Exploring // ADVENTR.co

Moab Meanderings: Grandstaff Canyon & Sand Flats

Sand Flats Recreation Area II | Saturday & Sunday, December 27-28, 2025

Well, this is it- my final Trip Report of 2025! For this final weekend of the year I returned to the landscape surrounding Moab so I could spend my time hiking and exploring Grandstaff Canyon. While I vaguely recall hiking the popular trail from the mouth of Grandstaff Canyon to Morning Glory Bridge way back in 2010 with my friend Jackson when the canyon was known by a more racially insensitive name, for some reason I do not have any photos or even a Trip Report from that day, which is very unusual for me, so I planned to re-hike that trail early on Sunday morning to refresh my memory and take a few photos along the way. Since I would be doing that on Sunday I figured that it would be interesting to spend Saturday exploring other parts of Grandstaff Canyon so I could get a better overview of the area, and that’s what I set out to do when I left home bright and early on Saturday morning and made my way over to the Sand Flats Recreation Area.

1 Comment

Christmas in Arches 2025

Arches National Park | Wednesday & Thursday, December 24-25, 2025

Christmas is here again, which means that it’s time to return to Arches National Park for our annual Christmas tradition. Although Diane is still not supposed to do much hiking right now, she wanted to join me for some easier hikes in the park since she missed out on the past two years because of work, so we planned to spend the holiday hiking some of the easy and popular trails in the park that we usually pass right by. After getting out of work early on Christmas Eve, I stopped home to pick up Diane and we made our way over to Arches around noon. While we have enjoyed hiking in mild temperatures on Christmas a few times in the past, I don’t think we have ever experienced 60 degree temperatures (pushing close to 70 on Christmas Eve) like we did this year. It sure didn’t feel very much like Christmas this time!

2 Comments

Moab Winter Solstice Weekend 2025

Moab Area Rock Art XLVIII | Saturday & Sunday, December 20-21, 2025

It’s that time of the year again when the massive crowds are mostly gone and I can start returning to the slickrock landscape surrounding Moab on the weekends for a few short months during the winter. Throughout the busier times of the year my list of hikes and areas to explore around Moab has steadily been growing and I’ve been looking forward to getting back. This weekend I decided to spend this Winter Solstice searching for a couple of new rock art sites while also revisiting some sites that I haven’t been back to in about a decade. Of course, this weekend didn’t really feel anything like winter since the weather was very mild with high temperatures that were almost into the 60’s. These are some pictures of what I saw this weekend on the shortest days of the year.

3 Comments

The Canyons of North Wash III

West Fork of Butler Canyon & Death Canyon | Saturday & Sunday, December 13-14, 2025

This weekend I returned to North Wash so I could continue hiking all of the side canyons in the area, which is a project that I began back in 2022 when I realized that I don’t often get down this way. I wasn’t able to make it out to North Wash last year like I had hoped to, so I wanted to make sure that I got out there at least once before this year was over. This time I didn’t leave home until bright and early on Saturday morning, made my way through Green River and Hanksville, and then continued on past the Henry Mountains to Three Forks so I could start the day with a hike up the West Fork of Butler Canyon. I had hiked to an overlook of the West Fork back when I was exploring the Sandthrax Slickrock area and I was looking forward to getting a closer look down in the canyon this morning.

Below the Bears Ears: Thanksgiving Weekend 2025

Cedar Mesa Chronicles: Chapter 15 | Thursday – Sunday, November 27-30, 2025

Back before Diane even knew she had a meningioma and would be having surgery in October we were hoping to return to the Dinétah in New Mexico this Thanksgiving, but with everything going on lately we switched gears and decided to return to the Bears Ears region instead since it’s a bit closer to home and a more important place to us. Up until about two weeks ago Diane was still planning to join me this holiday weekend and we were planning to stick to easier hikes like we had done at Bryce Canyon National Park earlier this month, but unfortunately she has had some setbacks with her recovery and is not allowed to do any hiking right now, so she would be spending Thanksgiving with a friend while I spent the extended holiday weekend below the Bears Ears on my own since I was really feeling the pull to get back down there one last time before the year was over. I’m really hoping that Diane will be able to get over these setbacks and can get back out hiking again soon.

5 Comments

Category: Exploring

Moab Meanderings: Grandstaff Canyon & Sand Flats

Christmas in Arches 2025

Moab Winter Solstice Weekend 2025

The Canyons of North Wash III

Below the Bears Ears: Thanksgiving Weekend 2025