Arches NP (Devil's Garden Trail)

Posted from the Grand Canyon  (click on pics to enlarge)

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There are MANY more pictures in our Google Photo Album for this blog post.
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This was our last hike in Arches NP and I believe it was the best.  It has many different elements offered in a single hike.  You've got lots of arches, beautiful scenery from the ridges, "fins" to rock scramble across, and the trail itself is varied.  For those with less time or physical ability, the first part is basically on a flat, well groomed trail. For the more adventurous there are steep climbs, scrambles over slickrock, and narrow ledges (and that's even before you enter the "primitive" trail).

We originally intended to just head out to Dark Angel and come back to the trailhead along the same route. By the time we got to Double O Arch we changed our minds and returned along the primitive trail.  The NPS map indicated a total distance of approximately 7.2 miles, but by the time we saw every arch along the way, the total distance wound up being a bit over 8.5 miles  More on the primitive section later, however.

As I indicated earlier, the start of the trail is very "tame". Two tall verticals frame the beginning walk.

Pine Tree Arch

We took the first side trail to view Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch. The only reason I could determine why it was named Pine Tree Arch was because of a pine tree growing right in the center of the arch's floor.

Tunnel Arch

Tunnel Arch was only a short distance back toward the main trail.  I have to say that it was one of the least impressive arches, however.

The first 1/2 mile or so of the trail was pretty busy.  That's probably because we again got a late start (around noon) and it seems like many other folks have a similar mindset.  The starting temperature was in the low 60's.

Landscape Arch

The end of the most visited part of the main trail culminates at Landscape Arch.  This one, to me, should be re-named extremely delicate arch.  Back in 1991, a large section of rock fell from the section of the arch leaving a very narrow strip of rock to form the arch. (I would have loved to have been in the area when 60 feet of rock fell to the earth.)

Beginning after Landscape Arch was a section I enjoyed.  This picture shows a gentleman "keeping a low center of gravity" as he descends the steep and narrow slickrock.

Here's Karen taking a moment after making the ascent of the same rock group shown in the previous picture.

Partition Arch

The next little side trail takes us to Partition Arch. The view through this arch to the valley below was spectacular.

On our trek toward Navajo Arch we came across these bizarre looking vertical walls created as the result of erosion.

Navajo Arch

Here's a picture of Navajo Arch taken from underneath the arch.  Notice the amount of standing water beneath the arch.  This will be important later on in this hike.

We're almost 2 hours into our hike at this point and the dark clouds are rolling in.  We hope that they will bypass us and head north.  Turning around at this point really isn't an option.

The vertical closely formed walls are called "fins".  Here we are beginning to cross a section of fins as the raindrops are beginning.  Slickrock is not a good place to be when it's raining.

Ok, it's time for lunch anyway.  With the rain getting closer we seek out some shelter.  Fortunately, the rain is still fairly light.

Double O Arch

At Double O Arch we had the option of continuing to the end of the trail at Dark Angel, or beginning the primitive trail for our return.

Because of the impending storm, we shortened the hike and turned onto the primitive trail.  Paying attention to signs is a good idea. The decription of the primitive trail in the NPS guide read "Expect narrow ledges with rocky surface hiking and scrambling on slickrock. Not recommended when rock is wet or snowy."

Private Arch

The primitive trail is aptly named.  There are very few directional signs on this trail. It's important to understand how to follow cairns in this area. The first side trail took us to Private Arch. This is an appropriately named arch as it cannot be seen hiking toward it on the trail.  You come around a wall (where Karen is standing) and there it is.

I just threw this picture in because I like the "fins".

Some of the rock scrambling got a bit steep at this point.  Combining verticals and lack of good foot holds, sometimes this is the best method to get down.

This was probably our "scariest" section of rock to cross.  I didn't get any candid shots here because I was trying to keep from slipping. The rock was actually flatter and higher than it looks in this picture. (I added the red line to show the direction we used to traverse this section.)

Remember that standing water I spoke about back near the Navajo Arch? Well, we found some more. We're almost 4 hours into the hike now and getting a bit tired.  We should have only about another mile or so to the finish, but now we come upon an impasse in the trail.  There is no way to climb around the water on one side and the other side is a very narrow bit of slickrock. We were told by other hikers on the trail that the water was about thigh deep.  Ok, that's the route then.  COLD!

Back on the trail again and heading toward the finish.  The rains we've had the past couple of days met the ground as snow in the higher mountains nearby.

Finally, after 4 hours and 45 minutes we finished the Devil's Garden Trail.  This was a great hike!





This was our last day in Arches NP and in the Moab, UT area.  There is so much more that we wanted to see and do while in the area, but I guess we'll just have to make a return visit to fulfill those wants.



Thanks for dropping by to take a look!

Arches NP (Delicate Arch Trail)

Posted from Moab, UT    (Click on Pics to Enlarge)

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For a complete look at the pictures related to this blog post,
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On Saturday we returned to Arches National Park to hike the Delicate Arch Trail.  You can actually see the Delicate Arch via two routes.  You can drive to the end of the paved road and take a short hike up to the Upper and Lower Delicate Arch Viewing Points or you can hike 3.0 miles roundtrip up to the arch across slickrock and steep climbs.

Of course, you probably knew which route we chose already.  There were a bunch of folks out on the longer trail on this Saturday.  Actually, a bit more than I like when hiking, but hey, when you start midday that's what happens.

The first half mile or so really wasn't too taxing, but then it got a bit steeper.  I'm not doing any type of photo effect in this picture.  It really was this steep.

The hardest (read heart-pounding) part of the entire trail was the uphill climb across a pretty large expanse of slickrock.  We stopped to take lots of pictures in this section.  (That's code for stopping to catch our breath.)

We finally made it to the top after walking along a narrow ledge area.  The first glimpse of Delicate Arch was truly impressive.

Here's a bit closer picture of the arch. Notice the size of the people nearby for scale.  I believe this is the arch used on the Utah state license plate.

It's hard to express what a "neat" area this is up here.  Just below the arch is a huge basin area. It's not really "hikeable" from this position as the slickrock is steep and there is no real way to safely traverse it.

This is the view looking north from the rocks surrounding the arch.

Here's a better look at the arch from rocks slightly higher on the north side.

This is the area where the previous picture was taken, and also the rocks where we decided to stop and eat lunch.  The temperature was in the lower 80's and there was a nice breeze blowing.

We finally pulled ourselves away from this beautiful location and began the walk back to the trailhead.  On the return trip, there is a small detour trail which takes you to a rock wall showing some Ute petroglyphs. Interesting to look at, but the nearby sign could only narrow down their origins to between 1650 and 1850. It would seem that a better estimation of creation would be possible.

Excellent hike!  We really enjoyed this one.  The next post will include an even "neater" hike. Stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!

Movin' On to Moab

Posted from Moab, UT      (Click on Pics to Enlarge)

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Click HERE to check out our Google+ Album for MANY additional pics.
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Last Tuesday we left Capitol Reef NP (Torrey, UT) and traveled to Moab, UT.  Our intention while here is to visit Arches National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park, and possibly Canyonlands National Park.  Quite a tall order in the number of days we have allocated.

As we always do once arriving in a new area, we first make a visit the Visitor's Center of the park we intend to explore.  We've never been in this area of Utah at this time of the year, so we didn't realize how busy it would be.  There are a lot of folks visiting during this cooler time of the year.

The first day here we just went inside the Visitor's Center, watched a video, picked up some maps, and made a drive thru of the park without taking too many pictures.

The first mile or so is a steep drive.  The first pullout shows the Moab "fault line" and allows you to take a first look at the surrounding cliffs. The Visitor's Center is located near the center in this picture.

Ok.  It's now Day2 and time to do some hiking. We originally decided to do the trails in the "Windows Section" of the park, but later added the Park Avenue Trail later on the same day.

We didn't even get to the first trail when it was time for a pullout.  We're stopped here at the La Sal Mountains Viewpoint and looking at a formation nicknamed the "Three Gossips".

Here's a closer view of the "Three Gossips".

Our first stop was to visit one of the park's more famous formations called "Balance Rock".  This was a short 0.3 mile walk from the pullout to the formation.  "Balance Rock" has a total height of 128 feet and the boulder at the top is 55 feet in height. The rock holding up the large boulder at the top is eroding faster than the boulder, so eventually the "Balance Rock" will fall and be gone forever.

Moving toward our first hike we parked in the "Windows Section" to visit "Double Arch".  This rock formation is 0.5 mile from the parking area and a very popular point for visitors. This was a pretty cool formation.

Walking directly from "Double Arch" we headed toward the "Windows" via the primitive trail. This trail leads behind the "South Window" (on the left side) and the "North Window" (on the right).  It was a lot quieter behind the rocks because most folks just take the shorter hike from the parking area to the front side of the "Windows".

We also found this a quiet place to take a lunch break. Not one person passed by on this trail during the entire time we stopped for lunch.

Continuing along the trail, we next came to "Turret Arch".  Some of these formations need a bit of an imagination to visualize.

We also decided to hike the Park Avenue Trail before calling it a day.  This trail is listed as 1.0 mile in each direction as has trailhead access at two different points along the park's main road. We decided to begin the hike at the "Courthouse Towers Viewpoint" lot and we were glad we did. The first half of the hike is slowly uphill, so the return trip was much easier.

The area was first named "Park Avenue" because early explorers thought that the towering walls and formations reminded them of buildings in New York City.

Much of the hike is along a wash which runs thru the area.  There was absolutely no water present today, but the movement of the water on the rocks is beautifully evident as you hike.

Another view of the walls along the trail.

Our view at the end of our "out" portion of the hike was stunning. This was also near the other parking area for the trail and quite crowded with tourists.  The good thing is that most don't hike the trails, but only take pictures from the top, so the trail wasn't crowded.

It was a good first day of hiking in Arches National Park.  Don't forget to take a look at many more pictures in our Google+ album which didn't make it into today's blog.

Thanks for stopping by to take a look!