What was once an ancient sprawling desert populated by towering dunes of fine-grained sand is now, hundreds of thousands of years later, a stunning sandstone landscape long exposed to the persistent engines of erosion. Today, this otherworldly slice of desert outside of Moab, Utah, is known as Arches National Park, home to the world's largest concentration of natural sandstone arches.
The park's more than 2,000 documented arches, created by a mix of time and precipitation, range in size from three to more than 300-feet wide and lie scattered and concealed throughout the rocky landscape of Utah's Colorado Plateau. Amid the arches exists an equally impressive concentration of towering spires, colossal sandstone fins, and incredible balanced rocks and eroded monoliths that make Arches National Park one of Mother Nature's finest desert masterpieces.
Arches is a relatively small national park, so many of the area's most impressive natural features can be seen from the comfort of the paved scenic drive that bisects the park for 18 miles. Beyond the pavement, though, a number of short desert jaunts and some longer day hikes give visitors a more intimate view of the very best of Arches National Park's stone structures, not to mention a refreshing slice of Southern Utah's red rock wilderness.
Park Avenue Trail
One of the first attractions within Arches is the Park Avenue Trail. This one-mile trail greets visitors as they meander through an expansive canyon floor beneath enormous monoliths with names like the Three Gossips, the Courthouse Towers and the Tower of Babel.
After leaving the park's scenic drive just beyond the Balanced Rock formation, a leisurely hike through Juniper forests arrives at North and South Window Arches standing side by side, carved from the same sandstone fin. A host of captivating stone formations crowds the Windows area including the smaller Turret Arch to the southwest, an aptly named formation called The Parade of Elephants, and Double Arch, named for two looming arch features that share the same stone for their outer leg.
Landscape Arch
At the end of the scenic drive is Devil's Garden Trailhead, one of the park's most popular areas boasting the highest concentration of arches including must-sees like Landscape Arch and Double O Arch. Resembling a high soaring bridge more than a sandstone arch, Landscape spans 290 feet across the rocky terrain below and tapers out to a slender 6 feet in diameter at its thinnest point. Continue through more challenging terrain over sandstone slabs and narrow ledges to view Double O Arch, a spectacular formation shaped, as the name suggests, like two O's formed in the same rock. The Devil's Garden Primitive Loop is a secluded section of the Devil's Garden Trail that weaves through a labyrinth of rock gardens, fins and washes.
Devil's Garden Trail
One of the park's lesser-known arches is also one of the best for kids. Sand Dune Arch lies hidden in a narrow slot canyon offering a refuge from the sun, plenty of sheltered terrain for exploring, and a short sandy path between two massive sandstone fins that leads right under the arch. Meanwhile, a short hike from the Skyline Arch parking area leads to one of the most popular and impressive displays of sandstone rock and the only arch that sits on the skyline. View this monument from afar or scramble up beneath the stone arch for unmatched views of the entire park.
Delicate Arch, the park's most popular attraction and the widely recognized symbol of the state of Utah, stands at the end of one of the park's more difficult trails. And while the trek from Wolfe Ranch across slick rock sandstone is strenuous and offers almost no protection from the sun, turning the corner to witness this magnificent rock formation backed by the snowy La Sal Mountains is well worth the effort. With an opening of 64-feet high and 45-feet wide, Delicate Arch is also the largest freestanding arch in the park.
Fiery Furnace
And perhaps just as popular as Delicate Arch is the Fiery Furnace Hike-a strenuous three-hour trek through maze-like terrain that includes rock scrambling and narrow passages through sandstone walls. And while the Furnace is a truly rugged adventure, first-time visitors can join a ranger-led tour through this dense concentration of canyons, natural bridges and even more arches.
With each season that passes at Arches National Park, Mother Nature is still etching away at her sandstone sculptures. So pack your hiking boots, fill your canteen and set out for Southern Utah to explore her grand desert canvas.
