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Arches National Park is of course famous for the red arches of Entrada sandstone that occur there in great profusion, and the visitor center sells a map showing the location of over 1,000, ranging in size from Landscape Arch with an 290 foot (89 meter) span to small cavities 3 feet across, which is the minimum dimension for an opening to be officially classified as an arch. But there are also many other striking rock formations scattered over the park's 73,000 scenic acres, and to see the whole area would take several days. As with most other low lying regions in south Utah, temperatures in Arches National Park may reach 110°F which restricts hiking activities, although summer brings frequent cooling afternoon thunderstorms. The winter weather is not too extreme, and any snowfall is usually quite light.
Moab: The entrance to the national park is on US 191, 26 miles south of I-70 and just north of Moab, the biggest town in southeast Utah and a provider of every necessary facility, especially motels and mountain bike shops. This settlement, once a base for the uranium mining industry, is now a major center for recreation and is close to several National Park Service areas including Canyonlands NP and Colorado NM as well as Arches, and is a starting point for many boat trips down the Colorado River. Past the entrance station, the park road climbs up a steep cliff with several sharp switchbacks and then winds for 25 miles through the sculptured red rocks and sandy desert passing close to many of the major features, although much can only be seen by walking along various short trails.
The Windows Section: Firstly, the road passes
Park Avenue and Courthouse Towers - monolithic spires and ridges of rock standing isolated in largely flat terrain. These have been featured in several cinema films, most famously Thelma and Louise in 1991. The route then crosses an open, undulating landscape of petrified sand dunes and eroded pinnacles for 5 miles, before a turn-off on the right leads to the Windows Section, the first major concentration of arches and other formations, that bear self-explanatory names such as Double Arch, Cove Arch and Balanced Rock. Everything of interest in this area can be seen either from the road or by very short walks, so all visitors should go at least this far.
Delicate Arch: After 2.5 miles further along the main road there is another turning to Wolfe Ranch, an old log cabin built next to a seasonal creek by early settlers in 1888. From the ranch a 1.5 mile foot trail crosses the creek via a small, swaying suspension bridge and leads across smooth exposed slickrock to the especially scenic
Delicate Arch; perched precariously on the edge of a small canyon, this is the most famous arch in the park and has been adopted as the state symbol, appearing on Utah Centennial vehicle registration plates. As well as the arch, the end of the trail offers magnificent views across the multicolored rocky land in the park, and across to the snow-covered La Sal mountains near the Colorado border. The road ends one mile beyond the ranch at Delicate Arch Viewpoint, though the arch is difficult to see from the road itself. A steep trail climbs 200 feet to the edge of a canyon and offers much better views.
The Fiery Furnace: The next major feature is the Fiery Furnace - not arches, but an intricate maze of eroded red and cream-colored ridges with narrow gullies between them. Many people used to become lost walking through this area, and now it may only be explored as part of a ranger guided tour. There is a good viewpoint close to the road, of both the furnace and the Salt Valley, a long depression running through the center of the park (see QTVR). As its name suggests, the valley and all the underlying rock is made of unstable salt deposits, and it was the shifting and bucking of these layers that caused the heavier sandstone rocks on top to become distorted, creating the uneven landscape of fins and ravines that characterises the park. After the viewpoint the road continues past several other arches and terminates at Devils Garden from where a 6 mile loop trail leads to 8 major arches including Landscape Arch, the longest in the world. The 52 site park campground is located nearby.
Klondike Bluffs: Because of deep sand and steep grades, a 4WD vehicle is required to visit most back country areas, which include Klondike Buffs, a scenic concentration of arches and fins towards the northwest corner. This can also be accessed by the Salt Valley Road starting from US 191 outside the park, and is the only region suitable for backpacking.
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Accommodation: Just half a mile south of the Colorado River and the Arches National Park boundary stands the 79 room Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Moab, at 1515 Highway 191 north. The hotel was built in 2003 and most rooms have fine views over the red sandstone cliffs that border the north side of the Colorado. The center of Moab is 2.5 miles south.
Check rates/make reservation at the Holiday Inn Express Moab
More Moab Hotels - map, descriptions, reservations
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Selection of books about Arches National Park, from amazon.com:
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