Day 5: Rafting the Colorado and Arches

Day 5 (May 31, 2022) We booked another excursion through the Moab Adventure Company which was a full day rafting trip on the Colorado River. First of all, I wanted to put in a recommendation for the Company as their staff are competent and friendly. They took good care of us on the river and were a fun bunch of young people. Our river guide, Tatum was particularly knowledgeable and told fun stories about both the river and her life. She also took an interest in getting to know all of the people in our raft. It was nice to get to know new people, and coincidentally, all of the guests on the raft had some connection to Texas. Our excursion also included a wonderful lunch of burgers, hotdogs, and tacos at the Red Cliffs Lodge. Our company is the only company with this option, and it was a nice way to break up the day. As for the rafting itself, this stretch of the river is incredibly scenic with relatively small rapids, so it made for a mostly relaxing float down the river. It definitely had enough excitement to keep me entertained, and I was able to swim one of the rapids. The river was shockingly cold, but it was a good way to stay cool on a warm day. 

After finishing with the rafting excursion around 4:00 pm, we still felt energized enough to go back to Arches in the evening for another short hike. The Park Avenue hike is a two mile out and back trail that is close to the entrance of the park. Despite it’s location, it doesn’t get incredibly crowded, especially in the evening. We only ran into a handful of people on the trail. The temperature in the evening was pleasant, and it was nice to capture some photos in the changing light of the evening.