The Big Picture

Thousands come to see the famed Arches National Park. It has a marvelous paved way that can be driven on your own. However, some visitors will enjoy a guided trip in the park to hear the stories of it's founding, descriptions of the geology and to learn more about the flora and fauna. Tag-A-Long Expeditions holds a National Park Service permit to go off-road in Arches National Park too. If you think that rafting  is too rigorous, but you still want to experience the Colorado River, this is your expedition!

This day trip, suitable for people of all ages, delivers professional interpretation, just enough adventure, and the best sightseeing of red rock, river and canyons. This unique combination of river downstream of Moab and Arches National Park is brought to you by Tag-A-Long Expeditions, an early backcountry company in Moab. Our special national park permits allow us to take travelers in comfort to sights hidden from those who don’t go a little off the beaten path. No wonder it’s another of our most popular expeditions!

Half of your day we skim along on calm water of the Colorado River, deep in the heart of Canyonlands National Park. The other half you board comfortable, air-conditioned 4X4 rigs where you travel a loop to the "Windows" section of Arches and "Balanced Rock" and upon the Willow Flats dirt road. You get a feel for the ride to Arches National Park as it was when it was still unpaved as a National Monument. The awesome views of the La Sal Mountains in the distance add contrast to this park visit.


The Details

Your mini-expedition begins at the Tag-A-Long office at 7:15 in the morning for a 7:30 a.m. departure. Whether you begin with the boat tour or the 4x4 tour, your day will include lunch. The drive to the river is a short, scenic drive. Along the way, we stop to view a large collection of 1000-year old Indian petroglyphs. At the launch site, you settle aboard the Colorado Explorer, our large, sturdy jetboat. Your captain soon takes you deep into the wilderness of Canyonlands National Park. We stop frequently to see geologic wonders, historical sites, prehistoric Indian ruins from the ancient Anasazi culture, and magnificent scenery. Bring your camera and plenty of film! If river level permits, we take a short hike to a hidden petrified forest. All along the way, red-rock canyon walls soar 1,500 feet on either side of the river. You won’t believe the beauty!

Aboard a comfortable, air-conditioned four-wheel-drive vehicle, your guided trip continues. You are transported to a myriad of rock features that sets Arches National Park at the top of the list-to-do for Moab.  Along the way, there are opportunities to make photographs and get out to stretch your legs. The off-road is the shortest of all of our offerings and reveals Dinosaur tracks.

Our clear desert days allow an outstanding vision of the unusual rock spires and outcroppings against the back drop of a small mountain range beside Moab. Throughout the day your guide will bring the region to life with information on the local region. By the time you roll back into the Tag-A-Long office at about 4:30 o’clock, you’ll have seen both Canyonlands and Arches National Park in a memorable and unique way.

Please note: Our combination jetboat and 4x4 may operate on a modified itinerary on particular dates and reversed any day.