Arches National Park, Utah
Arches
National Park, Utah has the most incredible natural arches and massive rock
sculptures I have ever seen. In fact I was stunned and could not speak for much
of the day because words are nearly useless in pointing out the features of Arches.
As soon as you start ascending on the winding scenic road from the visitor's center
your eyes can't help but look left to right to left to right. It's crazy how childlike
I am every time I visit a national park, even if it is one I have been to a few
times. I am so impressed and overwhelmed with not only God's creations but the
heart of the people who knew that preserving such wonders was vital and of course
still is.

From
your car you can see arches near and far, spires, balancing rocks, and the 12,721
feet high snow capped La Sal Mountains in the distance which span a distance of
about 18 miles. This makes for a beautiful backdrop for your pictures from Arches
National Park. I was excited to be able to see arches from our van while driving
through the park. I was expecting that to see any arches I would have to hike
out at least a couple of miles one way, but was I pleasantly surprised. Not that
I don't like hiking or getting deep into any national park. If you have read any
of our other pages on our travels you will see that I basically can't sit still
outside of a movie theater that is. And to really feel the scale of these magnificent
features you should hike as many trails as you can to get up close and personal
with every feature Arches National Park is famous for. The
underground salt bed that Arches sits on is basically responsible for the formations
so typical at this sightseer's mecca. Entrada Sandstone is the basic material
of the arches which is a blend of numerous textures and densities fused together
with varying amounts of calcium carbonate cement. And combined with the rain and
ice a variety of erosion effects of fins, arches, and sculpted rock are formed.
Arches has about 2,000 natural arches, balancing rocks, spires, pinnacles as well
as hoodoos just like Bryce Canyon National Park.
Arches National Park covers about 73,000 acres. The scenic drive is 40 miles round
trip with numerous parking areas for scenic overlooks and trail access and is
absolutely one of the best scenic drives I have ever been on rivaling even the
California coast.


Arches is far from light
pollution and the altitude and dry air gives it a wonderful place to star gaze
and see our solar system's Milky Way. Bryce Canyon as well as many other southern
Utah national parks are also known as a star gazer's paradise. Take food with
you into the park because within the boundaries of Arches there are no stores,
gas stations or lodging accommodations. However, there is the 52-site Devils Garden
Campground but it has no hookups or a dump station. It is at the end of the 18
mile scenic drive. Because of the limited first-come first-served sites it is
imperative you pre-register at the visitor's center first thing in the morning. As
with all national parks you can take advantage of ranger-led programs and the
campground has nightly campfire talks. Of course there are some great hikes which
allow for you to have fun with one-of-a-kind photo opportunities with your friends
and family. Arches as well as Zion,
Glacier, Sequoia
and Kings Canyon National Parks are
terrific backdrops for some family photos. Out of the 14 hikes in the Arches Visitor
Guide, nine of them will take you anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes to complete.
That leaves you with no excuses to take a walk, not really a hike. These are maintained
paths that are used over and over every single day of the year. With these
shorter hikes there is no need to take a heavy backpack with food and such because
you will be back at your car within an hour. But you will definitely need to take
water no matter what time of year you visit the park. Arches is in a high desert
region which translates to lack of humidity. In other words, your sweat will evaporate
so quickly unless you are already familiar with desert living you might not think
you are losing any water from your body. 
Jason's
thoughts - I cannot emphasize enough GET HERE! You will not be disappointed.
Stunning, beautiful, massive take your breath away hiking, site seeing, and mind
altering beauty. You will never be the same. Remember our pictures do NOT do Arches
justice. You have to see them for yourself. Plus they are only 5 hours from the
greatest city in the world Las
Vegas where they offer tour bus trips from the strip to these national parks.
Kelly's thoughts - I was excited from the moment we left
the visitor's center. The canyon walls of Park Avenue are so massive that I felt
like a tiny ant along the trail. Every stop throughout the park was unique especially
with the snow capped La Sal Mountains in the distance. I can't believe that with
all the trips we have made to the west that this was our first time to Arches.
Shame on us. Travel info - Arches National Park
is just south of I-70 near the Utah and Colorado border. Moab is only five miles
from the park for those wanting the famous bike
rides and Canyonlands is only 12 miles east. Visit Arches National Park.
|