Second Leg, New Mexico to Moab, Utah
We said goodbye to TA Center and headed toward Moab, Utah. Our second stop of our 4 day road trip from Texas to Oregon. In case you aren’t caught up, we’re heading to Oregon to get our van flooring done by DIY Van. They install composite insulated flooring — all in one piece. So that meant driving over 2,000 miles in our van, which made it our longest road trip to date!
Drive Time
7.5 hours
Miles Driven
480 miles
Campsite
Yellow Circle BLM Land
On The Road To Utah
Our road trip from New Mexico to Utah was a new one for us. We have never been to Utah, so we were heading to a brand new place. We also was doing our first stay on BLM land. If you don’t know what BLM land is, it’s public land that you can camp on. Our favorite website to find these spots is freecampsites.net or iOverlander.com. Our drive through New Mexico was a beautiful drive, and before we knew it we were seeing those orange/red arches in the distance.
Wilson Arch
Address: 80 N Arch View Dr, La Sal, UT 84530
Wilson Arch is named after Joe Wilson, a man who was one of the first people to live in the area in a little cabin called Dry Valley. Made from a special kind of rock called Entrada Sandstone, imagine building with sand and glue—that’s kind of how this rock is made. Little creases developed over time, and water accumulated in these cracks. When the weather cooled, the water solidified into ice, causing the cracks to widen. Then ice turned back into water when it became really hot. Tiny bits of loose rock from the melting and freezing were carried away by the wind. This contributed to the creases getting wider. Only a few tall, thin rock fragments known as fins remained after all of that. Imagine them as enormous, stony pencils that are embedded in the earth. The wind and water kept working on these fins. Sometimes, the glue (called cement) holding the rocks together broke, and pieces of rock fell off. Some of the fins fell apart, but Wilson Arch was strong enough to stay standing even though it lost some pieces in the middle. It now resembles a large, rocky entrance that nature created on its own!
Moab Brewery
Website: www.themoabbrewery.com
Menu: www.themoabbrewery.com/menus
Beer Menu: www.themoabbrewery.com/beers
After our visit to Wilson Arch, we passed the road to the BLM Land of Yellow Circle and decided to go into town to check out Moab, Utah before hunkering down the night. What we discovered was the town is a haven for bike riders, hikers, rock climbers and all things outdoors. There were tons of shops for every type of outdoor activity, breweries and grocery stores. We decided to grab a beer before heading to the campsite for dinner, and we decided on Moab Brewery. The beer was great, the bartender was super nice and the aesthetic fit perfectly for Moab. We had a few drinks and didn’t try any food, but next time we will have some food. Check out the menu above to see the most current food choices and prices.
Yellow Circle BLM Land
It was our first time staying on BLM land and let me tell you, we found it amazing. It was super easy to get to, there were other campers there – which made us feel like 1) we were in the right place 2) gave us some peace of mind. Right off Highway 191 is the turn off to Yellow Circle Road. Once you turn off, you will follow the road to the right, behind the small hills that separate this land from the highway. We followed it all the way to a circle that looked like you could go any way you want. We decided to follow the most used road to the left that lead us do this spot!
Once we got to this spot, we made a quick pasta dinner with a glass of red wine. The sun went down and we knew we had to see the night sky to see all the stars, and we were so impressed. Not only were we able to see millions of stars, but we also saw the MILKY WAY! It was the first time, we have ever seen it with our own eyes. It was magnificent. Check out day three!
