ARCHES & CANYONLANDS NP

Scenic Highlights: ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

Arches National Park is located just four miles north of Moab. The park was a National Monument until 1964 when it was designated a Park. Immediately upon entering the park you begin an eight hundred feet ascent through a series of switch backs cut into the Navajo Sandstone. Upon completing the ascent you arrive at one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Red Rock Country.

The viewpoint, right and below, is known as Park Avenue because the sheer walls on both sides of Courthouse Wash reminds you of New York. This small “canyon” is filled with a number of interesting formations, and one that seems impossible. This one is a huge rock weighing many, many tons. It looks like the head of a wolf. Its base is broken and the huge head has slid until little more than half of it is resting on the base. As you look down through Courthouse Wash you see Courthouse Towers at the far end. This is a beautiful monolith of Entrada Sandstone. Most of the hundreds of arches found in the park are formed in the Entrada Sandstone, a reddish-brown formation of very hard sandstone.

At this location you will see excellent examples of the three major rock formations found in the park, the Navajo Sandstone, the Carmel Mudstone formation and the Entrada Sandstone. Let me say here that geologist argue whether the mudstone formation in Arches NP is Carmel or the Dewey Bridge member of the Entrada. A beautiful time to take pictures at the Park Avenue viewpoint is between 3:00 and 5:00 P,M, in the early spring or fall. The sky then are likely to be extremely deep blue, which makes a fabulous setting for the coral red sandstone.

After leaving Park Avenue the next "scenic" observation will be on your left after about four miles. This is the famous Whataman Formation as shown in the photograph on the left below. It is reputed that after Delicate Arch, this is the second most photographed formation in the park. However, I must admit I have removed some background rocks photographically to make it "stand out". The photo to the right is of Courthouse Towers from Courthouse Wash.

At the junction take a right and go over to the Windows section of the Park. On the way to the Windows there are numerous viewpoints. One such place gives you a very interesting view of the Colorado River Gorge. There are numerous arches of varying sizes in the Windows section. Time permitting, go up for a close look at the North and South Windows. These are very large arches. When viewed from certain points on highway 193, they look like eyeglasses, and are therefore sometimes referred to as the spectacles.

Your next stop will be Delicate Arch. This is certainly the most beautiful arch in the Park, and probably in the world. Utah has been using Delicate Arch as one of its state logos for many years. There are three ways to see the arch, from a parking lot, which is a very distant view; a better view point after a one fourth mile, one hundred foot vertical climb; or up close and personal. The hike to the arch is one and a half miles with an elevation increase of about four hundred feet. This is a strenuous climb, but well worth the effort. The views on the way up are great; don't miss the hanging garden off to your left. Allow as much time as you can to enjoy the arch. The scenery at the arch is truly fantastic. You can venture out and "go through" the arch and see the sheer wall behind the arch. Since Utah is the Beehive State, don't miss all the beautiful "beehives" in the vicinity of the arch.

Your final stop in Arches will be in the Devil's Kitchen. From here you can make round trip hikes ranging in length from half a mile to six miles. It's less than a mile from the parking lot to the longest know arch in the world, nearly as long as a football field and at it's thinnest section the thickness is less than six feet. From Landscape Arch a primitive loop trail takes you to wonderful views of Finn Canyon and Double O Arch. The return trail is extremely interesting; beware, there is a spot that can be tricky after a recent rain.

As I said at the beginning, this is just a listing of the highlights of Arches NP. There are numerous other sights that you will see along the way. On days when you can get a car to the Klondike Bluffs, you will find this an interesting area with unusual formations and several enjoyable trails. Remember, always carry water in Red Rock Country if your hike will be over an hour and the temperature is above seventy-five degrees. And, of course, the photo to the right is the world’s most beautiful arch, DELICATE.

Scenic Highlights: CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK

There are three very distinct sections to Canyonlands NP; The Island, The Needles, and The Maze. To drive from the Island to the Needles is 110 miles, from the Island to the Maze is 160 miles and to drive from the Needles to the Maze is an astounding 210 miles. Yet, if you were George Washington, you could throw a silver dollar from the Needles to the Maze. This gives you an idea of just how rugged Red Rock Country can be. It would be impossible to say which of the three sections is the most beautiful because they are so distinctly different. The Island is the only section which can be toured by car. You can enter the Needles section by auto, but to see the most beautiful portions you will need a sturdy pair of legs, and unless you are a hardy backpacker, a Jeep will come in handy. The Maze is extremely remote and can only be entered by 4WD. I visited Canyonlands NP for over thirty years, before I finally made it to the Maze for a six day exploring and camping trip. I still consider that the biggest thrill of my life.

Let us start with the Island. You enter the island on a hundred foot long rock neck only about forty feet wide with thousand foot drops on either side. The Island is a strip plateau one to six miles wide and twenty miles long. From the island down to the next lower level in the park, called The White Rim, averages 1200 feet. The Island's paved road takes you to numerous viewpoints along its twenty mile stretch. A fabulous view is the Shafer Trail overlook. This old cattle trail is now used by Jeeps to travel between the Island and the White Rim levels. It is an amazing sight to see it zigzagging down the sheer cliff of Kayenta and Wingate Sandstone and ending in the sloping Chinle sands of Painted Desert fame. Other exciting and beautiful stops are at the Washer Woman (a natural arch) from where you can see the Colorado River; Monument Canyon, with its rock spires, at the tip of the Island; Green River Overlook, from where you can see Cleopatra's Chair in the Maze’ and Upheaval Dome, one of the most fascinating and colorful events in all of Canyonlands.