Arrive To: Mandatory orientation in hotel meeting room at 5:00 PM. Welcome to Moab! We'll have an informative overview of the program to come plus an opportunity to meet the program staff and your fellow participants during an introductory get-acquainted session. We’ll review the updated schedule, cover responsibilities, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have.

Dinner: We will travel to a local restaurant to enjoy a delicious meal and continue getting to know one-another.

Evening: After dinner, we will wrap up our orientation back at the hotel. Get some rest afterwards, we have lots of exciting hikes this week!

Lodging: River Canyon Lodge

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: Each morning we have the luxury of walking (or taking the van) down the street to the Moab Diner for breakfast, a Moab favorite. There's no doubt you'll walk away satisfied with extensive menu choices and prompt, friendly service.

Morning: Vans depart hotel for Arches National Park. After a beautiful and dramatic drive through the entrance of Arches National Park, we have a one-way hike to start the week off - “Park Avenue”. Vans pick us up at the lower trailhead. (1 mi) This is a great opportunity to see how you are feeling, adjust clothing layers for the days temperature, and enjoy the beautiful rock formations. Next we van to “Devil’s Garden” for a beautiful hike to Landscape Arch, the longest arch in the park. Then you have the option of hiking to another nearby arch with a breathtaking view. (3.5 mi RT)

Lunch: A local market prepares our fresh box lunches each day so that we can enjoy them in the scenic outdoors. Lunch will include your choice of sandwich, fruit, chips, dessert, and water.

Afternoon: After lunch we get to enjoy another one-way hike to Tapestry, Broken and Sand Dune Arches. We'll take time to talk about how life has adapted to live in this dry, often hot (May-Sept), high-desert climate. We will see first-hand these impressive plants and animals that call this area home. (1.7 mi) After this hike, we'll drive along the Colorado River to see Petroglyph Panels that take us back thousands of years. We will talk about the importance of this art, along with why we find it where we do.

Dinner: Prepare your tastebuds for the full experience this week, we plan dinners at different area restaurants to give you a nice variety and plenty of choices.

Evening: After a very full day of hiking and exciting educational adventures out in Arches National Park, you have free time after dinner to explore the shops of Moab, rest, or enjoy the nice swimming pool and hot-tub at our hotel.

Lodging: River Canyon Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the Moab Diner.

Morning: This morning we take a scenic drive to Canyonlands National Park - Island in the Sky. After a stop at the visitor center, we drive to the Upheaval Dome Overlook trailhead. There are two well-known theories as to the origin of the upheaval. We will tell you about each, and then you tell us what you think caused the unique formation! (1 mi RT) Next, we drive to the Wilhite trailhead canyon rim hike. We'll have the special opportunity to see first hand the living soil of the desert and learn of it's importance. The panoramic view at the end of this hike will leave you saying "Oh WOW!".

Lunch: A local market prepares our fresh box lunches each day so that we can enjoy them in the scenic outdoors. Lunch will include your choice of sandwich, fruit, chips, dessert, and water.

Afternoon: After lunch, we hike on the White Rim Overlook Trail (2 mi RT). You will be treated to an expansive view of the Colorado River Canyon and you will be able to see all the way across to the Needle's District (where we will hike tomorrow). We'll take a few minutes to soak in the view, and also talk about how erosion is still shaping this landscape. A trip to Island in the Sky would not be complete without a short hike to the amazingly photogenic Mesa Arch, so we'll stop there before we head back to Moab. (.6 mi RT)

Dinner: Dinner on own to sample cuisine of Moab with time for shopping or browsing the downtown.

Evening: Each week we feature a local guest lecturer to talk about a different educational and exciting topic. We will announce the details at the beginning of your program.

Lodging: River Canyon Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast at the Moab Diner.

Morning: We travel this morning in vans to Canyonlands National Park - Needles District. The Needles District forms the southeast corner of Canyonlands and was named for the colorful spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone that dominate the area. We will stop at the visitor center for a break and a nice video on the area. Our hike is on the "Slickrock Foot Trail" and the entirety of the trail stays high on slickrock benches and mesa tops, providing sweeping, panoramic views of the Needles District. (2.5 mi RT)

Lunch: A local market prepares our fresh box lunches each day so that we can enjoy them in the scenic outdoors. Lunch will include your choice of sandwich, fruit, chips, dessert, and water.

Afternoon: After lunch we will drive to Cave Springs Trailhead and walk to the cowboy line camp, and also view some pictographs. Do you know the difference between a pictograph and a petroglyph? We will stop at Newspaper Rock on the drive back to Moab to view one of the best samples of petroglyphs in the area.

Dinner: Prepare your tastebuds for the full experience this week, we plan dinners at different area restaurants to give you a nice variety and plenty of choices.

Evening: After another full day of exciting educational hiking adventures, this evening is free after dinner to explore the shops of Moab, rest, or enjoy the nice swimming pool and hot-tub at our hotel.

Lodging: River Canyon Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the Moab Diner.

Morning: The Fisher Towers are one of the most outstanding scenic features of Utah's Colorado Riverway. These rock pinnacles soar above a maze of red and purple hued canyons. While hiking the challenging rocky trail, stop for a break and listen to the scrub jays and the ravens. Notice a juniper tree growing out of a crack in the rock. Try to get a close view of a lizard. These living components of the environment are as much a part of the "scenery" as the Fisher Towers.

Lunch: A local market prepares our fresh box lunches each day so that we can enjoy them in the scenic outdoors. Lunch will include your choice of sandwich, fruit, chips, dessert, and water.

Afternoon: Our last hike of the program is to Delicate Arch. Delicate Arch has become the unofficial symbol of Utah, have you noticed it on some Utah vehicle license plates? Towering eighty feet over hikers, Delicate Arch is a highlight of Arches National Park and is one of the most beautiful arches in the world. This arch needs to be experienced in person to be really appreciated. (3 mi RT)

Dinner: Tonight we have a special closing dinner with a "million dollar view" at the Sunset Grill. The Sunset Grill is in the former home of Uranium King Charlie Steen. In the early 1950’s Moab was a small farming community. Arches and Canyonlands were places only a lucky few experienced. In 1952, Charles A. Steen, geologist and prospector, put Moab on the world map.

Evening: Closing program

Lodging: River Canyon Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Depart From: Program ends after breakfast. Check-out by 11 AM.

Breakfast: Restaurant Meal

Meals Included: Breakfast