Things To Do In Utah: Arches National Park

My wife works with a local Girl Scout Troop as a leader.  One of the treats for the girls this year was to go on a trip to Arches National Park just outside of Moab, Utah.  I was invited to tag along as a token male chaperon.  We stayed at the Lazy Lizard Hostel which is a separate blog post in and of itself.  Nevertheless, the park was amazing.

Delicate Arch

About 10 miles into the park is the turn off to iconic Delicate Arch.  Given the various states of physical fitness within our large group of girls, our main objective for the trip was to tackle this trail.  

Parking was an issue when we arrived.  We waited about 10 minutes for a parking spot to become available.  The trail starts out at old Wolfe Ranch.

  Nearby are some ancient Ute petroglyphs.  

The trail was very busy.  If you look closely, you can see many people walking on the slick rock in the distant background.  

Here are my two oldest daughters and I at the top of the slick rock ascent.

Just before Delicate Arch is a window along the trail.  Be sure to take a few moments to scamper up the rock and take a peek.

Here is the view of Delicate Arch from the window.

Pictures don't do the scene any justice.  I recommend hiking this yourself.  

Of course, there was no shortage of fellow hikers who did.

One problem with little girls is that they have very limited bladder capacity.  It was fitting that as soon as we arrived at the arch, they screamed that they had to use the bathroom.  So, back we went...in a hurry.  

When you go, be prepared for a moderately strenuous hike.  The trail ascends about 400 feet and is an out-and-back hike totaling 3 miles in length.  And, make sure you go potty before you start your hike. 

Park Avenue

On the way back to our lodging in Moab, we stopped and hiked the Park Avenue trail.  It is an easy 1 mile hike down a beautiful wash.  

The trail is surrounded on both sides by large fins and vaulting rock features.  

The trail is mostly shaded in the evening.  

Here is proof that I was there.

The rock surfaces have an interesting grain to them.  I thought that contrasted nicely with the grain of the weathered wood.

Here is a photo of the rock surface that makes up the trail.  

The girls had a fun time playing on strewn rock fall.

At the end of Park Avenue are vertical rock formations called The Three Gossips.  If you look closely, you can see two rock climbers who ascended these giant formations.  They rappelled down shortly after I took this photo.    

Sand Dune Arch

Sand Dune Arch is also a great hike for the kids.  It resides at a giant sandbox located in the heart of a monolithic fin formation.  

The trail is just over a quarter mile long.  

When you  get to the arch, there are a couple places to squeeze yourself between some narrow gaps in the fins.

 

Of course, no self-respecting parent would stop their kids from hurling themselves off large rocks.

The arch itself is not terribly large but we spent the most time here probably due to the kids desire to play in the sand.  

Broken Arch

Near Sand Dune arch is a trail to Broken Arch.  The loop is 2 miles around.  From the Sand Dune trail the path to Broken arch is nearly flat.  After that, the path becomes more difficult but also much more interesting.  

The arch itself was sizable.  This is a good place to stop and eat lunch.

Along the loop was tapestry arch.  We didn't hike up to it due to time constraints but it was still impressive from a distance.

The loop is interrupted by Devil's Garden campground.  If taking the loop counter-clockwise, go to Campsite 51 and the trail continues through more fins and hoodoos.

The Windows

Finally, our trip took us to the Windows area.  A ranger was kind enough to meet us on the trail and take us through the primitive trail around the back side of the Windows.

There are great views of the La Salle Mountains throughout the park.  This was one such occasion.

This helps give a sense of scale of the features.  

Finally, Turret Arch is seen here in the Windows complex.

I highly recommend Arches National Park to anyone with several days to roam around and explore.  If you are in a hurry, you won't be able to appreciate all that the park has to offer.  Most of the great features of the park require some hiking to reach.  So, be prepared and you will be well rewarded. Happy hiking!