We arrive in Moab in the morning. The first thing we do is get a hotel room for
the next couple of nights. The sun is shining and we have
partly cloudy skies. We decide to take
advantage of the fair weather forecast and visit Arches National Park
Entrance Sign
Park Map
My Hubby favors the
Yellowstone/Grand Teton Parks so we go there every couple of years. However, Arches is my favorite National Park.
It’s been 20 years since we last visited
southern Utah
and I am excited to return to Arches.
While Yellowstone NP (2.2 million
acres) has the world's greatest concentration of geysers (over
10,000 thermal features), Arches (76,679 acres) has the world’s largest concentration of
natural sandstone arches (over 2,000 of them).
It’s a magical wonderland of stone that has been shaped by time
and weather into graceful arches, petrified sand dunes, and a variety of fun
rock formations. Use your imagination – what do you see?
We turn off US-191. Our first stop is at the Visitor Center Park Avenue .
Entrance Road
“Darling, I love you but give me Park Avenue .”
These words were Eva Gabor’s line from the title song to the 1960’s TV
Show “Green Acres”. So, now that theme
song is running through my head!
Park Avenue
The parking lot here isn’t very
large but fortunately we find a space.
There is a one mile trail (one-way) here but we know there is so much to
see and do that we decide not to hike it.
I notice some dark gray clouds
hovering over the mountains to the south of us.
But the sun is still shining here in the park. I know that Arches National Park
We continue our drive down the Park road. Many of the rock formations have been named. Some names are obvious and some may require a bit more imagination.
Three Gossips (left) and Sheep Rock (right)
Parade of Elephants
Our next stop is Balanced Rock which is the size
of three school buses. We hike the third
mile loop trail. When I get near these
huge rock formations I feel awed by their beauty and strength. It is amazing to me how these rocks seem to
defy gravity.
Balanced Rock
I don’t think of Arches as a park
for wildlife viewing, but if you keep your eyes open you will see some. Among the ground vegetation, we watch a
couple of rabbits playing hide-and-go seek with each other.
Rabbits near Balanced Rock Trail
Next, we stop at the Petrified Sand Dunes. The exhibit sign here state these are “petrified remnants of sand dunes blown from
the ancient lakes that once covered the area.”
Ancient Sand Dunes
My favorite part of the Park is
the Windows area. We turn onto a spur
road that will take us there.
The "Spectacles" (aka North and South Windows)
We want to walk the one mile loop trail around
the North and South Windows and Turret Arch (it looks like a hand giving the
“okay” sign). By now, the sky is cloudy
and we feel a light sprinkle of rain. We
begin our walk with the sound of thunder rumbling overhead. We have barely started our hike when a steady
rain begins. We reach into our daypacks
and put on our rain ponchos. The wind is
blowing stronger and we struggle to get them on over our heads. We hurry to the base of the first window for
some shelter but the intensity of the storm is increasing.
South Window
Turret Arch (resembles the "okay" hand sign?)
We return to the car but not
until we are soaking wet. My shoes and
socks are wet making my feet cold. My
jeans are wet (knees down) because the water from the poncho drips down on
them. My coat sleeves are wet too. I am disappointed that we did not get to hike
the trail.
Thunderstorm at the Windows Section
We leave the parking lot and
begin driving the spur road back to the main Park road. My disappointment doesn’t last long because
we are rewarded with something we haven’t seen here … intermittent waterfalls dramatically
cascading down the rocky wall.
Intermittent Waterfalls
The sun is trying to break through the storm
clouds. A little farther down the road,
we see a rainbow. From the spur road, we take another spur road to the Garden
of Eden Overlook. From this vantage point,
we see a double rainbow (the second rainbow is very faint). The rain stops and
the clouds begin to break up revealing blue skies.
Rainbow over the Garden of Eden
We decide to return to the
Windows area to hike the quarter mile trail to Double Arch (two arches that
share a common end).
Trail to Double Arch
Double Arch
Once we get to the base of the arch, my Hubby
begins to scramble up the slick rock to the arch’s opening. There are several people up there. Just remember - whoever goes up must come down
... Do this at your own risk and exercise extreme
caution if you choose to do this!! By
the time we leave the Windows area the late afternoon sun is casting warm
colors on the rocky landscape.
Skyline Arch
The "Fins" in the Fiery Furnace District
During our October 2015 visit, the
road to Delicate Arch was closed due to flooding. But I have included a photo of it from a
prior visit. Delicate Arch (65-foot
tall) is the iconic symbol for Arches
National Park
Delicate Arch
At the end of the Park road is
the Devil's Garden Trailhead that leads to Landscape Arch and beyond. Unfortunately for us, the sun has set and the
rocks have lost their warm glow and twilight is settling around us. We hike the 8/10's mile trail (one way) to
Landscape Arch arriving there as darkness descends on the landscape. Landscape Arch has the longest span (306’
from base to base) in the park. A
crescent moon is shining through a thin layer of clouds. Since I had a difficult time with the night
photography, I am including a photo taken from a previous visit.
Trail to Landscape Arch
Landscape Arch
Fortunately, we have our headlamps to light the
way while we hike in the dark back to the car. If you have some extra time, you can see Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch. While you are on your way to Landscape Arch, take the short spur trail located a short distance from the Devil's Garden Trail head parking lot to find these two arches.
Pine Tree Arch
Tunnel Arch
There is so much more to see in Arches National Park
For information and photos on
other places we visited in southern Utah ,
I invite you to view my other blog posts by clicking on the following links:
There are
several campgrounds within Arches
National Park
The only services in the Park are
restrooms, campgrounds, and picnic areas.
Moab (population 5,130 in 2013) is the closest town with food, gas, and lodging services. The Super 8 we stayed at is about four miles from the Park’s entrance and there is a Denny's restaurant next to it.
Since opinions, preferences, and budgets vary, I recommend checking a trusted travel source for current reviews on lodging and dining options. .
Since opinions, preferences, and budgets vary, I recommend checking a trusted travel source for current reviews on lodging and dining options. .
CONTACT INFORMATION: Arches National Park, Telephone: (435) 719-2299
HOURS/FEES: Arches NP is open year round with 24 hour accessibility. The Visitor Center
Family
vacations created some of my favorite memories.
To start planning your memorable trip to Arches National Park click on
the “Plan Your Visit” link below:
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