The Arches National Park is like no place I have ever walked in before. Set high on the desert plateau of Utah, there is little vegetation and the sparse trees are stunted and gnarled by the harsh environment. It’s a raw and exposed place, baking in the day and freezing at night. It is literally the Wild West. What draws visitors to the park are the natural sandstone arches, thousands of them. Fifteen million years of erosion created them and we’re here today to walk among them. It’s as different a landscape to the UK as chalk is to cheese.
It’s a truism that America is big, but just how vast and desolate much of it is has to be seen to be believed and our journey to the Arches is an experience in itself. The Americans like to name their roads, nothing boring like the M6 or B6412. US Highway 191 is part of the Grand Army Of The Republic Highway. And driving along it is an introduction to the remote emptiness of much of this land. Mile after mile of arrow straight roads crossing what is known as the Colorado plateau with brush-land stretching far into the distance to a wall of cliffs. Big skies above us and a limitless horizon ahead of us.
By chance we happen to visit the Arches National Park on one of a few days in the year that entry to all the National Parks in the USA is free. This is our good fortune but it means the park is busier than usual. There are a couple of walks I have my eye on and the first is a walk to what is probably the most well known natural arch in the world, and a symbol of the State of Utah, Delicate Arch.
We leave the RV at the trailhead car park and before long we arrive at Wolfe Ranch. John Wesley Wolfe lived here in the late 1800’s farming cattle. His daughter came to live with him and made him build a new cabin as she wasn’t prepared to live in the old one. That’s daughters for you. He duly obliged, that’s dads for you, and the cabin we see today dates from 1906.
From the ranch the trail winds its way through desert brush along a well defined path until it reaches some large sandstone outcrops. As we make our way up and over the smooth flat sandstone bluffs the sun starts to beat down and I appreciate how harsh this landscape is, it’s a hot dry desert with no shade and no water. Fortunately we are only walking three miles and it feels like today the whole population of Utah has joined us for free National Park day.
The path levels out and follows a sandstone plateau into a ravine where it skirts along the side of a rock wall. This has the effect of hiding the main objective of our walk from view until the very last minute, revealing it like a waiter in a posh restaurant removing a cloche with a dramatic “Ta-Da!”.
And dramatic and impressive it certainly is. At fifty two feet high and thirty two feet wide Delicate Arch is the biggest freestanding arch in the park and the most popular by far. The fact that it involves a decent hike to view it at its best also adds to its allure.
Mish and I sit ourselves down, have a drink and take in the view. All around is sandstone and scrub and in the far distance the snow capped La Sal mountains complete the Wild West picture. There is a united nations queue of people waiting to get pictures standing under the arch but Mish and I don’t think the United Kingdom needs representation at this particular event so watch as various poses and antics are acted out.
It’s the same way back but we divert off the main path to look at some historic rock art. The sandstone carvings, made by Native American Indians from the Ute tribe were made sometime between 1650 and 1850. We crossed a bridge on our RV trip that said “Historic Bridge, Built 1962” so 1650 is practically prehistoric by American standards. The Ute arrived in Utah in the 1300’s, long before the Spanish and the Mormons and the State is named after them.
After lunch in the RV we make our way to Devils Garden, not as scary as it sounds, for an afternoon walk to the longest arch in the park, Landscape Arch. The Devils Garden Trail is less exposed than the walk to Delicate Arch, protected by large sandstone walls and pillars that surround the path.
Landscape Arch is the longest arch in North America spanning 306ft. People used to be able to walk underneath it but rockfalls in the 1990’s put an end to that and now it has to be admired from a distance.
We walk on a little to get a flavour of the Devils Garden before returning to the van and conclude our visit with a scenic drive taking in some of the remarkable and unique natural features that spread throughout the park, many of which are named.
Route Map, Walk Stats, Geolocated Pictures Below.
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Thanks for the photos and film of this amazing place. I doubt I’ll ever get there from Australia but this has given me a good look at it.
Thank you Coral, that’s the joy of reading other people’s blog posts I think. They take us to places where we may not ever get to ourselves and give us inspiration for places that are a little nearer
Hang on a minute! We were in Switzerland a minute ago! 🙂 This landscape is equally stunning. Many thanks for the inspiration, Mel
I like to get around Mel! When commitments keep me from the Lake District I get time to write up some post from earlier travels 😀
One of your best here Jim! Landscape arch is amazing – how does it keep itself up??
Thanks Dave, I think that’s the problem! At some point in the future it will probably collapse I think. The Arches does have amazing landscape, especially for us Brits who don’t see desert.
Ah the memories are such that I could even tell you where the picture is taken from! A superb write up that makes us feel like we’re back there. We’ve an article written on that 4 corners area for MMM, we will enjoy your posts on this area!
Thank you Lisa, yes the Arches is a pretty unusual place. As a walker I don’t often get the chance to walk in a desert environment so that was pretty special. 😀
This is such an amazing landscape. The photos really make me want to visit but living in the U.K. I am unlikely to. But thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you James, my pleasure. Yes a pretty unusual landscape, made more striking by the fact that we don’t have anything like it in the UK
A fabulous post about a fabulous place. Thanks for sharing it Jim
Thank you Malc, and thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.
I enjoyed it Jim.
So many beautifully captured photos. It is quite obvious that Arches National Park – Utah’s red-rock wonder—is a true geological masterpiece and a living museum of natural history. As it is carved by the elements over millennia it is a great place to witness nature’s powerful and tireless work. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
Thank you Aiva x
Same story with historical landmarks here in Canada too.. anything older than 200 years is pre-historic😀
Amazing pictures!!
Thanks Christie, 😀 I think here in the U.K. we can take our history for granted sometimes. I’m slightly spoiled as I live in a city where I can walk through gardens and along walls that the romans built 2,000 years ago
Utah looks so other worldly. Loving the arches especially Delicate Arch. Though everything is a sight to behold.
Thanks Shazza, it’s certainly different to the Yorkshire Dales!
Very much so!
Definitely different Jim! You certainly get around!
What a wonderful landscape. Another trip to add to my endlesss list.
Thanks Tony 😀
So happy to see Utah again. I absolutely love it, my favourite state.
Good to hear from you Ruth, glad I brought back some memories 😀
Beautiful place. I would like one day to visit the American National Parks they all look incredible.
This place looks amazing! It shows how beautiful and unique nature is. Coming there is certainly very pleasant.It is worth traveling to get to know interesting places on Earth. When I was in Mongolia, I was also surprised by the beautiful and wild nature there. And as a souvenir I even brought a woolen sweater made of sheep wool.
We visited Utah (and Arizona) back in 1993 but it remains one of my favourite of our many US road trips. I love those big skies and the desert landscapes! Thank you for taking me back with these great descriptions and images from your walks 🙂
Thanks Sarah, yes the landscape of those western states is really something that has to be seen and experienced to be believed, big in every way and like nothing we have in the UK. We really enjoyed our road trip there and hope to get back some day 😀