Arches National Park

We have arrived in Utah! Once again we were able to stay overnight on BLM land not far from the park! Way better than a truck stop! We woke up bright and early befor sunrise and headed to Arches National Park!

We were both excited to see what this park had to offer! (Arches presumably…) As we entered the park we were amazed at the rock formations that dominate the park landscape! Each time we would round a bend a new sight would greet our eyes. And we still hadn’t seen any arches yet!

We stopped first at The Windows just after sunrise! There are several arches here, North Window, South Window, and Turret Arch, all of which are beautifully highlighted by the rising sun! The shadows play along the rocks and boulders behind, the arches themselves gleaming in the new light!

From there we headed to Delicate Arch, probably the most famous arch in the park, it is immortalized on the Utah licence plates. There are 2 ways to experience this arch, either a strenuous 1.5 mile “March to the Arch” which takes you to the arch itself, or an easier 0.75 mile hike to a nearby viewpoint. We chose the viewpoint option. We were a little dissapointed. Next time we will definitely take the March!

Finally we stopped at the Devil’s Garden Trailhead to visit Landscape Arch. This arch is 306 feet long and is expected to be the next arch to collapse (a portion of the arch broke of in the ‘90s. There are plenty of other things to see, but we decided that we would just have to come back to see them, hopped in the car, and headed out.

Personnel:
There was a ranger cleaning the bathrooms at Delicate Arch Viewpoint, but we didn’t interact with him except in that the bathrooms were clean and well stocked… so he was at least doing his job well!

Climate/weather:
Once again, it was a cold morning! But, once we were in the sun it was perfect hiking temperature and weather with clear blue skies and beautiful sunny scenery! November is apparently a great time to visit this park. Good job us.

Facilities/signage:
The bathrooms were clean and well stocked in both locations, with clean pit toilets and hand sanitizer. The entrance sign was definitely a disappointment. Arches National Park should have an amazing sign, the whole park is based around arches after all! But nope… small, unremarkable sign. So we made our own arch! Within the park the signs were quite good, both on the roads and on the trails.

Hiking experience:
We went on two hikes here. The first was the hike up to and around the Windows. This hike was definitely short and sweet! Especially fun was the primitive trail around the north side of the Windows. Not only were the views great, the trail itself was interesting and fun to navigate!
The second hike was out to Landscape Arch. This hike is fantastic as well! The arch was cool, but that wasn’t the only feature that captured us during this hike. Everywhere we looked there was amazing rock formations, grand sweeping vistas, and gnarled old trees! The whole hike was an experience. You should hike in Arches.

Driving Experience:
If we had just driven through the park, we would not have lacked for amazing views and scenery! This area is so full of amazingness! It is hard to be the driver as you go through the park because you don’t want to be looking at the road! You should drive in Arches!

Camping options:
There is one campground at Devil’s Garden. You can make reservations for March through October, but in winter it is first come first served. We didn’t see any info about backcountry camping, but based on the signs about the delicacy of the ecosystem it seems like it is probably not allowed.

Hammockability:
Sadly low… not too many trees, and hanging from the arches isn’t allowed.

Scenery:
The rocks are fascinating here. Seeing all of the shapes that are formed and experiencing a different beauty than mountains and trees is surprisingly captivating. The surrounding countryside is not spectacular but being in among the rock formations and arches is fantastic.

Nearby food:
We didn’t see any food options in the park, but the town of Moab is just outside the park and has plenty of food options.


A return trip will happen. There is much more to see in this park than we took the time to do on this trip! We will definitely do the March to the Arch, and the Fiery Furnace just begs for an exploration! Not only that, but there are miles of hiking trails that wind through the epic scenery to be found. You should visit Arches! (And take us with you!)

Next stop: Canyonlands!