Arches National Park – July 22, 2015

Wednesday we went into Arches National Park. It’s perhaps the least impressive of all the parks we’ve seen, but maybe we are just getting our fill of looking at red rocks. The park was really crowded, and it was tough getting pictures of the arches without tons of people in them. We did quite a bit of hiking. Most of the trails we took were short (1/2 to 1 mile long), but they added up. I had 20,000 + steps on my pedometer at the end of the day (approximately 9 to 10 miles).

We started the day hiking down the Park Place trail. The trail goes down between monuments that resemble a city skyline. The park got hit by the same storm that hit Canyonlands National Park, and there was standing water in some of the depressions in the sandstone. The deeper pools contained tadpoles and snails.

At the North and South Window, we took the formal hiking trail to the both arches and to Turret Arch. Then we took the “rustic” trail around the back of North and South Windows. It was a nice hike, as there were few people on the trail.

Double Arch is two arches that are joined at one end.

Delicate Arch is probably the most recognizable arch in the park. We didn’t take the 3 mile trail to the base of the arch. Instead, we just hiked to the upper and lower viewpoints.  

At Sand Dune Arch was an easy hike over sandy terrain.

 
On our way to Skyline Arch, two mule deer crossed the trail in front of us. They didn’t seem afraid of us at all. They looked up at us a few times and then continued about their business.

 

At Tunnel Arch, we spent more time looking at a collared lizard than the arch. The lizard was stalking a huge fly sitting on a rock. Mike and I stood there watching for about 10 minutes, along with two guys trying to photograph the lizard in action. I didn’t realize exactly how quick a lizard could move. It leaped up to the rock, captured the fly, and swallowed it in the blink of an eye. After its lunch, it kept moving into our shadows to get some relief from the heat, and even let me reach down and stroke it.

At Pine Tree Arch we met a nice couple from the San Francisco Bay area. They had just completed the Devils Garden Trail, and said it was the most beautiful hike they had ever been on. It was a 7.2 mile hike that includes several arches. We were already hiked out. Maybe next time.

We missed the turn for Balanced Rock on our way into the park, but caught it on our way out.