Arches National Park (Arches National Park, Utah)

After a night of camping an Angel Lake near Elko, NV, a very long drive through the great salt desert, and several hours south of Salt Lake City, my friend Nick and I arrived at Moab, UT and Arches National Park. Based on our time allotted for this first of many stops on this long road trip, we agree that a drive through the park will be our best bet to take in the most scenery before dark.

We begin the drive up a series of steep switchbacks until we reach the top of the plateau. Almost immediately, we are in awe of the mighty sandstone pillars and other formations confronting us. It is very reminiscent of the pictures I have seen of Monument Valley, which of course we will also see on this trip.

Continuing through the park we see a few massive arches in the distance as we approach the famous Balanced Rock formation. It’s quite stunning to see a boulder the size of a house so neatly balanced on a thin pillar, some 75-100 feet in the air.

Further into the park, we stop at the amazing Double Arch and hike up a short distance for a close-up. In fact, I even climb up a somewhat challenging rock face to the area directly beneath the two connected arches. The formation is mind-boggling. It’s difficult to even imagine how the stone could have eroded into these shapes, but it’s spectacular to see and climb around on.

Finally as the day begins to wind down, we make our way out to the upper viewpoint of Delicate Arch, which has become a symbol for the state of Utah. After a short hike over some rolling sandstone slabs we reach a point where the landmark becomes fully visible in all its glory. Amazingly, this tall picturesque arch sits atop a large cliff, alongside of four or five other formations that may become arches in the centuries yet to come. 

While we didn’t have a huge amount of time to spend, seeing these amazing natural wonders was well worth the stop. Tomorrow we head for Mesa Verde!