This morning the alarm went off at 5:05 am, but of course I rolled over for a few minutes. The plan was to be up and out early this morning to make my time entrance ticket time of between 6am – 7am. The National Park system is trying out a timed entry trial run to spread out the traffic entering the park and create a better experience for all visitors. I got my pass at 6:01 pm yesterday, when they opened up more tickets for the public for today. I chose the early time, as I like to enjoy the quieter morning times in the parks, and truly think it is better to be first in to beat a lot of the crowds.
My first stop was the Delicate Arch Hike. I am so glad I did it early, as the weather was nice and cool, as there is not a lot of shade on the hike at all. The hike is pretty strenuous as you do lots of climbing uphill over the sandstone plateaus and rocks. Again bring lots of water and wear hiking boots, or shoes with really good traction which you will definitely need on the way down.
The hike itself is 3 miles round trip, and well worth your time. Delicate Arch is a vision of beauty, and I am so glad we had blue skies today, as it really set off the red color of the sandstone.
You can stay up on the ledge, or climb down and get a picture standing in the arch. I recommend taking the extra steps and really get a view of the arch standing underneath it, and a picture or two.
I spent some extra time and found a quiet area at the top, to just sit and ponder the immense beauty that surrounds us. It was spectacular to just sit and be for a bit before heading down.
A few other easy hikes I recommend are:
Sand Dune Arch, which is a quick .4 mile hike through deep sand to see this spectacular arch.
Skyline Arch, where the trailhead is located at the Sand Dune Arch, and is also a short .4 mile hike to see this beautiful arch.
Broken Arch is another great hike. This one is 1.4 miles, and you cross a meadow so there isn’t too much climbing to see this arch. You can extend the hike to 2 miles by climbing up to the arch and going through it to continue on the trail.
If you are looking for a little space and some quiet time, take the turn off to Garden of Eden. Most people go straight to the tower located right on the trail. I veered off the the right and found a quiet place on another tower to sit for a while. The quiet, other than the very vocal crow, was extraordinary and oh so welcome after such a strenuous hiking day.
On my next visit, I am going to make plans to hike the Fiery Furnace. The Park Rangers lead guided tours daily, and reservations are required. The other option is to pay for a backcountry permit, of which only a limited amount are issued daily. I will definitely do the guided tour, as my sense of direction is not that good, although I have heard you can’t really get lost, because if you stray off the path you always end up at a dead end, and that is a very good thing as you never know what you will find.
The landscape of Arches National Park is spectacular and a park everyone should visit. The awesome part is that there are hikes for everyone. Hikes for the old and the young, as well as hikes for fit people and also those people who are open and ready to exploring the backcountry.
