May 6, 20213 min read

Arches National Park

MOAB, UTAH

Time for a little Arch Madness!

Arches National Park is the world's largest concentration of natural sandstone arches. It is located in the center of the eastern border of Utah, not far from the Colorado border. Apparently, there are more than 2,000 arches located in the park, but I am highly suspect of that number. :)

What surprised me most about the park is how beautiful the drive is! From the moment you pass through the gates until you get to the first trailhead, the scenery is absolutely incredible. I can't even guess how high some of these rock formations are or how they manage to stay standing, but it sure is beautiful.

Check out this video of my drive. I uploaded it in double speed so you don't get bored, but specifically wanted to mention that so you don't think I'm whipping around those curves at 60 mph. :)

Pretty incredible, right?

Ok, time to get out of the car and start hiking. Spoiler alert: we're gonna see a LOT of arches!

Delicate Arch Trail

This 52' tall freestanding arch has become the most recognized landmark in Arches National Park and and is depicted on the Utah license plates. Plus, the Olympic Torch relay for the 2002 Winter Olympics passed through this arch.

It's huge! See me standing underneath it?

A little fun fact I learned after the fact ... the arch has had several names throughout its recent history. Due to its interesting shape, it has been call The Chaps, The Schoolmarm's Bloomers, Bloomers Arch, Mary's Bloomers, Old Maid's Bloomers, Pants Crotch, Salt Wash Arch, and School Marm's Pants. Now that I know this, I can't see anything but bloomers, haha. And I have to say, "Delicate Arch" seems like an incredibly boring name choice in comparison.

The Windows Trail

Here is a shot of The Windows arches, also called "The Spectacles."

And here is Turret Arch, right next to the Windows.

Balanced Rock

Ok, it's obviously not an arch, but this site is incredible. The rock is made of Entrada Sandstone and stands a whopping 128' tall! Although it appears to be balancing atop another formation, it is actually attached to the pedestal below that is formed of Dewey Bridge mudstone. (Obviously, I did not know any of these facts without looking them up on the NPS website while writing this!)

"It looks like it is going to fall," you say.

You're right.

The NPS site says the 3,600 ton (7.2 million pound) boulder WILL fall eventually. Apparently there used to be a smaller boulder next to it, cutely named "Chip Off the Old Block," but it collapsed in the winter of 1975-1976. Of course, I don't want this big guy to fall, but it would be epic to see / hear / feel it happen when it does!

Devils Garden Hike

To hike Devils Garden, take the main road all the way through the park until it ends at a big parking lot. This is the trailhead for Devils Garden. The trail passes by several arches, starting out flat and paved to Landscape Arch, then turns to sandy paths, and finally, you find yourself trekking across the "fins" of long narrow rock walls. The crowds dissipate the further out the trail you get.

This was hands down my favorite trail in Arches National Park. The scenery was beautiful and the trails were fun. Here is a video that highlights some of the trail along the fins with views of arches and other incredible rock formations in a canyon.

Landscape Arch

Landscape Arch is the longest arch in North America, with a width of 306' and the arch itself just 6' in diameter at its narrowest. In the 1990's, part of the arch came crashing down while a hiker was photographing the arch. I can't even imagine being there while that happened! The park now limits how close you can get to what remains of the arch ... JUST in case.

Partition Arch

Navajo Arch

Double O Arch

Here's a view of Double O Arch from close up.

Here is another view of Double O Arch as I was hiking back from the other side. You can just barely make out the smaller opening in the photo, but in person both arches are quite distinct.