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Published: February 26th 2009
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Distance: 5 miles (Balanced Rock: 0.25 mile, The Windows Loop: 1.25 miles, Double Arch: 0.5 mile, Delicate Arch: 3 miles)
Difficulty: easy-moderate
Most of the first day of our trip to Moab was spent in the car, so we were definitely ready to get out and stretch our legs upon arrival. As soon as my dad and I checked into our hotel room, we dropped our bags, changed into hiking gear rushed out to get in a few short hikes in Arches. Spring in this area is definitely a nice time to be out hiking. Despite getting into the park during the height of the afternoon, the weather stayed pleasant for our first short trip. We decided that we wanted to keep the afternoon’s activities simple to save our legs for a longer hike the next morning. As a result, we decided to hit a few of the more popular site-seeing areas.
Arches National Park occupies a large swath of the Colorado Plateau just north of Moab. The park’s primary attractions are the series of rock arches, fins, and pinnacles that have developed over millions of years of erosion. During the area’s formative years, a sea covered the land
and eventually dried up, leaving a thick layer of salt beneath an upper layer of rock. As the heavier rock layer pushed down, the salt layer compressed and shifted creating instability above. As lower regions gave way, rock layers became exposed. Throughout the park, evidence of the upheaval can be seen in large cracks and different colored layers of the exposed rock. After the geologic activity settled, the rock towers became exposed to the erosive elements. As looser rock crumbled in parts of the fins, desert winds carried off and polished the holes that remained. The result is the park’s name-sake arches. The park houses the highest concentration of natural arches in the world (over 2000 have been catalogued). Erosion continues to work its magic on the area, creating new formations and destroying older ones. In fact, a week after we got home, one of the larger arches in the park collapsed.
Balanced Rock - About nine miles from the visitor center, Balanced Rock is one of several worth-while pull-offs along the mail road. A seemingly improbable formation, Balanced Rock is a towering eroded fin with what looks like a large boulder perched on top. Closer inspection reveals that
the crowning rock is actually part of the fin with a layer of lighter-colored rock separating it from the rest of the formation. A 0.25 mile trail circles the formation, offering nice views of the surrounding formations and the distant La Sal Mountains. This is a mostly flat and well worn path designed for casual site-seers and poses little challenge.
The Windows - Two of the larger arches in the park, the Windows sit in a large concentration of formations along the east side of the park that includes the famous Double Arch. The North Window and Turret Arch are easily visible from the parking lot and the area tends to be crowded with visitors. This portion of the trail is easy and well worn. Just after the start of the start of the trail, hikers are given the option of to continue east to the easily accessible North Window or take a short spur to Turret Arch (to the west). Hikers looking to get away from the crowds should consider taking advantage of the Windows Primitive Loop, a 1.2 mile trail that circles the larger Windows formation. The loop is less worn but it is well maintained by
a series of small cairns. The loop will allow visitors to get a better vantage of the arches and is generally quite easy. The southeast end of the loop provides access to the South Window and offers a nice view of the colorful arid land to the east. The loop continues north and eventually returns to the parking area.
Double Arch - This is easily one of the most famous arch formations in the entire park. Movie buffs will recognize Double Arch from the opening scenes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The Arch is part of a larger complex containing the Cove of Caves, Elephant Butte, and the Garden of Eden formations. Off the trail to the right is a shallow cave that was also featured in the Indiana Jones movie. In the film, the caves lead to hidden catacombs containing Spanish treasures. In reality, the cave ends about fifty feet in at a solid rock wall. Sorry, no buried treasure here. That said, the steep climb up the cave may be fun for visitors looking to get some shade while doing a little exploring. The trail to Double Arch is a sandy and flat quarter mile
round trip that sees a lot of foot traffic.
Delicate Arch - While Double Arch may have been made famous by Hollywood, Delicate Arch has sheer natural beauty to thank for its notoriety. Easily the most famous formation in the entire park, Delicate Arch sits on a ridge between a giant pothole formation and a syncline canyon. This area is a favorite spot for photographers looking to capture the perfect combination of this extraordinary arch and the usually snow-capped La Sal Mountains that are visible in the background. From the Wolfe Ranch trailhead, this 3 mile roundtrip route crosses the seasonal Salt Valley Wash and climbs gradually for the first 0.75 mile. The trail then abruptly begins a climb up a steeper natural slick rock ramp. This ramp is well worn from decades of foot traffic and provides nice views of the canyon below. After a little over a mile, the trail levels off in a narrow rock gap that may provide some welcome shade on hot days. The final stretch of this trail is along a steep cliff overlooking another canyon to the north. Look closely at the far side of the canyon to see several smaller arches
that have formed on the rim. The trail passes by the Frame Arch, so named because of it provides a “frame” for pictures of Delicate Arch. Even after seeing numerous pictures of Delicate Arch, viewing it in person is still breathtaking. Visitors should plan on taking the time to explore the slick rock formations around the arch before returning to the trailhead. The slick rock ramp makes this otherwise easy trail more moderate and visitors should be prepared for complete exposure to the elements on most of the route.
It should go without saying that virtually any hike in Arches will be highly exposed to the sun. Don’t forget that this is the desert! Even for short hikes, be sure to use plenty of sun screen and take extra water. The shorter hikes can be done without hiking gear, but the Delicate Arch hike should be done in boots with good tread and ankle support. The best time to visit Arches in general is spring and fall when the temperatures aren’t quite as oppressive. Anyone who visits the park during the summer months should plan to get their activities done by mid-morning or wait until closer to the evening.
These hikes cover most of the major attractions in the southern and middle sections of the park. We also managed to get in the amazing ranger-guided Fiery Furnace tour two days later (see entry). Visitors with more time should venture to the northern part of the park where several longer trails take hikers to a wide variety of famous arches including improbably-long Landscape Arch.
THE BOTTOM LINE: If you are a fan of unusual geology like me, then Arches is the place to go. Hiking in this park is generally easy to moderate and most of the area can be seen in a couple of days.
Directions: From Moab, take Highway 191 north. The entrance to the park is on the right, five miles past the intersection with Highway 128. After entering the park, the main road climbs up a steep canyon wall to the plateau overlooking the valley carved out by the Colorado River. Balanced Rock is 9.2 miles from the entrance. The turn-off for the Windows and Double Arch is 0.3 mile past Balanced Rock. For Delicate Arch, continue along the main road for another 2.5 miles past the Double Arch/Windows turn-off.
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