6 AM in October is a great time to leave on this round trip. You could easily leave an hour earlier and enjoy the day as well. Temperature was 10 Celsius and a windbreaker was adequate for the climb up the bike path along the highway. Upon our arrival at the top of the Mesa, the sun rose behind the sandstone arches in Arches national Park. We dabbled in some easy single track. There was about 50 m of exposure along Sevenmile Canyon. Don’t trip there. The Copper Ridge Jeep track follows a pipeline through Utah Raptor State Park. Then you join Willow Springs Road, the back door entrance into Arches National Park. There were a few vehicles along this route. They were primarily the local tour companies running SUV tours. They are reasonably courteous. We heard a bit of their tour gig at the dinosaur tracks preserved in sandstone. This road is primarily flat with gentle undulations. The centuries old juniper along the way are amazing if you have time to look at their trunks. We took some time to visit the spur roads to the various arches. Elephant Butte, and Double arch is an easy ride. The road downhill to delicate arch is more of a commitment. It’s a very nice descent and if it’s getting near noon, it’s a brutal return back uphill. There is no official bike parking or area to lock your bikes, but I used a picnic table. I think it would probably be left alone almost anywhere you left it. With the timed entry, traffic was mild throughout the entire park. Most people were pretty courteous. Texans stand out as the most courteous drivers on my trip. They slowed down the most, and moved the farthest away as they passed. A national park ranger in a massive work truck slowed down to ask if I was doing OK. That was certainly very courteous. The Park service is doing a great job at managing traffic. There were a few signs at each intersection, reminding drivers to stay 3 feet away from cyclists. Most drivers seem to adhere to this. If you’re out in the heat of the day from noon to 5 PM, everyone probably thinks you’re crazy anyways. Although there is one climb between the center of the park and the Moab entrance, it’s a screaming, fun descent if you want to go fast. I slowed down a bit to enjoy the trees and all the creatures that seem to be present in the sandstone rocks. Perhaps I just have a good imagination, but I think this is where quite a few science-fiction films get their inspiration from. It’s quite a privilege to be able to stop anywhere you want on a bicycle.