Arches National Park
Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is the most amazingly beautiful place I have ever seen. A climate of extreme temperatures coupled with water and ice over an underground salt bed for millions of years created this compelling, otherworldly environment. It continues to change today as erosion creates new arches and destroys others. The park has over 2,000 cataloged arches, but some at the minimum considered an arch, which is three feet. The largest arch is Landscape Arch and it is 306 feet.
Campground
We did not know what to expect for weather in Moab, so we waited for reasonably accurate weather predictions before making reservations. We were very early in the season and were able to stay at Pack Creek Campground. It is just outside the main commerce in Moab. Our site had water and electricity for only $30 a night. The bathhouse was clean and there were laundry facilities as well. https://packcreekcampground.com
Our Visit to the Park
Arches National Park was not very crowded while we were there in early March and we were able to see it at a pace that was comfortable for us. An added bonus, it was a beautiful, warm, and sunny day. The Welcome Center had a very informative orientation film about the how the arches formed and the environment within the park. Most noteworth, there is a surprising amount of biodiversity in this magical place.
Amazing Sights
Most of the photos below were taken from the road or from only a short walk. Park Avenue is a very popular stop and only requires minimal walking to see incredible sandstone formations.
The La Sal Mountains are often in view at the park and add to the gorgeous landscape. There is a place to pull off the road and take photographs.
I took the short hike to see the North and South Windows. It was a pretty easy hike, which enabled me to photograph the two windows and the Turret Arch. Turret is one of the younger arches. While my husband’s bad knee did to allow him to walk that distance, there was still much for him to see. The park map showed the hike to be .7 mile, but most was uphill. However, is worth the hike though, if you are up to it.
A special parking area makes it very easy to view Courthouse Towers, a series of spires that extends to almost 5,000 feet from the desert floor. The Three Gossips and Sheep Rock are also easily seen from this spot. To give you an idea of scale, the Three Gossips are 350 feet tall.
The Moab Fault, pictured below, is about twenty-eight miles long and runs along the west side of the park. Hence, it is a much studied fault.
Delicate Arch
Delicate Arch is the most famous in the park and can be viewed a number of ways. Especially relevant, the route that provides the best view is three miles on a difficult trail with an elevation gain of 480 feet. If I had made this hike, I would have been by myself and would also have left my husband waiting for a good bit of time. I passed on this option, but later discovered it was the only way to get a really good view of the arch.
However, the other two options are distant views of the arch. The upper viewpoint is a hike of half a mile and is moderately difficult with a rocky uphill route. I made that hike and it was not a walk in the park. The photo below was from the upper view. The lower viewpoint is even further away, so I was glad I was able to made the upper viewpoint.
Below, I centered on the Delicate Arch so you can see it better.
The distinctive shape of Delicate Arch has inspired nicknames of “Cowboy Chaps” and “Old Maid Bloomers”.
Wrap-up
In conclusion, our stop in Moab was everything we hoped and Arches National Park is our favorite National Park of this trip. It seemed the stars aligned and everything was fun and easy. My only regret is that we did not make this visit many years ago so we both could have hiked the more difficult trails.
Lastly, after a delicious breakfast at the Moab Diner, we left Moab and were headed in the direction of home for the rest of our trip. Next stop is Albuquerque, New Mexico. If you are interested in how we planned this trip, the following link has that information. Planning That First Long Trip
Safe Travels!
