Summer/Fall 2023, Nine State Tour, 8.20.23 - 9.25.23, Part 7 of 9: Arches National Park
We slept in and took the morning off after returning from the White Rim. We still had two final days in the Moab area but we had been on the go for awhile so we used the morning to get some laundry done, catch up in my journal and just sort of recharge. We felt like we had seen a lot in the Island In The Sky after having done the White Rim and several excursions into the main part of the park both on this trip and the trip in 2021. Ever since I first met Bridgit I had been telling her that one of these days she needed to see Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. We did go to Arches in 2021 but one visit was a short very early morning trip to the Windows section and Double Arch. We also went back a day later at 2AM to wander around in the dark and try to photograph the Milky Way over some rock pillars. But we had never really seen much of the park on those visits. I already knew that Delicate Arch would look much better at sunset than sunrise due to its position so we didn’t need to leave for Arches until the afternoon.
We did allow enough time for another Jeep excursion. We left Moab around two-thirty and drove back up towards Dead Horse Point and I took her down Long Canyon. It’s not super long but Pucker Pass and the hanging rock are kind’ve fun so I knew she would enjoy it. Our timing was again perfect and after driving through Long Canyon we arrived at Arches right at four. Arches is one of the most crowded and popular of the National Parks and they now have a timed entry that requires an advance reservation. However, the timed entry system is only between 7AM and 4PM so by arriving at four we could just show our senior pass and drive in without a reservation. We drove straight to the parking lot for Delicate Arch and had no trouble finding a parking spot. There was definitely a lot of people there but we expected that. This hike may be one of the most popular hikes in the country. Still in no hurry, we ate dinner out of our cooler in the back of the Jeep before starting the hike to Delicate Arch. While not a super long hike, it is an interesting one. After starting off on a trail, the route climbs onto a huge sloping slickrock bench and you just follow the cairns (and the other people) up to the top of the slope where it tops off. This can be a brutally hot trail but we were blessed with perfect temperatures. At the top of the slope we came upon what I am assuming is a rare treat. The previous day’s rainstorm had filled up several rock pockets with water so I had some excellent reflection opportunities on the way to Delicate Arch and on the way back.
The Delicate Arch Trail leading towards the slickrock slope
Above the slickrock slope on the Delicate Arch Trail
Wonderful reflection pools on the Delicate Arch Trail
Bridgit on the final ramp just before the first view of Delicate Arch
It had been thirty-four years since I last saw Delicate Arch. In 1989, Michelle, my girlfriend at the time and I made a trip to both Arches and the Needles District of Canyonlands on my very first visit to the splendor of southern Utah. At that time, there was hardly anyone at Delicate Arch when we arrived and it was easy to walk around and take photos from various angles with no other people in the shot. Times have changed a tad since then and when we climbed the final ramp of rock and came around the corner there was a whole slew of people sitting around the top of the amphitheater.
The crowd at Delicate Arch
Hah! I had you on that one, didn’t I? Well it wasn’t quite that bad but there was close to a hundred people up there when we arrived. Most were sitting along the very top by where you first see the arch, but a lot of people were gathered in the bowl just above the arch. They were politely taking turns, one right after another, of going down underneath the arch to get their picture taken. After several poses they would move back up to allow the next person in line to do the same thing. It was kind’ve sad to see. On the rare occasion where the next person wasn’t quite ready, there would be a brief moment when the arch was completely free of people and you could hear a hundred cameras all clicking at once, mine included, to try to capture just one elusive shot of Delicate Arch the way it was a hundred years ago.
Pure, unadulterated Delicate Arch
Despite the number of people there, Delicate Arch is extremely impressive and I was so glad I finally got to take Bridgit to see it, even if it did take me thirty-one years. While there, I also walked around a little bit and did manage to find a unique perspective of the arch that wasn’t full of Instagrammers.
Sunburst on the back side of Delicate Arch
Sunset was around seven-thirty. We waited until just before the sun sank below the horizon and then left before the hordes began to file out. The hike back was simply gorgeous with almost an alpenglow on the rock walls along the way. It was cool and we were in no particular hurry so it was a very nice and relaxing hike back to the car.
Pre-sunset orange glow on Delicate Arch
Sunset light at Arches National Park
Sunset reflections
We had one final day left so we decided to see more of Arches. Rather than sunset, this time we thought we would beat the crowds and go in early for sunrise. We got to the park before seven and drove all the way up to the end of the road to Devil’s Garden. Just as we were parking the sun broke and we were treated to wonderful colors on the rocks right next to the parking lot.
Sunrise from the Devil’s Garden parking lot
We hiked out to see Landscape Arch which is the longest arch span in North America, stretching a full two hundred ninety feet.
Landscape Arch
Landscape Arch and some damn Instagrammer!
Nearby, we took the very short hike to see Sand Dune Arch.
Sand Dune Arch
Sand Dune Arch
It was still really early so we got a wild hair. Driving back, when we got to the turnoff for Balanced Rock, we turned right onto a dirt road. This led us to a much rougher Jeep road that required 4WD. No one was out here at all and we drove out this road for a couple of miles to a signed trailhead leading to an arch called The Eye Of The Whale. We were feeling pretty good about being completely alone in Arches. We hiked the trail out to the Eye Of The Whale which turned out to be a really nice spot. I get the impression you could easily spend a whole day roaming around the rock formations out here and hardly see anyone.
Trailhead
Oh great. Now there were two Instagrammers in my shot!
I love this photo of Bridgit
Looking through the Eye Of The Whale
We really liked this part of the park and next time I have an opportunity I am going to explore this area more extensively. By now it was getting closer to midday which was a good time for our final hike in Arches. I had never been down Park Avenue before and I had read that the light is actually best in the middle of the day because it is like walking through Manhattan with big skyscrapers of rock on either side and closer to noon the sun is high enough to shine down into the canyon between the rocks. So we drove back to the trailhead which is almost back at the entrance. In fact, I think it is the first trailhead you come to when you drive into Arches. Most people only go about fifty feet to the Park Avenue viewpoint but we opted to hike the full length of Park Avenue and then turn around and hike back.
Park Avenue
Park Avenue
Once we had hiked through Park Avenue we were ready to go. There is so much more to see in this incredible park. I think Arches gets a bad rap for being so incredibly crowded but if you go super early and just do a few things and then get out of there before it gets too crowded, it is an amazing place to see. Doing it in this style requires several visits to the park but I have no problem with going back there multiple times.
We went out to lunch to celebrate our final day but we still had one last thing on our agenda. We went back to the Navibahn, packed up a picnic dinner and around five we drove back up towards Canyonlands and took the road out to Dead Horse Point. I had shot sunrise from Dead Horse Point in 2021 and was very pleased with the images I got but I also wanted to see what it was like at sunset.
When we got there I guided Bridgit down to a really cool rock shelf on the rim overlooking the Colorado River. The Potash Road ran along the canyon rim and far off in the distance I could see where the Shafer Switchbacks dropped down from the Island In The Sky. But as great as this spot is for sunrise, most of the views from this exact spot were looking west and I wanted to have views to the east for sunset. So we moved up to the observation deck and along the wall there seemed to be a much better spot for views in a more easterly direction. We had a really colorful sunset but overall I would say that Dead Horse Point is a better sunrise spot than a sunset spot.
The Colorado River from Dead Horse Point
Sunset at Dead Horse Point
Thus ended our eight glorious days in the Moab area. Having been there and other parts of the desert southwest several times now, Bridgit has also fallen in love with this beautiful area. I suspect we will spend a lot of time exploring in southern Utah in the coming years. As a matter of fact, we are already planning to head to the Needles District of Canyonlands next April as part of our 2024 Texas Hill Country Solar Eclipse Expedition. But that is for a future report. For now, it was time to head to an entirely different environment - Great Basin National Park!