ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

June, 2019

The wonder, beauty and uniqueness we found at Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef National Parks far exceeded our expectations.  But since we found Canyonlands to be just ok, we were skeptical as we entered Arches NP.  Maybe we’ve become spoiled?

Getting into the Park begins by passing through the entry station and obtaining your map and Park newsletter. On a busy day, particularly during the summer vacation season, the line of vehicles waiting to enter can back up a full half mile or so during the prime hours of 10am – 4pm (hint, hint).  Once through the entry station the visitors center is less than a quarter mile’s drive; a good place, as with all National Parks, to talk with the Rangers about any programs being offered and to get tips on hiking trails, to view a 20-minute video about the Park, and to stretch your legs/use the facilities/have a picnic/buy souvenirs, etc.

From the visitors center we drove up a fairly steep incline, through a couple of easy switchbacks, past some glorious views of the valley below and mountains in the distance to come upon the beauty of Arches NP – it took our breath away.  We found a landscape of contrasting colors, land forms and textures unlike any other we had yet to see.  It’s a land of amazing formations, soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks.  Most of the Park’s more than 2,000 natural stone arches are not accessible to any but the hardiest badass backcountry hiker, but those we had a chance to see were magnificent. To say we were pleasantly surprised is a gross understatement – we happily and with anticipation of each visit, spent 4 days (!!) in the Park exploring the different districts that make up Arches NP.

We first took a driving tour of the Park in order to become familiar with the terrain, the access to the iconic rock figures, and to figure out which hikes would best suit us in order to see a maximum number of arches.  Balanced Rock and Delicate Arch are the Park’s icons, and not to be missed…the former easy to see, the latter best seen after a grueling 3-mile uphill slickrock hike (more on this later).

Early on the driving tour we stopped at the La Sal Mountains and Courthouse Towers viewpoints to see the rock formations: Dome Rock, The Organ, The Courthouse, Three Gossips, and Sheep Rock.

The road from the entry station to Devils Garden, the furthest point in the Park, is approximately 16 miles; hiking Devils Garden leads to 4-5 arches.  There are 2 side roads, each leading to several clusters of arches; 2 miles from the main road to The Windows and a little more than a mile from the main road to the Wolfe Ranch parking lot and just a little further to the parking lot for a far away look at Delicate Arch.  We drove to each of the major parking areas:  The Windows, Wolfe Ranch and Delicate Arch viewpoints’ parking lots and Devils Garden.

From the Devils Garden Trailhead there is an easy 1.6 mile hike to Landscape Arch.

Continuing on the trail from Landscape Arch, the hike to Double O Arch and the other 4 arches that can be viewed along the way is a difficult and a steep 2.6-mile scramble over narrow sandstone slabs, uneven surfaces with narrow ledges and severe drop-offs.  We went about a half mile into this torture, and we decided that it was just too much for us.  Primitive Trail is an alternative route to Double O Arch, but after an easy 2 miles or so we encountered rock scrambling, narrow ledges, and uneven surfaces.  By now we were into today’s hikes well over 5 miles – it was time to admit how much we enjoyed what we had seen, and recognizing our limitations was indeed the best course of action.

We woke up early in order to hike to Delicate Arch for sunrise, but we didn’t do our homework and badly miscalculated the timing…reaching the summit takes at least an hour and a half from the Wolfe Ranch trailhead.  From the Delicate Arch parking lot it’s a half-mile hike to a terrific viewpoint.  Turned out to be a wonderful start to our day.

We took an easy 1 mile hike to Turret Arch.

The Windows Arches are an easy 50-yard walk from Turret Arch.

We took the primitive hike behind The Windows and were rewarded with a different view of the Arches.

Heading out in the opposite direction from the parking lot there’s an equally easy half-mile hike to Double Arch…Barbara’s favorite!

The Tower Arch trail is a difficult 3.4 mile hike that starts out across a valley, meandering through sandstone fins and sand dunes.  On the way we were able to view Sand Dune, Broken, Pine Tree, Tunnel and Tapestry arches.  At about halfway the trail ends at Devils Garden Campground, and the choice is to return the way you came or, as we found out, a bit of scrambling over and down slickrock to reach the fairly level trail back across the valley; didn’t hurt us one bit.

We just had to complete the 3-mile roundtrip hike from the Wolfe Ranch parking lot up a steep slickrock slope with a 480-foot elevation change, across a rocky flat to a narrow ledge for about 200 yards to a viewing area for Delicate Arch.  We were greeted at the top by fellow hikers and a flock of ravens who call the cliff home.

On the way back from Delicate Arch, we couldn’t resist hiking a little farther to see the petroglyphs.

Couldn’t forget our hike to Pine Tree Arch…

And our quick stop to see Skyline Arch…

 Barbara’s favorite trail was a moderate 2-mile hike called Park Avenue.  After a steep descent into a canyon, the hike is fairly level.  The canyon is lined by sheer monolithic formations, and we thought it might have been better called Wall Street.  Walking in the canyon we noticed the surface of the rocks that had been patterned by water so many millions of years ago.  It brought to mind what it must be like to walk on the bottom of a sea.

The beauty of Arches National Park can be enjoyed by a driving tour and a few easy hikes, exhausting hiking miles, and miles of trails up, down, around, and over sand, grassland and rock or something custom fit to, well, a couple of aimless wanderers.     Cliché as it is, Arches NP molds itself to the visitor.  We never felt pushed or rushed by fellow adventurers; we never felt any area of the Park was overcrowded; we found our own pace and our own way of feeling a part of the Park itself.  This is one spectacular place on earth.