If you haven’t experienced the vast array of colors in a sunset over the towering high desert red rock formations, we’re sorry to say you haven’t really lived yet! The energy of the rocks combined with the whispering breeze present in this vast natural phenomenon will truly take your breath away. Arches National Park is aptly named, as it is home to over 2,000 natural stone arches, not to mention hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant rocks naturally balanced atop each other in a way that will have you scratching your head and wondering, “How on earth did they get there?” The views will calm as you find a newfound rejuvenation on the trails in this rock formation wonderland.
What to Do at Arches National Park
As with any National Park, we just wouldn’t be a proper guide if we didn’t recommend you start your visit with a peek at the Arches Visitor Center, located just one mile inside the park entrance. This is a great spot to get up-to-date information on what sites are open, which ranger programs are scheduled that day, not to mention using the facilities and keeping your water bottles filled during your visit to Arches National Park in Utah!
Once you’re past the Visitor Center and have navigated your first stretch of switchback roads, you’ll embark on an adventure through Park Avenue and the Courthouse Towers area – named because the sheer walls of the canyon reminded visitors of walking through city streets lined with tall buildings. With gorgeous views of the La Sal Mountains in the distance, you’ll love walking through these massive monoliths and towering walls of red rock.
Next, visit the teetering giant of Balanced Rock while you still can. This iconic sandstone rock stands at a teetering 128 feet tall and looks like it’s balanced atop a pedestal of mudstone, but in actuality, the two are really attached. While together they defy gravity, eventually the 3,600-ton boulder will come crashing down. All the more reason to visit sooner than later.
Next comes the arches. With so many ways to view and experience these beauties, you may never want to leave Arches National Park. Make sure you have your camera handy when you view The Windows Section, a two square mile radius containing a large concentration of arches that will blow your mind. Definitely pay a visit to Delicate Arch, the park’s largest free-standing arch measuring 46’ high and 32’ wide. And finally, don’t forget to check out Devils Garden, located at the end of the park road (approximately 18 miles from the Visitor’s Center). Here you’ll get a first-hand view of Landscape Arch, the longest arch in the park, extending a whopping 306 feet!
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