Arches National Park - Red Rock Fantasy

Ranger led hikes are always special. For a small fee, we were led into the Fiery Furnace, an area that can only be visited with a ranger. This maze of red rock and sand provided the background for one of the best geology lessons we have ever had. We also took the time to visit the Klondike Bluffs section of Arches. This area is truly off the beaten path and allowed us to view the Marching Men and Tower Arch in relative solitude.

Quick Tips:

Get free information at the Visitor Center and from the Arches National Park Visitor Guide newspaper provided when entering the park. Plan your time so that you can maximize your time in this wondrous place.

Although many trails are pretty civilized, it is still a good idea to have hiking boots. Trails marked “primitive” are not as challenging here as some of the regular trails we have encountered elsewhere. Don’t be afraid to venture onto a “primitive” path if the spirit moves you.

Arches is a very busy place on weekends. Consider visiting during the week to avoid traffic jams and crowds at each scenic spot. This park is in danger of being loved to death, so be a respectful visitor. Adhere to the Park’s “leave no trace” ethic. Stay on trails; don’t disturb the cryptobiotic soil crust. It’s alive and fragile!

Best Way To Get Around:

As its name implies, Balanced Rock consists of a large boulder perched atop a relatively slender pillar of rock. The boulder and pillar are made of two different type of stone, so they are wearing away at different rates. As we circled this formation, we got a greater appreciation for its mass and delicacy. From the proper angle, it reminded us of an African fertility doll – a large round head on a slender neck. Overall, Balanced Rock is 128 feet high and the boulder weighs approximately 3,577 tons. It is hard to imagine anything supporting this weight, much less this narrow "neck" of rapidly eroding rock!

The trail stayed so close to Balanced Rock that we felt that we could almost touch it. It also took us past the remains of the fallen Chip Off the Old Block, a smaller balanced rock that collapsed during the winter of 1975-76. Someday, its big brother will collapse the same way. We left the Balanced Rock Trail hoping that this would not happen in our lifetimes. Although this is not an arch, we found this to be one of Arches’ most memorable formations.

The trail to Delicate Arch begins at the Delicate Arch Trailhead. Before starting our hike, we took a little time to browse around the remains of the Wolfe Ranch. John W. Wolfe first settled here in 1898. This cabin was built in 1906, but was abandoned around 1910. Even today, this is an isolated area of the Park. It is hard to imagine what it would have been like to have lived here alone so long ago.

This is an in and out trail which ascended steadily almost from its very beginning. Most of the trail was slickrock and there was almost no shade along the way. Even though we visited Arches at a relatively slow time, we found this hike to by a busy one. It hardly seemed necessary to have rock cairns to mark the way along this trail - millions of feet have worn a slight groove in the rock. As the trail wound around the high cliffs, it was possible to get a first glimpse of Delicate Arch through Frame Arch on the right. This section of trail was blasted from the rock side and provided great views off to the left.

The classic view of Delicate Arch did not appear until the trail’s end. The trail has been designed so that the view of the arch is a grand finale. As the wall of red rock ended on the right, Delicate Arch appeared on the opposite side of a natural bowl. It was as though nature had made a grandstand from which you could sit and contemplate its wonder. Like everyone else, we lingered here a while, resting from the climb, enjoying a snack and taking pictures. There have been times in our travels within the National Parks when we have felt that we had seen a place unlike any other in the world. We had this feeling here, and truly savored the experience before retracing our steps back down to the parking lot.

The first mile of this trail is quite civilized. The path is wide, well defined and undulates gently through the desert landscape. This being one of the easiest trails in the entire Park, we walked in the company of several hikers. En route to Landscape Arch, we came to a short spur trail. This little side trip took us to views of Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches. These are both termed "young" arches, consisting of relatively small openings in massive rocks.

We returned to the main trail and continued on. Unlike most other arches in the Park, Landscape was protected from the public by rail fences. The sand dune under the arch was heavily eroded, and consequently was undergoing restoration. It was easy to see the toll that simple human footsteps had taken on the fragile desert floor. The Park Service is struggling to keep many areas of this park from being "loved to death". The view point for Landscape Arch is one of them. Go off the trail here and you may be fined!

As we stood with others snapping pictures of this 306’ span, it seemed that this was the true "Delicate Arch" of Arches National Park. Landscape is a marvel of natural engineering – the slenderest ribbon of rock extends the length of a football field against the blue sky. In contrast with Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches, Landscape is an "old arch", and appears to be in danger of falling soon. Knowing that other Arches landmarks have changed in this century, we felt lucky to have seen this amazing formation before it vanishes from the Earth.

Immediately after passing Landscape Arch, the trail became narrower and more rugged. Although this was not classified as a "primitive" trail, it was definitely adventuresome. After taking in Wall Arch and following another spur trail to Navajo and Partition Arches, we found ourselves walking across a rock fin that offered a spectacular panoramic view of the area. (Those who are not fond of heights may find this 50-yard section of trail a little daunting!)

Double O Arch was the last major arch along this trail. Here we found two arches stacked one atop the other. Perhaps some day the stone partition between the two arches will dissolve and only a single arch will remain. The shady side of this formation was a great place to stop and contemplate how long it would take Mother Nature to accomplish this.

The final half-mile of the trail leads to a stone monolith called the Dark Angel. We had spotted this solitary spire from the scenic road as we approached Devil’s Garden. Sitting apart from all the other formations, the Dark Angel appeared to be a geologic outcast, brooding over the fact that it was not an arch. Its base marks the end of the trail.

As we walked back to Double O Arch, we discussed the possibility of returning via the "primitive" trail through Fin Canyon. This would have offered us new scenery and an even greater adventure than we had already experienced. Since we had found the main trail to be challenging enough, we simply retraced our steps all the way to the parking lot. What an remarkable afternoon!

It is possible to enjoy this area from the road, but we found this to be a great mile to hike. We chose to walk this section of the Park toward sunset, and were rewarded with a beautifully lit landscape. Since we had no one to provide a shuttle, we hiked the trail each way, starting at the Courthouse Towers Viewpoint. This turned out to be a good choice as it meant that we ascended the trail first and then had an easy downhill hike to end our day.

We crossed the Park Road and walked through desert vegetation to a slickrock canyon floor. The farther we moved up this dry wash, the more Park Avenue’s "skyscrapers" towered above us. We climbed the end of the trail past juniper trees and spent some time at the Park Avenue Overlook. Here we enjoyed the show put on by the late day sun. As we watched, the reds became more intense and Nefertiti’s Profile was unmistakable.

We descended from the Overlook and retraced our steps. By our feet, potholes in the Avenue’s slickrock had caught the rare desert rain that had fallen during the past 24 hours. As we passed a Ranger on the trail, she urged us to look for fairy shrimp in the water. We had read about these short-lived creatures, but never expected to have an opportunity to view them. Despite dim light, we stopped at every puddle and watched carefully for independent motion. After scanning several pools, we finally spotted something that seemed to be moving on its own. Sure enough, we had found the tiny, translucent shrimp! It was impossible not to recall that we had passed this way once before and walked past the standing water without a second thought. Had it not been for the suggestion of the park Ranger, we would have missed our most memorable wildlife encounter in Arches!

The Devils Garden campground is the jumping off point for any hike to Broken Arch. We walked across sand dunes and slickrock on our way to this formation. We encountered only one other couple along the trail, and, for the only time in Arches, we saw deer droppings. It looked to us as though we had just missed a wildlife encounter.

The trail passed directly under Broken Arch and soon crossed a broad, flat open area. We wended our way through the low scrub and headed toward what looked like a rock wall. As the trail swung around, we saw that we were approaching a series of fins, and that the trail would take us in between them. Just before we turned into the fins, we encountered the trail from the Sand Dune Arch parking area. Had we not taken the loop hike, we would have approached the arch from this trail.

Sand Dune Arch hides quietly amongst the red rocks just a short distance from the parking lot. The abundance of shade and sand found here make this a pleasant place to linger on a hot day. Sand Dune Arch is so low that it is tempting to climb on top. The Park Service strongly advises against this; the sand does not provide as soft a landing as one might expect!

After emptying the sand from our boots, we headed back toward Broken Arch. The view of this arch on the return trip was just as impressive as it had been heading out. Our hike ended back at the campground, where we refilled our water bottles before heading off again into the desert.

The Fiery Furnace is a maze of red and white sandstone fins. The name comes from its appearance in the late afternoon sun – the red rocks look like tongues of fire reaching up from the ground. Despite its name, this can be a cool place to walk even on the hottest day. There is no clear trail here, and once we entered, we were very glad we had a guide.

The afternoon was cold and rainy, but these hikes proceed, rain or shine. Our small group followed the ranger into the stone labyrinth after a lesson about the fragility and importance of the crypotbiotic crust. We were urged to walk on the slick rock whenever we could and to leave no trace of our passing. The ranger was most serious about the fragility of the environment here. On at least on occasion, he backtracked and gently wiped out footprints we had left in the sand when we ventured slightly off path.

Our hike was a little like taking a combined mini rock climbing, geology and biology class. We learned how to walk with greater assurance on the slickrock (even when wet), jump across small crevices and use small handholds and footholds to traverse certain stretches of the route. The pictures at the Visitor Center were accurate, but we did not fully appreciate how challenging this would be! At one point our guide paused before a wall and identified the clearly defined rock layers of the Entrada Sandstone Formation – the Dewey Bridge Member (bottom), the Slick Rock Member (middle), and the Moab Tongue Member (top). These three layers have made Arches the park that we see today. Most arches are in the Park are made of Entrada Sandstone. Finally, we learned about some of the plant life found in this desert environment. We were especially impressed by examples of the fragile Canyonlands Biscuitroot, a plant found only in Arches!

Ranger-led hikes are great learning experiences. It is a genuine treat to be led through an area of natural beauty and gain a deeper knowledge of it. A walk in the Fiery Furnace would be wonderful under any circumstances. However, by taking this hike, we not only glimpsed a part of the Park which only a few people see, we came to better understand one of the most awesome landscapes on earth.

We purchased the inexpensive "Road Guide to Arches National Park" and referred to it as we drove along. It deepened our appreciation of the scenery immensely. This little book provided a detailed description of the rock layers found in Arches, as well as a mile-by-mile narrative of the road itself. We had many awe-inspiring vistas from this road. It was a pleasure to just drive slowly and watch the play of light and shadow at the end of the day’s hikes.

For us, this road was much more than a just simple route to a trailhead. Between the Visitors’ Center and Devils Garden, we got a lesson in geology, had a wildlife encounter, pretended to be on Thelma and Louise’s cross country odyssey and saw some of the Park’s main features, such as Courthouse Towers, Balanced Rock and Skyline Arch. All this without ever leaving the car – what an amazing scenic drive!

We started with a walk up a gravel path to the North Window. This massive arch was impressive all by itself, but when coupled with the view of its partner, the South Window, it took on a unique formation. When viewed from the "primitive" portion of the trail, it appeared as though a pair of eyes was looking at us! One of our guidebooks referred to these as "spectacles of sandstone". The term "primitive trail" seemed like a bit of a misnomer to us. We found that it was not hard to hike (there was only one small place to scramble up) and as trails go, it was more civilized than many we have followed in other National Parks.

Turret Arch was easy to visit from the trails nearest the Windows. This freestanding arch has a large pillar of sandstone on one side. It took only a little imagination to understand how it got its name!

The trail to Double Arch was on the other side of the Windows parking lot. This was a short, in and out walk which allowed us to get directly under the arches. Here, two slender arches are joined on one side. This is actually a combination of perforated fins and a pothole arch (a horizontal arch). Regardless of what geologists might call it, this was an awesome formation – both immense and graceful at the same time.

The names of many of the Park’s arches were elusive, even shortly after we visited them. Our visit to the Windows Area left indelible impressions and the names of these arches stayed with us long after we left Moab.

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.