Sunrise at Arches and a Quiet Night in Echo Park

Morning Solitude in Arches National Park

We started the day before the sun had even crested the horizon, making our way into Arches National Park to stay ahead of the heat.

Our first stop was a quick trek to Double Arch, where we had the massive formation entirely to ourselves—an almost surreal experience in such a popular park.

From there, we caught a glowing morning view of Delicate Arch in the distance, its silhouette framed by the soft light of dawn. The stillness was rare and remarkable. For a brief moment, Arches felt completely ours.

Fiery Furnace: One of the Highlights of the Whole Trip

To visit the Fiery Furnace, you need a permit—and we went with the self-guided route, of course. Best decision ever.

It truly felt like we were stepping into a secret world. No crowds. No noise. We explored the "main route" in reverse which kept interaction with others to a minimal. We kept our voices low so our echoes wouldn’t bounce across the canyon walls. Just us and the sandstone.

This was Caitlin’s first real taste of scrambling and stemming through narrow passages and down sandstone walls. A little exposure, a lot of adventure.

We’d heard plenty of warnings about visiting Arches in July, but overcast skies, a breeze, and highs in the 80s made it not just bearable, but perfect!

Honestly, it was one of our favorite moments of the entire trip.

Dinosaur National Monument

We weren't done yet. After Arches, we drove north to one of Caitlin’s most-anticipated stops: Dinosaur National Monument.

Quarry Visitor Center

One of the coolest stops was the Quarry Visitor Center at Dinosaur National Monument—a must-see!

Inside the center, the exposed quarry wall is jam packed with fossils, including Stegosaurus skeletons with fully intact spines and skulls still attached, Stegosaurus plates, articulated hips, and skulls!

Then, there were the Allosaurus fossils and massive Diplodocus fossils, including a femur almost as tall as Caitlin! It’s hard to wrap your head around how huge these creatures were until you’re standing right next to them.

We could’ve spent hours here, walking through this time capsule.

Fossil Discovery Trail

One of the things that makes Dinosaur National Monument so special is how many distinct geological formations you can explore in such a compact area. It’s like a crash course in deep time—each step peeling back another layer of Earth’s story and revealing why this region is a fossil goldmine.

▸ The Stump Formation

Teeming with marine fossils, this layer is packed with tiny white and pink clam impressions. A snapshot of a long-vanished ocean.

▸ The Morrison Formation

Arguably the most famous, this formation is rich with dinosaur bones and petrified plant material. We walked along an exposed rock face where fossils and ancient wood were everywhere—once your eye adjusted, they started popping out of the wall.

▸ The Mowry Shale

Another marine layer, this one filled with subtle impressions of long-extinct sea life, a quiet contrast to the grandeur of the Morrison layer.

The whole experience felt like a walk through time, one formation after another revealing the ancient life that once dominated this now-dry high desert.

Echo Park Camping on the Green River

We planned to camp closer to the main park, but since the weather held and we made great time, we pushed on to Echo Park.

We made a quick stop to peek inside Whispering Cave as we drove further in.

We lucked into availability at the walk-in campsite tucked right along the Green River. First walking the campsite loop to get a lay of the land, we stumbled across a family of deer, complete with two babies. At the back of our side, we were pleasantly surprised to find a private path leading straight to the river. It was too cold to swim, but dipping our toes in the river felt amazing after a busy day.

While Caitlin had her feet in the river, we noticed a beaver swim by. Marc had already noted that our river access happened to run straight through his territory and let Caitlin know that it was time exit the water and head back to camp. That beaver wasn't shy about letting us know we were bothering him, so we gave him space.

This campsite felt like the most remote and untamed of any we’d stayed at so far, so we made sure to pack up carefully for the night, knowing we were sharing the space with many unseen neighbors.

Once again, Marc, my favorite backcountry chef, cooked up another amazing meal.

To keep the bugs at bay, we rigged a mosquito net over the truck bed and ended up with a cool, peaceful night under the stars.

Bats and a Final Night Stroll

Before bed, we couldn’t resist taking one more stroll around the park one.

Just a few feet from camp, bats began passing overhead. They flew only 3 to 4 feet above us, usually one at a time, with their echolocation calls echoing off the canyon walls.

It was the kind of night you don’t forget—quiet, remote, and just a little bit magical.