Park 2: Arches (Part 2) May 2009

So, back to the actual park.

Arches NP is home to over 2,000 natural sandstone arches. In order to be considered an arch, an opening must measure at least three feet (in any direction). Many of the more famous arches have names like Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch, Double Arch, Broken Arch... you get the idea. Every year, new ones are discovered and old ones fall due to mother nature's constant wind and erosion. The last major arch to fall was in August of 2008, when, during the middle of the night, the 71-ft wide Wall Arch came tumbling down, and no one was there to witness it.

Upon entering the park, a steep, winding road leads you up past some great places to take short hikes and see the views.

Park Avenue is a long row of fins on 2 sides that resemble the skyscrapers of a big city. The Three Gossips, at the end of Park Avenue, is a sandstone tower that looks like 3 women leaning in and talking to one another. Down the road a ways is Balanced Rock, which is exactly what it sounds like; an oversized boulder balanced at the top of a tower. 

All of these are easy, short hikes, and can even be seen from your car (but why would you do that?).

Park Avenue

Defnitely, a hike worth taking is the 1.5 mile trail to Delicate Arch. Even if you've never been to Arches, you've no doubt seen the iconic landmark on Utah's license plates and postage stamps. The hike isn't easy, and takes you up a steep incline, but the view at the end is worth the sweat. Of course, when a bus load of french tourists shows up 20 minutes after you get there, the scene is a little ruined. I mean, who smokes in a national park?! Oh, right. French tourists.

Me sketching at Delicate Arch.

Another great hike is the Fiery Furnace, a labyrinth of narrow canyons and fins that requires you to do some scrambling and squeezing through tight spaces. It's called the Fiery Furnace because when the afternoon sun hits the rocks, the area almost glows red and orange. And, if you were to get lost, I'm sure the heat would feel about the same. Because there are no marked trails in this area, you have to sign up for a ranger-led hike. The good thing about this is that you get a lot of great information and history of the area from the ranger. The bad part is, you have to hike with a bunch of idiots you don't know, that try to carry a 3-month-old baby with them.

On the guided hike of Fiery Furnace.

My last suggestion is to go see Double Arch, if only for the fact that it is a great photo spot, is easy to access from the road, and, if you're like my dad, you get really excited about seeing a location from the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". 

All in all, this is still one of my favorite National Parks so far. The scenery is iconic, the crowds aren't too bad, and you're sure to come away with some fantastic photos and memories. In 2 or 3 days, you can see all that the park has to offer, but still get a slice of pizza and a beer each night in Moab.