Arches National Park - Moab, Utah

This is part thirteen in a series of posts about my visit through parts of Arizona and Utah in September 2019.
​(Click words that are bolded for more information.)

Arches National Park is home to over 2,000 sandstone arches

Continuing our tour brought us to the town of Moab, Utah and its prime attraction - Arches National Park. The world's largest concentration of natural arches is located in this National Park. There are over 2,000 arches with openings that range in size from 3 feet to 306 feet. The park receives over a million visitors each year and the wait time to enter the park by car can be lengthy. One advantage of being on a tour bus was quicker entry to the park, but a major disadvantage was the lack of parking. I was disappointed that we were unable to stop at many of the overlooks and viewpoints due to no parking. But we were able to get out and walk around at a few stops, and of course, I took pictures of the stunning scenery. 
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Besides a myriad of sandstone arches, other unusual red rock formations, hoodoos, spires, and balanced rocks dot the landscape of this National Park's almost 120 square mile area.

Unusual red rock formations in Arches National Park

Balanced Rock

Balanced Rock is a popular landform. Standing 128 feet high, the massive rock perched on top seems to defy gravity. There is a short trail that circles its base. The red rocks are a striking contrast against the deep blue sky. 

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Along the trail, small man-made balanced stacks of rock called "cairns" have been made by park rangers. They add a harmonious artistic element that complements the towering structures of stone nearby, and they serve a useful purpose - marking the trail. But visitors to the park are prohibited from making their own cairns, which can cause confusion on remote trails and disturb the natural beauty that national parks are meant to preserve.

Cairns mark the trail

Cairn charm

From the Balanced Rock trail, the Windows Section of the park with more stone arches, including Turret Arch can be seen in the distance with the La Sal Mountains further beyond. The La Sal Mountains are the second highest mountain range in the state of Utah. With peaks up to 12,000 feet, these "Salt Mountains" were an important landmark on the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Los Angeles, California. On the return drive to Phoenix a few days later, we saw that the first snow of autumn had "salted" the high peaks of the La Sal Mountains.

The Window Section with the La Sal Mountains beyond in the golden glow of a fall morning

That morning, most of the arches had to be seen from the windows of our moving tour bus, but we were able to stop and take the short walk to a beautiful arch "hidden" in a slot canyon shaded by two sandstone fins - Sand Dune Arch. The easy trail leads through deep rust colored sand and becomes quite narrow until opening up into a cathedral like room with a ceiling of blue sky. Sand Dune Arch stands alone. It was quite beautiful with golden sunlight streaming from above. 

Sand Dune Arch

Within the slot canyon leading to Sand Dune Arch

A view of the moon adorning a ceiling of blue sky

Perhaps the most photographed arch in Arches National Park is Delicate Arch. With its opening of 46 feet high and 32 feet wide, this beautiful arch is the iconic symbol of the park and is the largest free-standing arch in the park. We viewed the arch from the lower viewpoint, which is one mile away. To get up close involves a 3 mile roundtrip hike up a steep slope of slickrock and takes 2-3 hours. Hundreds of visitors gather throughout the day from sunrise to sunset to take in the view, and some venture out at night.

Delicate Arch viewed from a mile away

Visitors come to Arches National Park to see Delicate Arch

Some of the nearby rocky hills were covered with a beautiful turquoise green layer of earth, a natural patina produced by minerals in the soil. 

Natural turquoise green patina

Here are a few more beautiful stone arches that we saw while driving through Arches National Park that sunny day in September 2019:

Several stages of arch formation

And a closer view of the arch on the left

Another arch in the park

Here is another view of Balanced Rock:

Balanced Rock from afar. See more of the turquoise green soil in the distance on the right.

We only spent a few morning hours in Arches National Park. Someday I hope to return and enjoy more time in this awe inspiring land of balancing rocks and stone arches. 

That afternoon my husband and I took a scenic walk along the part of the Colorado River that winds through Moab on its southward course through the canyons and deserts of Utah and Arizona through the Grand Canyon and beyond. You are welcome to join us in the next post! 

~ Debbie

If you missed the earlier stops, follow the links and enjoy the view. 

First stop - Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden here.
Second stop - Montezuma's Castle here.
Third stop - Sedona here.
Fourth stop - The Grand Canyon here.
Fifth stop - The Desert Watch Tower here.
Sixth stop - Glen Canyon and Lake Powell here.
Seventh stop - Zion National Park here.
Eighth stop - Between canyons here. 
Ninth stop - Bryce Canyon here.
Tenth stop - Utah's Scenic Byway 12 here.
Eleventh stop - Ancient Petroglyphs here. 
Twelfth stop - Goblin Valley State Park here. 
​Thirteenth stop - Arches National Park here.
Fourteenth stop - Moab, Utah here.