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by jan&ray
Cleveland , Ohio
September 10, 2001
We parked our car at the base of the bluff and began our hike by ascending it. After we reached the top, the trail became easier and we followed the cairns across a slickrock and desert valley. After about half a mile, we saw the Marching Men on our left. We decided that this series of stone monoliths was most aptly named. Nature has aligned and spaced these rocks so perfectly that they seem to be heading off into the desert in a military formation.
The trail continued to a sand dune. As we ascended, we noticed the trails of lizards in the sand. (The tail drag marks were unmistakable.) A right turn at the top of the dune took us on toward Tower Arch. As we neared this massive formation, another trail joined ours. This turned out to be the short trail from the 4-wheel drive road. We pressed on and soon came to the arch itself. Tower Arch is located amongst a group of rock fins and a little rock scrambling was necessary to get underneath it.
Thanks to its more remote location, this is a relatively quiet area of the Park. We chose to hike here on a Saturday morning, and even though we arrived at approximately 10:00am, it appeared that we were among the first to hit this trail. While we did not have Tower Arch completely to ourselves, we encountered few others along the way. Arches has become such a popular Park that it was hard to find solitude here. For us the Klondike Bluffs became memorable not only for the beauty of this hike, but for the peaceful moments we found along the trail.
From journal Arches National Park - Red Rock Fantasy