April 24, 2025 • 14 mins
"Okay, I totally panicked." That's the confession I open with on this adventure-packed episode about my experience tackling Devil's Garden in Arches National Park.
What starts as a seemingly straightforward trail quickly becomes one of the most adventurous hikes in the park—a fact I discovered firsthand when I found myself lost, wading through unexpected water crossings, and frantically searching for those elusive cairn markers.
FULL DEVILS GARDEN GUIDE 👉 https://thebucketlistmermaid.com/devils-garden/
🏜️Devil's Garden isn't your average national park stroll. This 8-mile primitive loop transforms dramatically once you venture beyond Landscape Arch, introducing narrow sandstone fins, steep scrambles, and minimal signage. I break down nine critical mistakes that hikers commonly make—many of which I personally experienced—and provide practical solutions for each.
🌲The beauty of Devil's Garden lies not just in its spectacular arches and formations, but in the solitude and connection with nature you can experience, especially with an early morning start.
🥾Despite my moments of panic and wrong turns, this remains my favorite hike in Arches National Park.
🏆I share my hard-earned wisdom on navigation challenges, weather considerations, packing essentials, and knowing when to turn around.
📋Whether you're planning your first visit or looking to retry this trail with better preparation, these tips will help you check Devil's Garden off your bucket list safely and memorably.
Have you had your own trail panic moment? I'd love to hear your hiking stories, triumphant or otherwise!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 0 (00:00):
I definitely did not panic on this trail.
That was not what happened.
Okay, I totally panicked.
I was in full panic mode onthis trail, but it was fun
nonetheless.
I had a great time.
Hello adventurers and welcometo Ticket.
Before you Kick at the podcastwhere we talk about how to
achieve everything on youradventure bucket list without
all the rookie mistakes.
My name is Alexandra.
I also run a blog called theBucket List Mermaid, and today
(00:25):
we are going to be talking aboutone of the coolest hikes I have
done in Utah, which is Devil'sGarden.
Now, more specifically, whatmistakes you make on Devil's
Garden that you can avoid sothat you don't end up lost like
me.
Now, more specifically, whatmistakes that you can make on
this trail and how not to makethem for a more enjoyable bucket
list experience.
I'll be talking about my ownpersonal experience talking
(00:46):
Devil's Garden, getting lost,the mistakes I made.
Stay tuned, because this couldbe the difference between you
having an epic adventure orgetting a one-way ticket to
Struggle City.
Let's get started Now.
Mistake number one youunderestimate its difficulty.
The Devil's Garden is actuallyone of the longest trails at
Arches National Park.
I know it's like 7.9, but Ithink I ended up at around 8.3
(01:08):
because I got a little lost.
Spoiler alert and you mightthink it's just like another
nice walk in Arches with a nice,well-maintained trail Wrong.
Once you pass Landscape Arch,things just get a little spicy.
We're talking some narrow rockfins, some exposed areas,
navigating through fins, not alot of navigational signs here,
(01:31):
steep scrambles and more.
Plus, if you commit to thatprimitive loop, you need to be
prepared for a good and heartyoutdoor adventure.
Now, I don't mean to scare youbecause, honestly, this was my
favorite hike in all of archesnational park and I would 100
still recommend it toadventurers who love hiking.
However, you just need to be alittle prepared and you can't
(01:51):
underestimate it.
It's called primitive for areason.
It was like one point in itwhen I was actually in the water
.
Like in the water, I was notexpecting this.
So how to avoid this?
Well, number one, you areavoiding this by just watching
the videos and seeing what it'slike.
You need to be okay with yourhiking ability and be realistic
with yourself to see if you canactually handle the full
(02:13):
primitive Lupin Devil's Gardenand also just make sure that you
are giving yourself enough timeso that you can do it all
within the daylight.
Personally, I started at about 630 am and I did this because I
wanted to avoid the heat, thecrowds, and I also didn't wanna
be hiking this at night, and I'mso glad that I did.
It's like the one time where Idid something actually right.
Yay, now, number two bringenough water.
(02:34):
I know you're like, oh, it'sonly like an eight mile hike.
I mean, that's kind of a longhike.
But you're like early fall, itstill was hot.
It's kind of a jungle out there, it's a desert out there.
Does that sound better?
That's no, this is fine.
Arches National Park isbasically a giant oven and if
(02:57):
you're caught out here or youget lost, you need to be
hydrated.
So personally, I would carry atleast three liters.
This is a lot.
However, I personally like totake more water than I need,
just in case, especially sincethere's not a ton of shade on
this one until you get to, likethe back part of the primitive
trail.
And I would also start in theearly morning.
I hate getting up early like.
(03:19):
I'm just such a night personand getting up early just like
slowly kills my soul.
So I was getting up reallyearly just to and also to avoid,
like, the whole timed entrything into arches, which is a
whole nother thing.
But I got early, I got inwithout a timed reservation, I
drove straight there and by thetime I was like halfway through
the hike.
I could not thank myself enoughfor getting myself out of bed
(03:40):
because it was hot, and it washot like 10 am and I finished
the hike around 11.
So I really missed the wholelike mid-morning, mid to
mid-afternoon heat wave and Iwould, 10 out of 10, recommend
doing it that way, plus there'sless crowds, so win-win.
And also maybe think ofbringing some electrolytes.
I will link the electrolytesthat I use in the description if
(04:01):
you are interested.
But this honestly, just reallyme, especially during the back
half when I was starting toreally heat up and get
dehydrated from climbing on allthese rocks and in between the
sandstone fins.
Now, mistake number three peoplewearing the wrong shoes.
I don't know what people thinkhere.
Like they just think that it'ssome like well-maintained trail
or they think that the entirething is like the hike to
(04:22):
Landscape, which maybe if you'regoing to landscape arch it's
fine.
However, like I saw people insandals with no gear whatsoever,
so don't let that be you.
Maybe if you are going to thelandscape arch maybe going
around to like the tunnel archand the pine tree arch right
there you'll be fine with lessgood shoes.
However, if you plan to go pastlandscape arch, to that Navajo
(04:43):
or the partition or the double OArch, and especially if you
were going past that to thePrimitive Trail, you need shoes
with good traction.
There were some where I waslike is that the trail or is it
just a rock and you're likeclimbing on rocks?
You're climbing down rocks, soyou need to have good traction
on your feet.
Now, obviously, to avoid this,wear your shoes with very good
traction.
I would honestly just recommendreally good, sturdy hiking
(05:06):
shoes with a good soleunderneath.
I will link the exact hikingboots that I used if you are
interested, because those reallydid do the trick.
I was very impressed.
If you have something with asmooth sole, especially if it's
like raining or has been rainingor it's slippery, you will slip
and fall and there is a riskfor injury.
So do not do that, and I wouldalso break in these before,
(05:26):
because it is kind of a longerhike and you don't want.
The last thing you want to dois be to be worried about
blisters.
Now, mistake number four this isone that I did is ignoring the
root markers, as few as they maybe.
It's a little rough out thereto figure out your way.
I've never really been lost ona trail, so this is like my
first time that I've been likeactually lost and I was like
(05:48):
kind of starting to panic.
Um, so don't let that be you.
Now they do have little cairnswhich are like little tiny rock
piles.
I'm going to be honest, thisdid not help me a lot because I
did not see them.
So keep this in mind be extravigilant for the little cairns.
They will save your life.
If you're not paying attention.
It is very easy to veer off onthis trail, especially on the
primitive trail and afterlandscape arch.
(06:09):
Once you get through like themain section of the primitive
trail, like the private arch andkind of past those sandstone
fins and past that pool where Idefinitely fell in, the trail
does become more marked at thatpoint, but there's not a lot of
shade, so be careful.
Now, how you can fix this payattention to the cairns.
If you don't see it, maybe tryto backtrack a little bit until
(06:29):
you find your way.
Another thing that I wish I had,um, is maybe download sort of
trail map like on all trails,although the all trails map does
have a little section where ittakes you the wrong way, um,
because I met several people whowere lost on all trails, so be
careful about using all trails.
Maybe, even better, maybe getlike an offline GPS.
If that is within your budgetand range, that would definitely
(06:51):
help.
So what I would recommend isgetting a map and the specific
Devil's Garden map, because Igot the map for the entire park
so I at least had it on paperwhere I was kind of supposed to
go.
However, they actually have amap that is specific for Devil's
Garden.
Get that one.
Somebody took pity on me andjust gave me one and was like
are you going further?
Yes, take my map, please, youdon't get lost.
So definitely recommend thatand if you are feeling lost,
(07:14):
stop, reassess, don't wanderaimlessly.
Hopefully, if you do have a map, both digital and on paper, you
should be fine.
It just gets a little sketchyin that primitive section.
Now, mistake number five notchecking the weather.
Now, in Arches National Park,the weather can change in an
instant and you need to be awareof this, especially if you are
hiking the primitive trail.
One minute it's blue skies andnext there's a thunderstorm and
(07:37):
a flash flood warning, and thenext moment it's an oven.
So you really need to beprepared for all three or an
intense windstorm.
That has been known to happenthere as well.
So how to avoid this?
Check the forecast before yougo out.
I would definitely notrecommend going out if there's
any rain possible, because justfor, like the slippery rocks
itself, there's a lot of exposedareas with heights and if that
(08:00):
rock is slick, lord help you.
Also, like that little poolarea which I did check, and
people like swim have to likeswim in it and then climb in
order to get up there, so thatcould be fuller and you might
have to turn around.
Now, if you are there whenthere is rain and you do get
caught in it, just avoidlow-lying areas, just in case of
flash floods.
Now, also, if it's not rainingand it's just sun, you need sun
(08:24):
protection and I'm talking maybelike a rash guard, a hat,
sunscreen with you so that youcan reapply the heat.
Here is no joke.
Now, mistake number six underpacking or over packing.
I'd say this is a prettymoderate.
I mean it's nothing compared tolike the other intense long
hikes that I have done in myhiking career.
However, I do think that it isa pretty tricky hike.
(08:46):
I would categorize it asmoderate to difficult, depending
on your physicality.
I think if you are like anaverage physical fitness, I
think you will be okay, and ifyou're not super afraid of
heights and you have very goodfooting I was talking about
devil's garden, where the theintensity doesn't lie in the
fact like a cardio intensity,like you're not climbing up a
mountain, but the difficultylies in you have to be very
(09:10):
purposeful with where you putyour foot, at what time it's,
just so you don't fall becauseit is.
It's a very technical hike, ifthat makes sense.
But, with that being said, youneed to be careful not to
overpack, because that addsweight and if you are not used
to the weight on your back orsomething else, you could slip
and fall.
So just be careful with thatand also, hiking with too much
(09:31):
is not great anyway.
But also don't under pack.
I do have a free list that I amgiving away for all of my hiking
checklist that I take, and Ifeel like this is a pretty good
list to start with and then justtake away any items that you're
not gonna need.
I think at the bare minimum Iwould take water, snacks, sun
protection and a camera, but Ithink you can leave all your
(09:51):
heavy, unnecessary gear.
This is not a backpacking trip.
Just take what you need for afew hours, but make sure to
bring snacks and water and sunprotection.
You will need them.
You could always do the packbefore and do like one of the
other hikes, like maybe like thedelicate arch hike, or maybe
like around the sand dune arch.
Those are pretty cool hikes andyou could just test out the way
, just to make sure that you arecomfortable with it before you
(10:13):
go and check off devil's garden.
Now, next mistake number sevenrushing the experience.
Especially because this isquite technical and you need to
be very purposeful with yoursteps on this slick rock and
also just with the navigationalchallenges and not really
knowing where you are, it isimperative that you do not rush.
Enjoy the experience.
This is a really, really coolhike that takes you into just
(10:37):
the middle of nowhere ArchesNational Park.
So just stop, enjoy.
And also it helps you avoidinjuries and not make mistakes
and not get lost.
So how to plan for this.
I would plan in some extra time, especially to eat.
I personally went to theprivate arch, had a little beef
jerky snack.
I saw like one person and thatwas it.
It was so tranquil, it was sopeaceful and also, you know,
(10:58):
maybe plan some photo breaks.
Just give yourself some extratime.
Don't treat it like a race.
It's not.
It's not a marathon.
It's an experience.
It's a bucket list hike.
Just make sure to enjoy theincredible nature that is around
you, because this place isstunning, absolutely stunning.
Now, mistake number eight nothaving a backup plan.
Sometimes things do go awry.
(11:19):
Maybe you are super prepared,but things go wrong, and I would
just have a little mini backupplan B just in case if it gets
too hot, if you do get lost,what are you gonna do?
Or if the weather just turnswonky, what is going to be your
plan?
Some ways that you can plan forthis and get a plan B is know
the route very well.
I just kind of jumped in and Ithink that's why I did get lost,
(11:42):
but knowing you know whencertain hikes stop, knowing the
certain landmarks that you canlook for.
If you do have to bail, whereare your bail points going to be
Like maybe double O would be abail point, or landscape arch,
whatever is good for you.
Just have that plan before.
Also, if you are hiking withother people now I did this as a
solo female hike so I was allby myself, but if you do have
(12:04):
hiking buddies, maybe goingthrough and saying, if we do get
separated, where are we goingto meet?
I'm not sure this is going tobe a super big issue because
there's not a lot of people onthis hike, especially if you're
early and you're going on theprimitive trail.
However, it's always good justto have a plan in case things go
awry and then also just shareall of your emergency details.
I personally gave it to my mom.
I said, hey, I'm starting atthis time, here is my trail,
(12:27):
here's what I'm going to bedoing, and I should be done by
11 or 12.
Just so they kind of know whereyou are.
I also do a lot of these solofemale hikes so I have an air
tag that people can track me on,because I go on these a lot by
myself and mistake number nine,not knowing when to turn around.
Sometimes the trail is just alittle too difficult.
(12:47):
You're not finding your way.
Things aren't going well.
You're running out of water,you're running out of snacks,
whatever.
It's okay to turn around andthere's no shame in doing so.
In fact, I started out with alot of hiking buddies that I
didn't even know, and all ofthem turned around by the
primitive trail.
By the time we hit theprimitive trail, it was just me
and my lonesome, and they allturned around, and that was fine
(13:08):
.
Maybe the heat is unbearable,the energy is running low, the
weather is changing.
Ultimately, your safety is thenumber one priority here, not
you completing the devil'sgarden primitive loop.
If you're feeling exhausted,low on water, it's okay to turn
back Now.
To avoid this, I would set aturnaround time even before you
start.
Say no matter where I am, if Iam not halfway by X amount of
(13:30):
time, I'm going to turn back andgo the way I came.
Remember, getting to the end isoptional, but getting back safe
is mandatory.
Alright, adventurers, that wrapsup the top mistakes that I saw
and did make in Devil's Garden,and now you know what they are
and how not to make them.
This is one of the best hikesin Arches National Park, but you
need to be prepared in order todo it.
(13:51):
Now, if you want even more tipson Devil's Garden, I do run a
full adventure blog calledTheBucketListMermaidcom and you
can go there to read even moreabout Devil's Garden.
If you do want to check it off,and if you've hiked Devil's
Garden before, I would love tohear what your thoughts were,
what you thought about it, ifyou did get lost, if you just
(14:11):
breezed right through and didway better than me.
I'm here for it.
So definitely tag me on thesocial medias, get in contact
here and let's talk.
I wanna hear your best andmaybe worst hiking stories.
I definitely did not panic onthis trail.
That was not what happened.
Okay, I totally panicked.
I was in full panic mode onthis trail, but it was fun
nonetheless.
I had a great time.
So if you enjoyed this episodeof Ticket, before you Kick it,
(14:32):
don't forget to subscribe onyour favorite podcasting
platform or maybe even leave areview.
That would mean the world tothis traveling and adventuring
mermaid.
Until next time, keep checkingoff those bucket list adventures
, one experience at a time.
I definitely did not panic on this trail.
That was not what happened.
Okay, I totally panicked.
I was in full panic mode onthis trail, but it was fun
nonetheless.
I had a great time.
Hello adventurers and welcometo Ticket.
Before you Kick at the podcastwhere we talk about how to
achieve everything on youradventure bucket list without
all the rookie mistakes.
My name is Alexandra.
I also run a blog called theBucket List Mermaid, and today
(00:25):
we are going to be talking aboutone of the coolest hikes I have
done in Utah, which is Devil'sGarden.
Now, more specifically, whatmistakes you make on Devil's
Garden that you can avoid sothat you don't end up lost like
me.
Now, more specifically, whatmistakes that you can make on
this trail and how not to makethem for a more enjoyable bucket
list experience.
I'll be talking about my ownpersonal experience talking
(00:46):
Devil's Garden, getting lost,the mistakes I made.
Stay tuned, because this couldbe the difference between you
having an epic adventure orgetting a one-way ticket to
Struggle City.
Let's get started Now.
Mistake number one youunderestimate its difficulty.
The Devil's Garden is actuallyone of the longest trails at
Arches National Park.
I know it's like 7.9, but Ithink I ended up at around 8.3
(01:08):
because I got a little lost.
Spoiler alert and you mightthink it's just like another
nice walk in Arches with a nice,well-maintained trail Wrong.
Once you pass Landscape Arch,things just get a little spicy.
We're talking some narrow rockfins, some exposed areas,
navigating through fins, not alot of navigational signs here,
(01:31):
steep scrambles and more.
Plus, if you commit to thatprimitive loop, you need to be
prepared for a good and heartyoutdoor adventure.
Now, I don't mean to scare youbecause, honestly, this was my
favorite hike in all of archesnational park and I would 100
still recommend it toadventurers who love hiking.
However, you just need to be alittle prepared and you can't
(01:51):
underestimate it.
It's called primitive for areason.
It was like one point in itwhen I was actually in the water
.
Like in the water, I was notexpecting this.
So how to avoid this?
Well, number one, you areavoiding this by just watching
the videos and seeing what it'slike.
You need to be okay with yourhiking ability and be realistic
with yourself to see if you canactually handle the full
(02:13):
primitive Lupin Devil's Gardenand also just make sure that you
are giving yourself enough timeso that you can do it all
within the daylight.
Personally, I started at about 630 am and I did this because I
wanted to avoid the heat, thecrowds, and I also didn't wanna
be hiking this at night, and I'mso glad that I did.
It's like the one time where Idid something actually right.
Yay, now, number two bringenough water.
(02:34):
I know you're like, oh, it'sonly like an eight mile hike.
I mean, that's kind of a longhike.
But you're like early fall, itstill was hot.
It's kind of a jungle out there, it's a desert out there.
Does that sound better?
That's no, this is fine.
Arches National Park isbasically a giant oven and if
(02:57):
you're caught out here or youget lost, you need to be
hydrated.
So personally, I would carry atleast three liters.
This is a lot.
However, I personally like totake more water than I need,
just in case, especially sincethere's not a ton of shade on
this one until you get to, likethe back part of the primitive
trail.
And I would also start in theearly morning.
I hate getting up early like.
(03:19):
I'm just such a night personand getting up early just like
slowly kills my soul.
So I was getting up reallyearly just to and also to avoid,
like, the whole timed entrything into arches, which is a
whole nother thing.
But I got early, I got inwithout a timed reservation, I
drove straight there and by thetime I was like halfway through
the hike.
I could not thank myself enoughfor getting myself out of bed
(03:40):
because it was hot, and it washot like 10 am and I finished
the hike around 11.
So I really missed the wholelike mid-morning, mid to
mid-afternoon heat wave and Iwould, 10 out of 10, recommend
doing it that way, plus there'sless crowds, so win-win.
And also maybe think ofbringing some electrolytes.
I will link the electrolytesthat I use in the description if
(04:01):
you are interested.
But this honestly, just reallyme, especially during the back
half when I was starting toreally heat up and get
dehydrated from climbing on allthese rocks and in between the
sandstone fins.
Now, mistake number three peoplewearing the wrong shoes.
I don't know what people thinkhere.
Like they just think that it'ssome like well-maintained trail
or they think that the entirething is like the hike to
(04:22):
Landscape, which maybe if you'regoing to landscape arch it's
fine.
However, like I saw people insandals with no gear whatsoever,
so don't let that be you.
Maybe if you are going to thelandscape arch maybe going
around to like the tunnel archand the pine tree arch right
there you'll be fine with lessgood shoes.
However, if you plan to go pastlandscape arch, to that Navajo
(04:43):
or the partition or the double OArch, and especially if you
were going past that to thePrimitive Trail, you need shoes
with good traction.
There were some where I waslike is that the trail or is it
just a rock and you're likeclimbing on rocks?
You're climbing down rocks, soyou need to have good traction
on your feet.
Now, obviously, to avoid this,wear your shoes with very good
traction.
I would honestly just recommendreally good, sturdy hiking
(05:06):
shoes with a good soleunderneath.
I will link the exact hikingboots that I used if you are
interested, because those reallydid do the trick.
I was very impressed.
If you have something with asmooth sole, especially if it's
like raining or has been rainingor it's slippery, you will slip
and fall and there is a riskfor injury.
So do not do that, and I wouldalso break in these before,
(05:26):
because it is kind of a longerhike and you don't want.
The last thing you want to dois be to be worried about
blisters.
Now, mistake number four this isone that I did is ignoring the
root markers, as few as they maybe.
It's a little rough out thereto figure out your way.
I've never really been lost ona trail, so this is like my
first time that I've been likeactually lost and I was like
(05:48):
kind of starting to panic.
Um, so don't let that be you.
Now they do have little cairnswhich are like little tiny rock
piles.
I'm going to be honest, thisdid not help me a lot because I
did not see them.
So keep this in mind be extravigilant for the little cairns.
They will save your life.
If you're not paying attention.
It is very easy to veer off onthis trail, especially on the
primitive trail and afterlandscape arch.
(06:09):
Once you get through like themain section of the primitive
trail, like the private arch andkind of past those sandstone
fins and past that pool where Idefinitely fell in, the trail
does become more marked at thatpoint, but there's not a lot of
shade, so be careful.
Now, how you can fix this payattention to the cairns.
If you don't see it, maybe tryto backtrack a little bit until
(06:29):
you find your way.
Another thing that I wish I had,um, is maybe download sort of
trail map like on all trails,although the all trails map does
have a little section where ittakes you the wrong way, um,
because I met several people whowere lost on all trails, so be
careful about using all trails.
Maybe, even better, maybe getlike an offline GPS.
If that is within your budgetand range, that would definitely
(06:51):
help.
So what I would recommend isgetting a map and the specific
Devil's Garden map, because Igot the map for the entire park
so I at least had it on paperwhere I was kind of supposed to
go.
However, they actually have amap that is specific for Devil's
Garden.
Get that one.
Somebody took pity on me andjust gave me one and was like
are you going further?
Yes, take my map, please, youdon't get lost.
So definitely recommend thatand if you are feeling lost,
(07:14):
stop, reassess, don't wanderaimlessly.
Hopefully, if you do have a map, both digital and on paper, you
should be fine.
It just gets a little sketchyin that primitive section.
Now, mistake number five notchecking the weather.
Now, in Arches National Park,the weather can change in an
instant and you need to be awareof this, especially if you are
hiking the primitive trail.
One minute it's blue skies andnext there's a thunderstorm and
(07:37):
a flash flood warning, and thenext moment it's an oven.
So you really need to beprepared for all three or an
intense windstorm.
That has been known to happenthere as well.
So how to avoid this?
Check the forecast before yougo out.
I would definitely notrecommend going out if there's
any rain possible, because justfor, like the slippery rocks
itself, there's a lot of exposedareas with heights and if that
(08:00):
rock is slick, lord help you.
Also, like that little poolarea which I did check, and
people like swim have to likeswim in it and then climb in
order to get up there, so thatcould be fuller and you might
have to turn around.
Now, if you are there whenthere is rain and you do get
caught in it, just avoidlow-lying areas, just in case of
flash floods.
Now, also, if it's not rainingand it's just sun, you need sun
(08:24):
protection and I'm talking maybelike a rash guard, a hat,
sunscreen with you so that youcan reapply the heat.
Here is no joke.
Now, mistake number six underpacking or over packing.
I'd say this is a prettymoderate.
I mean it's nothing compared tolike the other intense long
hikes that I have done in myhiking career.
However, I do think that it isa pretty tricky hike.
(08:46):
I would categorize it asmoderate to difficult, depending
on your physicality.
I think if you are like anaverage physical fitness, I
think you will be okay, and ifyou're not super afraid of
heights and you have very goodfooting I was talking about
devil's garden, where the theintensity doesn't lie in the
fact like a cardio intensity,like you're not climbing up a
mountain, but the difficultylies in you have to be very
(09:10):
purposeful with where you putyour foot, at what time it's,
just so you don't fall becauseit is.
It's a very technical hike, ifthat makes sense.
But, with that being said, youneed to be careful not to
overpack, because that addsweight and if you are not used
to the weight on your back orsomething else, you could slip
and fall.
So just be careful with thatand also, hiking with too much
(09:31):
is not great anyway.
But also don't under pack.
I do have a free list that I amgiving away for all of my hiking
checklist that I take, and Ifeel like this is a pretty good
list to start with and then justtake away any items that you're
not gonna need.
I think at the bare minimum Iwould take water, snacks, sun
protection and a camera, but Ithink you can leave all your
(09:51):
heavy, unnecessary gear.
This is not a backpacking trip.
Just take what you need for afew hours, but make sure to
bring snacks and water and sunprotection.
You will need them.
You could always do the packbefore and do like one of the
other hikes, like maybe like thedelicate arch hike, or maybe
like around the sand dune arch.
Those are pretty cool hikes andyou could just test out the way
, just to make sure that you arecomfortable with it before you
(10:13):
go and check off devil's garden.
Now, next mistake number sevenrushing the experience.
Especially because this isquite technical and you need to
be very purposeful with yoursteps on this slick rock and
also just with the navigationalchallenges and not really
knowing where you are, it isimperative that you do not rush.
Enjoy the experience.
This is a really, really coolhike that takes you into just
(10:37):
the middle of nowhere ArchesNational Park.
So just stop, enjoy.
And also it helps you avoidinjuries and not make mistakes
and not get lost.
So how to plan for this.
I would plan in some extra time, especially to eat.
I personally went to theprivate arch, had a little beef
jerky snack.
I saw like one person and thatwas it.
It was so tranquil, it was sopeaceful and also, you know,
(10:58):
maybe plan some photo breaks.
Just give yourself some extratime.
Don't treat it like a race.
It's not.
It's not a marathon.
It's an experience.
It's a bucket list hike.
Just make sure to enjoy theincredible nature that is around
you, because this place isstunning, absolutely stunning.
Now, mistake number eight nothaving a backup plan.
Sometimes things do go awry.
(11:19):
Maybe you are super prepared,but things go wrong, and I would
just have a little mini backupplan B just in case if it gets
too hot, if you do get lost,what are you gonna do?
Or if the weather just turnswonky, what is going to be your
plan?
Some ways that you can plan forthis and get a plan B is know
the route very well.
I just kind of jumped in and Ithink that's why I did get lost,
(11:42):
but knowing you know whencertain hikes stop, knowing the
certain landmarks that you canlook for.
If you do have to bail, whereare your bail points going to be
Like maybe double O would be abail point, or landscape arch,
whatever is good for you.
Just have that plan before.
Also, if you are hiking withother people now I did this as a
solo female hike so I was allby myself, but if you do have
(12:04):
hiking buddies, maybe goingthrough and saying, if we do get
separated, where are we goingto meet?
I'm not sure this is going tobe a super big issue because
there's not a lot of people onthis hike, especially if you're
early and you're going on theprimitive trail.
However, it's always good justto have a plan in case things go
awry and then also just shareall of your emergency details.
I personally gave it to my mom.
I said, hey, I'm starting atthis time, here is my trail,
(12:27):
here's what I'm going to bedoing, and I should be done by
11 or 12.
Just so they kind of know whereyou are.
I also do a lot of these solofemale hikes so I have an air
tag that people can track me on,because I go on these a lot by
myself and mistake number nine,not knowing when to turn around.
Sometimes the trail is just alittle too difficult.
(12:47):
You're not finding your way.
Things aren't going well.
You're running out of water,you're running out of snacks,
whatever.
It's okay to turn around andthere's no shame in doing so.
In fact, I started out with alot of hiking buddies that I
didn't even know, and all ofthem turned around by the
primitive trail.
By the time we hit theprimitive trail, it was just me
and my lonesome, and they allturned around, and that was fine
(13:08):
.
Maybe the heat is unbearable,the energy is running low, the
weather is changing.
Ultimately, your safety is thenumber one priority here, not
you completing the devil'sgarden primitive loop.
If you're feeling exhausted,low on water, it's okay to turn
back Now.
To avoid this, I would set aturnaround time even before you
start.
Say no matter where I am, if Iam not halfway by X amount of
(13:30):
time, I'm going to turn back andgo the way I came.
Remember, getting to the end isoptional, but getting back safe
is mandatory.
Alright, adventurers, that wrapsup the top mistakes that I saw
and did make in Devil's Garden,and now you know what they are
and how not to make them.
This is one of the best hikesin Arches National Park, but you
need to be prepared in order todo it.
(13:51):
Now, if you want even more tipson Devil's Garden, I do run a
full adventure blog calledTheBucketListMermaidcom and you
can go there to read even moreabout Devil's Garden.
If you do want to check it off,and if you've hiked Devil's
Garden before, I would love tohear what your thoughts were,
what you thought about it, ifyou did get lost, if you just
(14:11):
breezed right through and didway better than me.
I'm here for it.
So definitely tag me on thesocial medias, get in contact
here and let's talk.
I wanna hear your best andmaybe worst hiking stories.
I definitely did not panic onthis trail.
That was not what happened.
Okay, I totally panicked.
I was in full panic mode onthis trail, but it was fun
nonetheless.
I had a great time.
So if you enjoyed this episodeof Ticket, before you Kick it,
(14:32):
don't forget to subscribe onyour favorite podcasting
platform or maybe even leave areview.
That would mean the world tothis traveling and adventuring
mermaid.
Until next time, keep checkingoff those bucket list adventures
, one experience at a time.
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