Arches National Park

My apologies for the gap in posts. While in Moab I couldn’t get any of my photos transferred to my iPad. I’m doing three posts to catch you up. First is our two days in Arches. This park is so popular that you now need a timed entry permit to get in anytime between 6 AM and 5 PM from April 3 to October 3. Happily I had known this and applied for and got entry tickets for between 7 and 8 AM on June 22nd and 23rd. This meant a very early morning, especially on the 23rd when Matey didn’t go and had to be walked before we left. Fortunately our RV park was only 20 minutes from the entrance.

Arches National Park has the highest concentration of stone arches in the world with over 2000 in the park. The first ones we saw were these double arches, although we chose not to hike up to them.

Instead we took the hike up to, and through the Window Arches. Here Adler and I are approaching the North Window Arch.

On the way up we got a good look at the Turret Arch.

From underneath you see and feel how huge these formations are.

As we scrambled down on the other side you could look back at both the North Window Arch (on the right) and the South Window Arch.

We took the primitive trail back, which led through this little valley hidden among the rocks.

We then drove out to the main park road past this odd formation.

We stopped at the view point for the Delicate Arch. This is one of the most photographed arches in the park. It is the lone remnant of a rock fin. We opted not to do the 3 mile hike up and back to the arch. My knee seems to be good only for a mile at a time.

We stopped at the overlook for the Firey Furnace, a hike here would have been great, but a permit is required and unfortunately that hike also seemed beyond Bud and my capabilities. Poor Adler, we told him he needs to come back with friends when he is old enough to drive. He’s being a great sport, though.

We also saw the Skyline Arch that day. Its placement along a prominent ridge makes it one of the most visible arches in the park.

The next morning we started our day with a hike through Devil’s Garden at the end of the main park road.

The trail was beautiful;

the morning sun on the red rock fins made some great photos.

We visited three more arches, Tunnel Arch…

and Pine Tree Arch, which were on spur trails,

and most spectacularly, Landscape Arch, the longest natural rock arch in North America. This is as close as you are now allowed to approach. In 1991 60 tons of rock fell from the bottom of the formation. Happily, the people under it heard the cracking and ran back before it fell.

Bud and Adler went a bit further on the difficult trail that continued. Adler made it to the top of the uphill scramble, but Bud couldn’t and I was waiting below so he turned back.

Later we took a gravel road out through Salt Valley to Klondike Bluffs and the trail to Tower Arch.

This started with some rock scrambling.

I made it far enough to see the tower arch, which you can just about make out in this picture. Looking down the left side of the tower you can see an oval impression in the rock wall just below the tower. That is the arch.

I was proud of Bud and myself for making it that far, this is the “moderate” elevation we climbed up. Look closely just right of center and you can see a bit of the road coming in.

This is looking down at the truck after we’d climbed down the first steep section and we’re ready to climb the last steep part.

And here is Adler, just below me on the trail. Yes it was steep, but I made it, bunged up knee and all.

We all loved Arches, a very different experience than Mesa Verde, but equally interesting.