediterranean pasta dish that hit the spot. On the way back to my hotel, I stopped at Woody’s Tavern for absolutely ice-cold beer in an ice-cold mug. Good night.

The Route

Elevation Profile