Arches National Park

Greetings!

As a follow up to my previous post, I wanted to share more details and photos of our multiple visits to Arches National Park - it is truly spectacular!  It is a very popular park and you need to purchase timed entry passes to get in the park if you plan to arrive between 7am and 4pm.  

The day we arrived, we headed in around 5:30pm on Saturday and drove right in.  We went to the Visitor Center, got some good trail information from the rangers and then headed up to the Windows area to do a short hike to the North and South windows.  There were lots of people there, but it wasn't overly crowded and we easily found a parking spot.  It was around sunset time so the lighting was perfect.

This is the North Window

Turret Arch behind Paul - from the North Window

North Window - lots of others there!

The beautiful scenery on the other side of the North window

We hiked from the North Window to the South Window

We ended up back behind the North Window with gorgeous scenery

Sunset on the North window

Checking out Turret Arch - you can see the North (left) and South (right) windows behind Paul

Behind Turret Arch

On Thursday, we headed back into the park to do one of its most iconic hikes (feathered on Utah license plates)  - Delicate Arch.  It is not long, but it is pretty much up hill to the Arch and downhill back - about 2 miles.  It was incredible to see this iconic arch up close.

Lots of other people on the trail and at the Arch

Near the beginning of the trail, there is a little offshoot where you can see these cool petroglyphs!

After the delicate arch, we headed further into the park to the Devils Garden area where we hiked to Landscape Arch.  This is the longest arch in North America with a light opening of 306 feet.  Stunning!

You can see the Landscape Arch way behind us

Lots of wildflowers along the trail

As we were heading out of the park, we stopped at Balance Rock, which is a fun short loop around this gravity defying rock formation!

The La Sal mountain range can be seen from many areas along the main road in the park.

On Saturday, we enjoyed two more areas of the park.  Park Avenue, which is one of the first places you come to along the main road.  This hike is about 2 miles round trip and goes through beautiful rock formations.  

The structure behind us is called The Courthouse

Three Gossips - this was one of my favorites

After Park Avenue, we headed to the Double Arch, which was in the Windows area we visited the first night we were there.  A very short hike, but really cool!

Our final day in the area was back at Arches doing one of the park's most unique hikes called the Fiery Furnace.  There are two ways you can hike this special area - either with a ranger or self-guided.  The ranger led hike was not an option and for the self-guided hike, it requires a permit, which we applied for the week prior.  They only allow 75 people on this hike each day.  You then have to pick up the permit the day before and watch a 7-minute video and go through an orientation with a ranger.  This hike is not for the feint of heart - it is challenging and it is very common for people to get lost.  Fortunately, we got lost only once!  There are small arrows along the way to guide you, but the route is not just a trail - there are multiple boulders to clime over and crevasses to squeeze through.  It was one of the coolest hikes we've ever experienced and the scenery was amazing at every turn.

The trailhead with the Fiery Furnace in the background

Off we go - the permit is attached to Paul's backpack, which is a requirement.

An example of the arrows along the trail - this one was easy to see, but many blended in and were attached to large rocks.

This photo was taken by a nice woman from Naples, Florida!!  Small world!

yes this is the trail

Near the end of the trail is this cool offshoot to Surprise Arch - neat!

We thoroughly enjoyed our many visits to Arches National Park - it is absolutely beautiful and there is something there for everyone.  Hikes for the adventurous and multiple scenic overlooks for those who prefer something more low key.  Throughout the park, however, there is never a moment where the scenery isn't stunning - a true gem. 

Thanks for following along - Lots of love, Jen & Paul