Today was my last sunrise and it was a good one! I returned to the Windows to photograph Turret Arch through the North Window. There was no one there when I arrived, but wow, did it really fill up. I have been to this spot several times for sunrise and I’ve never seen so many people as I did on this day. It was also the best sunrise I have seen from this spot. The colors were nice at sunrise and then the rocks really looked colorful once the sun hit them (it took awhile after the actual sunrise because the mountains were blocking the sun). It was worth getting up early!

We had two hikes on the agenda today: Fisher Towers and Corona Arch. We had not hiked Fisher Towers before and were eager to check it out. The trailhead is about 40 minutes from Moab off of 128. It’s a small parking lot and we had no problem getting a spot - there were only a few cars there when we arrived (it was full by the time we left). The hike is 5.2 miles round trip with 650 feet elevation gain. It’s a good trail and while there are places the trail traverses a cliff side with drop offs, the trail is always wide enough and comfortable.

This hike is a case where the journey itself is the attraction rather than the destination. The views at the end are nice, but we found the most interesting aspect the fascinating landscape along the way. A description from visitutah:

“The Fisher Towers Trail explores the Fisher Towers, one of the Utah canyon country’s most bizarre landscapes. The area is a maze of soaring fins, pinnacles, minarets, gargoyles, spires, and strangely shaped rock formations east of Moab. The towers, soaring monuments to erosion, are composed of dark red Cutler sandstone topped by harder Moenkopi sandstone and draped with mud curtains.”

There are a lot of neat rocks to see along the way. And seeing hikers on the trail really gives this place a sense of scale - we were often dwarfed by the soaring cliff walls and pinnacles. My only regret with this hike is that it was completely overcast so it wasn’t ideal for pictures. Still a great place to check out though.

We returned to Moab and headed in the other direction to hike to Corona Arch. The trailhead is about a twenty minute drive on 279. I’ve been to Corona Arch several times and again, this is the most people I have seen (and the parking lot has been developed more). I think things were busy for the holidays, but I also think this is part of the trend of increased visitation overall to outdoor locations. It’s easy to see why this is a popular spot - it’s an easy three mile round trip hike with minimal elevation gain (~250 feet) and Corona Arch is impressive and scenic. There is another arch along the way called Bowtie, which is a pothole arch. We figured a hike to Corona Arch was an appropriate last hike to do in 2020. Goodbye to 2020 and hopefully better things are ahead of us in 2021!