Packing & Gear List

Synthetic or merino wool — NOT cotton. Cotton holds sweat and causes chafing in the heat.

Quick-dry material. Long pants helpful for some trails to protect from sun and scrapes.

Ankle support recommended for rocky terrain. Break them in before the trip — no new shoes at Arches!

Wool or synthetic. Merino wool is ideal — prevents blisters and manages odor.

Critical in the desert. Bucket hats or wide-brim hats offer neck and face coverage. Baseball caps are not enough.

UPF 50+ sun shirts protect better than sunscreen alone. Great for all-day desert exposure.

For rafting day — sandals must have heel straps. Chacos, Tevas, or Keens are all great. No flip flops.

You will get wet. Board shorts or quick-dry shorts work great. Avoid denim or cotton.

Light, comfortable clothes for dinner in town. Evenings cool down nicely — a light layer is nice.

Evenings can drop to 65–70°F and mornings start cool. One layer goes a long way.

Nights in the desert can surprise you. A zip fleece or light down jacket is great when you're standing still at 11pm.

Moisture-wicking preferred. You'll be sweating every day.

Polarized preferred. Desert sun off sandstone is intense. Bring a spare pair if possible.

Insulated bladders are key in June heat — standard bladders get warm fast. Hands-free sipping means you drink far more than with bottles, which matters enormously at 100°F. Pro tip: freeze the bladder halfway the night before, then top off with cold water in the morning. It'll stay cool for hours on trail.

Carry alongside the CamelBak as a reserve. Fill at the Visitor Center before hitting the trail — there is NO water on most trails. Rule: 1 liter per person per hour of hiking.

Very helpful on Delicate Arch's slickrock approach and Devils Garden primitive trail. Reduces knee strain on descent.

Optional but great for keeping sand and pebbles out of shoes, especially for G & W.

Needed for the Delicate Arch sunset hike return, night sky visits, and any early morning starts. Bring extra batteries.

Granola bars, trail mix, energy chews, jerky. Bring more than you think you'll need. Heat suppresses appetite but your body still needs fuel.

Critical in the heat. Nuun tablets, Liquid IV, or Pedialyte packets prevent cramping and fatigue. Pack a lot — use daily.

Afternoon thunderstorms are rare but possible. A pack cover protects gear and electronics in a sudden shower.

Download Google Maps, AllTrails, or Gaia GPS for the Moab area before leaving. Cell signal is unreliable in the park.

For keeping phones, snacks, and spare clothes dry on the rafting day and in the event of rain.

Mineral (zinc oxide) is best in desert heat. Reapply every 90 minutes on trail. Bring way more than you think you need — you'll use it all.

Dry desert air and intense sun cracks lips badly. Keep one in every pocket. Stash some in the car too.

Blister treatments (Moleskin), bandages, athletic tape, antiseptic wipes, ibuprofen, anti-diarrheal, tweezers. Pre-made trail kits are convenient.

Moleskin, Body Glide, and blister bandages. New boots = guaranteed blisters without prevention.

Pack extra supply — nearest pharmacy is in Moab but stock may be limited. Keep in a cool, accessible location.

For headaches, muscle soreness, and sun headaches. You'll thank yourself on Day 3.

Gnats and flies can be pesky near water and in the evenings. DEET or Picaridin-based spray.

Restrooms at trailheads can run out of supplies. Wipes are great for dusty hands and quick clean-ups mid-trail.

Even with sunscreen, skin takes a beating. Apply nightly. Kids especially benefit from this.

Modern iPhones and Androids shoot incredible landscape and night sky photos. Make sure Night Mode is enabled and storage is cleared.

Wide-angle (16–35mm) for arch interiors and landscapes. A 70–200mm telephoto for detail shots of distant arches. Bring a sensor cleaning kit — dust is everywhere.

Essential for night sky / Milky Way shots and great for golden hour arch shots. A lightweight travel tripod is perfect. Even a small phone tripod helps enormously.

Heat drains batteries faster. You don't want to miss Delicate Arch at sunset because the battery died.

You will take hundreds of photos. Bring at least 2–3 cards and back up to a laptop or portable drive each evening.

20,000+ mAh recommended. Charge phones in the car on the drive to the park each morning. Critical for all-day use.

Desert dust and fingerprints are relentless. Clean lenses before every session. Also great for sunglasses.

Essential for the rafting day. Also great protection in dusty conditions on trail.

Sandstone is essentially coarse sandpaper — a dropped phone won't survive without protection. OtterBox Defender = max protection. OtterBox Commuter = slimmer but still tough. Pelican cases include built-in screen protection. Especially important for G & W.

Attaches through or around the case — if a phone slips on a steep trail section, the strap catches it before it hits the rock. Small item, big peace of mind. Especially worth it for G & W while scrambling.

Back up photos every evening at the hotel. Losing 6 days of Arches photos would be devastating.

No flip flops — they fly off in rapids. Chacos, Tevas, or Keens with heel strap. Your outfitter will remind you of this too.

You will get wet. Bring a change of dry clothes in the car for after.

Regular sunscreen washes off. Use a reef-safe waterproof formula. Reapply every time you get splashed.

Most outfitters provide one, but confirm when booking. Phones, wallets, and cameras should be sealed in a dry bag during rapids.

Croakies or a similar strap keeps sunglasses on your face through rapids instead of on the river bottom.

Leave a full outfit per person in the car for after the trip. Trust us — you'll want these after a half-day on the river.

Red light preserves night vision — white light kills it instantly and you'll need 20–30 min to recover. Most modern headlamps (Black Diamond, Petzl) have red mode built in. Verify before the trip.

The single most important piece of stargazing photography gear. Night sky shots require 10–25 second exposures — any movement ruins the shot. Look for a tripod with a ball head and phone mount adapter. Lightweight carbon fiber travel tripods (Joby GorillaPod, Peak Design, Vanguard) fold small enough for your daypack.

If your tripod doesn't include one, a universal phone mount clip screws onto any standard tripod head (~$10–15). Makes your smartphone just as capable as a camera for Milky Way shots when combined with Night Mode.

Pressing the shutter button physically causes camera shake and blurs long-exposure shots. A Bluetooth remote (for phones) or cable release (for cameras) fires the shutter without touching the camera. Essential for sharp Milky Way photos. Usually under $15.

Cold desert nights drain batteries 30–50% faster than normal. Keep spare batteries in an inner jacket pocket so body heat keeps them warm. Swap them in when the camera battery dies — the warm ones recover quickly.

Under a dark sky, binoculars reveal star clusters, nebulae, and Saturn's rings with the naked eye. A standard 8x42 pair works great. G & W will fight over them. Compact travel binoculars are ideal — they pack small but punch well above their size.

June nights in Moab drop to 65–70°F but it feels much cooler when you're standing still for an hour at midnight. A fleece or light down jacket per person plus long pants. G & W especially — kids feel the cold faster when they're excited and not moving.

Lying back in a reclining camp chair looking straight up is the definitive stargazing experience. Helinox and REI make chairs that fold to the size of a water bottle. Even a couple of folding lawn chairs in the trunk transforms the Panorama Point stop into a real family memory.

Lightweight packable blankets — one per person. Wrap up and recline under the Milky Way. This is the moment the whole family will remember most from the trip.

Point your phone at any part of the sky and it labels every star, planet, constellation, and satellite in real time. Download offline star maps before leaving home — there's no cell signal at Panorama Point. Free version works great. G & W will love identifying things themselves.

Inexpensive and worth their weight in gold at midnight in the desert. Great for cold fingers trying to operate a camera or phone. Tuck one in each jacket pocket.

Hot cocoa or coffee at midnight under the Milky Way — one of life's great moments. Fill a thermos before leaving the hotel. The Scenic View Inn breakfast room may have hot water available late.

Desert nights can produce dew on cold lens surfaces. A lens cloth and anti-fog wipes keep optics clear for long shooting sessions. Also useful for binoculars.

At 12 and 15, they can carry their own water, snacks, and a layer. Owning their pack = more investment in the experience.

Both G & W can earn official Junior Ranger badges at Arches — a genuinely fun way to engage with the park. Pick up at the Visitor Center on Day 1.

Arches' sandstone formations are endlessly interesting with some geological context. A small guide keeps curious minds engaged on the trail.

For the long Kansas stretch on the drive. Movies, podcasts, and music pre-downloaded — cell service and WiFi along I-70 in Kansas can be spotty.

After long hike days, low-key card games or travel games are great for hotel evenings when everyone's tired but not quite ready for bed.

Download the Moab / Southeast Utah area before leaving home. Cell signal drops significantly on US-191 south of Green River.

One for navigation, one for music/entertainment. Long highway driving is much easier with hands-free setup.

4 people, 4 devices — a multi-port car charger is a must. Charge power banks during the drive so everything is full when you arrive.

Stock with water, sports drinks, fruit, and easy snacks. Saves money and keeps you hydrated on the long Kansas stretch. Gas station food gets old fast.

Jumper cables, flares, reflective triangles, basic tools. The stretch from Green River to Moab on US-191 is remote — be prepared.

For passengers on the long hauls. Kansas is flat and hypnotic — pillows make a big difference for G & W in the back.

$80 and covers both Arches and Canyonlands. Worth it if visiting both. Purchase at recreation.gov or the park entrance.

Hotel provides basics but you'll want your own — desert dust and sweat require a good wash every night.

Desert air has almost zero humidity. Skin dries out fast — especially hands, elbows, and lips. Apply morning and night.

Tweezers also useful for splinters and cactus spines on trail.

Printed or saved to phone. Or purchase at the gate — but expect lines in June.

Print or screenshot from recreation.gov. Have it accessible at the trailhead.

Name of outfitter, booking reference, meeting point, and start time. Save offline.

Printed copy and screenshot. Confirmation number and check-in time. June 21–26.

A printed copy of the day-by-day plan is handy when cell signal is out.

In case of lost/dead phone. Include hotel number, park ranger (435-719-2299), and personal contacts.