Michael felt sick in the morning, thanks probably to the major weather swings we’ve been getting as we’ve traveled – one day it can be warm and sunny, then the next day we drive up the mountains and it’s cold and snowing!
Devil’s Canyon Trail System, Fruita
After checking out of the RV park, we drove to Devils Canyon Trail, not far from where we stayed in Fruita (a recommendation from the couple we met the previous night). There are a lot of options for trails and trail combinations there, and dogs are also welcome, provided they’re on a leash. This includes easy walks to more moderate hikes going further toward the red rock formations, and there’s plenty of options for people that want to go birdwatching, go horseback riding, or simply go on a peaceful trek.
Since Michael wasn’t feeling well, he stayed in the RV to rest while Lisette and Sheila explored the trails. They went on the Devils Ridge, which had a number of signposts that were perfect for hiking with kids and for general education, including details about the terrain. On this trail, there were also a lot of lizards out and about, slithering among the pebbles and dirt trail in front of them. While there were a few folks that they encountered, it was overall a quiet and peaceful hike.
Lisette and Sheila then backtracked to hike along the Opal Trail, but soon encountered a couple of people riding horses, and a dog excitedly running around them off leash. Since Sheila has been known to bark and nip around horses, Lisette decided it was time to head back to the RV and check on how Michael was doing.
We hung around the parking lot for a while for more R&R, then made our way toward Utah in the late afternoon. We were driving along, when a bald eagle swooped and flew alongside our RV – it was our first sighting of this majestic bird in the wild, so we were very excited to see it up close!
Trail Through Time: Seeing Dinosaur Fossils
About 8 minutes before we crossed into the Utah border, we noticed an attraction on Google Maps called Trail Through Time, and stopped to check it out. It’s a dog-friendly and short (2.4 kms or 1.5 mile loop) trail, which offers an educational hike to see dinosaur fossils.
We learned about how dinosaurs like the camarasaurus and diplodocus roamed here over 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period, and saw the indents of a dinosaur pelvis and a dinosaur skeleton that have been found in this area. It’s an easy and short hike (it probably took us about 35 minutes or so), and there’s plenty of parking and an outhouse just ahead of the hike. There were only a few people parked here when we went (and we only encountered a couple of people on the hike), and it was a fascinating stop between Colorado and Utah.
Once we crossed into Utah, the scenery started to evolve, with rocky scenery and snowy mountains in the distance. With the sun quickly setting, we boondocked near the town of Moab ahead of checking into Arches National Park around 7am the following day.
Route Map
