One of the most impressive of the western National Parks, Arches National Park should be on the bucket list anyone traveling through Utah. It is large enough that one should plan on at least two days to visit (be prepared to do plenty of hiking), taking advantage of lesser crowds in the early morning hour and late evening (as well as excellent lighting for photography enthusiasts). The park offers excellent photos almost everywhere one turns.
Appropriately named, there are over 2,000 known natural arches contained within the parks borders. But, arguably the highlight of a visit to Arches is the 3 mile round trip to visit the amazing Delicate Arch. This hike is nearly all uphill until reaching the arch – the final push is on a memorable part of the trail which follows the contours of a rock wall before cresting with views of Delicate Arch and the surrounding natural ‘amphitheater’. This is one of the most inspirational natural places in all of the United States – especially popular in the late afternoons and evenings between Spring and earl Fall – visitors especially enjoy being here watching sunset and the suns rays slow fade on Delicate Arch. Near the start of the trailhead is several rock art works made by Indians centuries ago – most visitors in their excitement to see the Delicate Arch miss seeing these old rock arts. Do not make that mistake.
But there are so many other cool places and spaces to visit in the park. One of our other favorite spots to visit is the Park Avenue Viewpoint and Trailhead. Most visits to the park stop here, drawn to the magnificent towering orange colored rocks and spend some time at the viewpoint but don’t actually hike down on the trail. That is a shame – the trail passes in between these prominent rock formations and eventually leads to several other canyon. When no one else is down here, this is one of the most spiritually intriguing parts of Arches National Park.
One should also not miss seeing several arches at the far end of the park at Devils Garden including the impressive Broken Arch and Landscape Arch (the longest in North America). Visitors can reserve camping spots in the nearby Devil’s Garden Campground. And in about the middle of the park, is the inspirational Double Arch with some cool spots to hang out underneath. Also the short hike to Balanced Rock is well worth taking.
No major city is in the immediate vicinity of the park, however Moab, a mountain bikers mecca destination, is the closest small town offering plenty of restaurants, hotels and other services. For more information, visit: www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm
And incidentally, this post is the 300th Highlight of the Month in a row, with one highlight posted every month since February 2000.
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