I love camping life, an escape from the bright city and a chance to embrace the wonder of the dark. I always find new ways to enjoy camping. A tiny house lives in my heart. So during my recent adventure to Moab, Utah, I chose to rent and stay in a teardrop trailer, a unique and special mini home life experience in the great outdoors.
There are plenty of camping options near Moab. You can pick a first come-first serve BLM site, like Sand Flats Recreation Area, Big Bend Recreation Area, etc., or you can reserve your own site at a local campground. I chose to camp in a first come-first serve site, so I picked spot D14 at Sand Flats Recreation Area, which offers spectacular vistas of sandstone domes, canyons and mesas against the backdrop of the La Sal Mountains. (I recommend you arrive early to find a good spot in the morning, because it is a popular BLM site, and it fills fast). After I picked my favorite campsite, the trailer host Wendy (from Airbnb) delivered and set up the trailer, to be ready for me after my day of adventures.
When I saw the trailer in person, I felt the mini home in my heart come to life.
I was very excited to experience this mini house life: Cozy bed and bedding, perfect for little me; Well-equipped kitchen fulfills outdoor cooking needs.
The trailer looks like an adorable tiny house: inside it has a cozy queen bed, soft bedding and wood cabinetry, and off the back is a well-equipped kitchen, including all cooking essentials, a gas stove, stainless steel counter, hot/cold water sink, pans, etc. A yeti cooler, camp rugs and camp chairs also are provided. The trailer is equipped with a propane heater, too. It was very convenient and practical for sleeping and cooking. It made camping life charming and authentic.
Staying in the teardrop trailer was a fun and unique experience:
I wore a headlamp to brush my teeth at the back kitchen at night;
I used solar power in the trailer to charge my phone and GoPro;
I used my flashlight to walk and find the restroom at the campground in the dark;
The BLM site does not have shower, but I did not mind missing a shower;
I turned on the heater to make the mini home warmer during the cold nights;
The trailer was under the breathtaking night skies. I saw endless stars and moon every night: the night sky was fantastic.
I curled into bed at night, with no cellular service, but I enjoyed disconnecting from my phone and social media. I never felt bored, just enjoyed my precious alone time, thought about the adventures I was enjoying, collected my thoughts, took time to self-reflect, then slept like a baby.
It was very windy outside throughout the night. I could feel the wind blow the rugs and a sun shade outside, but I slept soundly, and the windy conditions did not bother me.
When I woke up the next morning, I opened the mini door, and the soft indoor lights from the trailer cast a warm glow against the morning gray. I saw the sky turn from dark to bright, the sunlight reflecting off the mountains, turning them red in the distance. It recharged my endless passion and energy, preparing me for a new adventure.
I have always wanted to live in the mountains, and I made it happen!
My car and trailer parked parallel under the tree at night. I love this moment.
Staying outdoor, you could stargaze the night sky, with the stars, moon and mountains with you.
The indoor lights reflect the trailer in early morning.
I dressed and was ready for a new day of adventure!
Sand Flats Recreation Area has great views of the La Sal mountains and red rocks.
The precious time spent in the trailer became a new and different perspective for camping life. One of my friends told me that the trailer reminds him a little of the “forts” children will build, small places to hide and play. For me, this trailer made my dream tiny house real for a short time.
What do you think of this trailer? Maybe it is your next adventure. Let’s do it again in a heartbeat!
If it excites and scares you at the same time, it probably means you should do it.
I knew Moab, Utah was called “America’s off-road capital,” and it lives up to the name. The region’s unique “slickrock” makes for a driving experience unlike anything else, and with breathtaking scenery. Off-roading is a culture, and trying it was on top of my bucket list as I explored national parks in the area. I chose a tour company called “Epic 4×4 Adventure” and I actually experienced an epic and thrilling ride, so the company name was exactly what I experienced, something “epic”.
To start, I want to give a special thank you to “Epic 4X4 Adventure”. The owner, Jennifer, was very nice and takes great care of her customers. She saw my special circumstance: a young and small woman was going to drive one of her aggressive off-road trails solo, and I had never driven such a vehicle before. She was concerned and wanted me to have the maximum amount of fun, safety, so provide me a special favor: she assigned me a private guide, Gavin, and we completed this epic adventure together.
My tour was called “You-Drive Hell’s Revenge and Fins & Things Trail (Sunset)”. My private instructor Gavin was very experienced, professional and knowledgeable, and made me feel comfortable and confident before this wild adventure started.
The first trail was Fins and Things, reached through Sand Flats Recreation Area. It was a moderate trail. Gavin and I drove single file in separate vehicles, with him in front. Gavin communicated with me via 2-way radios, giving me directions and offering tips to navigate the uneven terrain. I followed him and drove through some sudden steep climbs on and off the slickrock. I had a little trouble shifting the transmission properly a few times at first, so Gavin patiently stopped and came to check on me, then we’d be back to the trail again.
As an off-roading beginner, this trail was a good introduction for me to learn the basics of true off-roading, and how conditions can change quickly with small hills, steep drops, large rocks and a generally challenging driving environment. I immersed my whole enthusiasm in this activity.
After completed the Fins & Things Trail, we headed to the Hell’s Revenge Trail. It is one of the top off-road trails in Moab. It is an adventurous and difficult trail, with this major slickrock area including steep climbs, sharp turns and hair-raising descents along high ridges with little room for error left or right. It is more technical than Fins & Things. Gavin decided to sit beside me in the same vehicle for this one, providing instruction along the way regarding speed, gear and direction.
The first challenge of this trail was to drive and up onto a narrow fin – a long but thin stretch of road with steep drop offs on either side. Although I am not afraid of heights, my heart beat fast at that moment. But I had a good instructor, his directions were spot on, helping me to move smoothly on this scary-looking trail.
I kept driving straight and entered a low spot, experienced some high mounds and steep descents, up and down, using brake and gas. I drove into the bushes a few times, but Gavin was very patient and instructed how to turn back toward the trail. I drove much better as I went along, like a new driver, learning how to drive a new car on the road. It is a learning process, and I loved it.
One of the most impressive moments occurred when we drove to the summit of the hills, a high vantage point overlooking the Colorado River with beautiful, classic scenery, a panoramic view from the La Sal Mountains through Arches National Park to the cliff rims that overlook Moab Valley. It is a simply spectacular view.
We decided to keep going because I wanted to explore this trail more deeply. It included even tougher terrain and obstacles, so Gavin drove and allowed me to experience it from the passenger seat. It was very steep and bumpy with speed; it was so much fun. At one point, I could not see the actual edge of the road from inside the vehicle as it dropped off so quickly from view. These long steep climbs and white-knuckle descents offered me a roller coaster ride across slick rock fins, scary-looking but exciting.
We drove through the sand road with extreme speed, too, allowing the fresh wind to sweep over us in the open-air vehicle. I could sense the power mingling with the charming views of true desert life. The desert’s soft sunlight painted the evening sky along the way, making this ride even more amazing.
On this trail, Gavin always encouraged and pushed me to drive more, teaching me how to adjust to the tough terrain. I appreciated this very much. It was my happiest day in Moab. Thank you “Epic 4×4 Adventure” for this special arrangement, making this adventure more awesome and memorable. I’ll come back！
I am an adventurer, but also an off-road racer! LOL
Driving off-road is exciting and terrifying at the same time, but you should ride it. Embarking on a new experience, when you are willing to try and learn, you are actually developing skills. It is a journey: learn, adjust, overcome and enjoy. This is a part of an adventurous spirit, too!
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller
How willing are you to embrace the unknown? I love to take adventures with someone, but I love to experience them solo, also. Some people might think a solo adventure is boring and lonely. This is not true; it is a lot of fun! Taking an adventure does not mean being reckless, and the reward is much greater than you might expect.
For my most recent adventure I picked Moab, Utah as a destination. Moab is a small town, home to Arches, Canyonlands National Parks and Dead Horse Point State Park, and it is an avid outdoor adventurers’ paradise, offering tons of activities like hiking, rafting, off-roading, climbing, and mountain biking with unique red rock landscapes. It was a whole new and epic adventure for me. I experienced so many new things during this trip, and so much wonder. This is how a true adventurer lives.
Hike in the dark
I wanted to witness the most stunning sunrise/sunset, and to do so I needed to hike in the dark. On October 19, I woke up at 4:00 a.m., then drove in the dark, alone, through Arches National Park. At the beginning, I felt uncomfortable and nervous because it was my first time driving up the curved mountain roads, in the dark, so I drove carefully, then adjusted to it. My eyes kept searching the road signs in the dark, but I missed the turn to take me where I originally planned to see the sunrise, so I kept driving to the delicate arch viewpoint parking lot. An adventurer must be able to improvise!
I started hiking in this dark adventure. The trail was three miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of 480 feet. It was definitely a challenge to hike in early morning, because it was a new and unfamiliar trail, a of it uphill, and across sandstone rock faces where the trail can be hard to find. With the cold weather in the morning, it required especially good physical fitness.
Hiking in the dark is totally different from hiking during the day. It takes time for your eyes to adjust to the dark, and my flashlight helped. I met an elderly couple hiking along the way, and we hiked to the delicate arch together. In the dark, we got lost a few times, as there were no trail markers. We stopped and observed our surroundings, then saw a few lights far away, realizing we should head in that direction, and followed the light hike back to the correct trail. Because it was early, and a lot of the path was uneven, steep and uphill, I had to breath heavily. We hiked approximately 45 minutes to reach the arch.
I was very impressed during this dark journey: when I looked up, stars studded the sky. Then I witnessed the sky change color, turning from black to orange with the dawn. The sunlight shone on the arch at different angles, creating a spectacular sunrise to welcome a beautiful new day and adventure in the park. Hiking in the dark and seeing this amazing sunrise was a wonderful way to connect myself to nature.
Orange and pink colors appeared on the horizon, like a painting in front of you.
It was 7:11 am. when the soft light painted color in the sky. It was worth the wait in the dark.
We witnessed the change of sunlight at Delicate Arch.
Although a challenging journey, a true adventurer reached it, a reason to celebrate.
Delicate Arch shows its beauty through different light and angles.
I took this photo when I got back downhill, and only then fully realized what kind of sandhill terrain I had hiked in the dark.
We hiked a lot uphill, in the dark, to the Delicate Arch.
Hiking in the dark can be more challenging than during the day. It is important that you research and plan ahead, bring layers of clothing, appropriate gear, prepare for wildlife, and stay sensitive to your surroundings. Then get ready for a dark and wild adventure!
The adventure of a lifetime: completed the difficult trail solo
Devils Garden is a difficult trail in Arches National Park. The total distance is 7.2 miles, and the weather is hot, especially at noon. On this trail, you will see different arches, including Pine Tree Arch, Tunnel Arch, the longest landscape Arch, and Double O Arch. It proves that “it is a journey, not a destination”.
One of the world’s longest natural rock arches: Landscape Arch
The trail to Double O Arch starts difficult, because you must use your hands and feet to scramble and climb.
Double O Arch, but the path to get there is difficult.
Most people choose to go back after reaching Double O Arch after about three miles. But I decided to keep going, completing the primitive trail alone. Just like my life, I am someone who always goes forward, not back, and I enjoy every journey, no matter how easy or difficult. The Primitive Trail is the most difficult segment of the Devils Garden trail. It is a loop trail to the starting point. The obstacles include difficult route finding, steep slopes, narrow drop-offs, and rock scrambling.
I used hiking, scrambling, and climbing skills during this trail. This is a tricky route. I got lost, stopped, thought about my previous steps, observed and recognized the footprints, trusted my instincts, listened to sounds, asked other hikers for directions, and tried to find a GPS signal (I used Gaia GPS app). I finally navigated back to the right trail. Because it was noon, very hot, my body covered in sweat. I stopped and took a break, and drunk plenty of water.
Devils Garden Trail is worth taking an adventure of your lifetime.
After hiking approximately four hours, I retuned back to the starting point. I had a sense of accomplishment and was very happy. I never had before completed such a long and difficult trail solo. The reward is one of the most remarkable and awesome adventures in my life.
My adventurous spirit pushed me to accept the challenge, successfully accomplishing this difficult trail!
Witnessed one of the most epic sunrise/sunsets
Mesa Arch, Canyonland is one of the most famous sunrise spots in Moab. On October 20, I woke up at 4:00 a.m. again, then drove 40 minutes, entirely in the dark, without passing a single other car on the way to canyonland. I hiked in the dark again, but compared to the delicate arch, this was an easy trail, just an eight minute hike. I arrived around 6:30 a.m., the sky was still dark, but a few photographers were there waiting.
It is a small arch. I saw the rays of sun from the dawn out to the horizon beneath the arch. The sun illuminated the underside of the arch, giving a breathtaking view under the arch, showing nature’s craftsmanship again. I loved the orange color shine beneath the arch. This epic sunrise brightened my day again.
I love to witness the sunlight change to pink in the dark under the arch.
As the sun rises, I sense the natural power.
I love this moment, all of us waiting for the amazing sunrise at Mesa Arch.
The sunlight illuminates the underside of the arch. I sit overlooking the amazing natural scene.
“The most beautiful gift of nature is that it gives one pleasure to look around and try to comprehend what we see.”—Albert Einstein
If you visit Moab, you should not miss the most stunning sunset at Dead Horse Point State Park. I drove to the end of park, reaching the dead horse point overlook. I saw different vast layers on the red rock canyon. It looks like a different planet from Earth. I looked down the gorgeous ever-changing landscape to the Colorado River.
A dramatic sunset reflects light from the Colorado River.
The rocks all change to orange color.
A brush of color stands stark against the sky, like an artist forgot what paint to use. I stayed there through sundown, ending in all dark. If I could, I would wish to see this incredible sunset every day.
I sat there to see the most stunning sunset, feeling its charm and mystery.
Desert sunsets never cease to fill people with wonder.
Layers of desert canyon look like another planet.
Taking a solo adventure is not easy: it requires courage, confidence, wisdom, plan and action. If you do it, you will experience unexpected things along the way, and you will learn how to trust your instincts, accomplish a lot of tasks and make decisions alone. It pushes you to personal growth. I am glad that I made this epic adventure happen! A true adventurer has ambition, able to accept challenge and adapt to any changes in a new environment, make dreams come to reality. I hope my adventurous spirit and experience will inspire you, especially women, to step out of your comfort zone, and be brave enough to pursue and live your desired life!
STEPHY 