What Coronavirus? Hiking in America at Arches National Park in Utah

What Coronavirus? Enjoying the American outdoors
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Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Coronavirus is taking over the world. Some of us are fortunate enough to reside in a remote place like Arches National Park in Utah

The first national monument closes and Zionโ€™s shuttle bus is grounded Starting Tuesday, the shuttle buses servingย Zion National Park will โ€œtemporarilyโ€ suspend operations, although Utahโ€™s busiest park will remain open to the public. Visitors will be allowed to drive up Zion Canyon, something that hasnโ€™t happened during the spring high season in years.

Arches National Park is open. It lies north of Moab in the state of Utah. Bordered by the Colorado River in the southeast, itโ€™s known as the site of more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, such as the massive, red-hued Delicate Arch in the east. Long, thin Landscape Arch stands in Devils Garden to the north. Other geological formations include Balanced Rock, towering over the desert landscape in the middle of the park.

ย The Southeast Utah Health Department issued a public health order Tuesday directing all restaurants, bars and movie theaters to close for 30 days in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The order also said that all overnight and short-term lodging facilities be rented or leased to only โ€œessentialโ€ or primary residents of Carbon, Emery and Grand counties, calling into question how red rock tourism will fare.

Not only does the order advise residents to restrict travel, it cites the threat posed by the regionโ€™s tourist hotspots that attract millions of visitors every year and even now continue to draw people in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sonja is a local resident in Moab and a former US Park Ranger. Her husband and son Bjorn love the outdoors. They recently spent a lot of family time hiking and enjoying the incredible nature Arches is offering.ย  It appears they have miles of nature for themselves.

Sonja writes: “Incredible getaway during this crazy time! We just got closer to our car and are getting a signal on our phone . Our devices alerted us to all schools close. My son Bjorn then suggested we head back into the canyons for a while, lol.ย  We are having a great time – and no trace of the virus here.

 

What Coronavirus? Enjoying the American outdoors

ย 

What Coronavirus? Enjoying the American outdoors

ย 

What Coronavirus? Enjoying the American outdoors

What Coronavirus? Enjoying the American outdoors

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About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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