Arches National Park - Moab, Utah

We traveled to the high desert area of Utah to Arches National Park. We had seen the zillion shots of the iconic delicate arch - but like the pics we are going to share- they did not convey the intensity of the landscape ( or the effort it takes to be up front and personal with the arch itself! ) We enjoyed exploring the wild red sandstone rock formations, the petrified sand dunes as well as the over 2,000 natural stone arches - the densest concentration of stone arches found in the whole world!

Devil's Garden and Hike to the Landscape Arch

We hiked through the Devil's Garden area to take the Landscape Arch Trail. The trail was filled with great rock formations along the way. The Landscape Arch is the longest natural stone arch in North America - stretching 306 feet , but is only about 11 feet thick at its center. The arches are continually changing by the forces of rain and wind and it is not known how long any of them will stand- the ones we see today can be gone at any time and nature is constantly working on new ones.

Balanced Rock

We stopped to take in the Balanced Rock. Balanced Rock, stands 128 feet tall and is estimated to weigh over 3,500 tons. The formation appears to be an epic balancing act, it’s actually not balanced at all. The slick rock boulder of Entrada Sandstone sits attached to its eroding pedestal of Dewey Bridge mudstone. The boulder will eventually come tumbling down as the erosion process continues to shape the landscape - making the case for seeing this big guy sooner than later.

Windows and Turret Arch

We hiked to the Windows North and South and took the spur trail to see the Turret Arch. These are very, very popular trails so be prepared to enjoy the sites with fellow hikers. We met so many sweet people helping each other to try to get great shots! We got our pictures of the North Window ...hiked to see Turret Arch ...but instead of taking the South Window trail we took the Primitive Trail that wraps around the backside of Windows. It was longer but we were able to enjoy this beautiful portion of trail in relative seclusion.

The Spectacles

The North and South Windows look like a pair of spectacles!

Double Arch

The tallest arch in the Park!

Courthouse Towers Viewpoint

We had fun looking at the different rock formations

Tower of Babel

The Organ

Lamb Rock

The Three Gossips ( I thought it looked like the Magi when we first came upon this one!)

Darth Vader ( This rock is in the Devil's Garden... Rusty named it Darth Vader...good eye!)

Scenic Drive and Dreamy Landscapes

The Delicate Arch

We attempted to do this hike first thing in morning as that had been our success formula for other popular trails in other parks. That would prove to be an epic fail as the trailhead and overflow were already full. So against our instinct - we spun back around at noontime thinking some hikers would be completing the trail and we would be able to snag a spot at the trail head.

Woohoo! Parking was available and the trail was not as crowded as we feared...having a good portion of it to ourselves. The stars aligned to make this work as the weather was temperate ( high sixties) - we would NEVER recommend this trail in the afternoon during a hot summer day as the sun and wind are intense and there is NO shade to be had against the petrified sandstone and steep steps you will be traveling across. The trail is 3 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 480 feet. The trail was doable because we approached it slow and easy and took ample water breaks.

Wolf Ranch

The first thing we came across on the trail was the Wolf Ranch Cabin. These surviving structures of the ranch were built in 1906. Quite the tiny house!

The trail then takes you to a wall of petroglyphs carved sometime between A.D. 1650 and 1850 by Ute Indians. We loved these!

The trail was different than those we are accustomed to. It was cool to travel across the desert landscape.

Ta-Da! The Arch!

The trip up to the arch is pretty strenuous and I was wondering how it would compare to the very cool arches we already saw and was it worth the extra effort. Then - bam! The arch is hidden from the hikers view until you round the ridge at the very end of the trail. Pictures can't capture the immensity of this 46 feet high and 32 feet wide arch. Magnificent!

Special thanks to the brave and kind volunteer photographer who hopped on a rock in 40 mph gusting wind to frame this shot for us !