Our Utah Adventure, Day Five, Part III: Pine Tree Arch, Tunnel Arch, and Landscape Arch

 This is a continuation of a travel series to Utah.  To start at the beginning, go  HERE.  The rest of the posts in chronological order are HERE,  HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE,HERE,  HERE, HERE, and HERE!

Welcome to the sixteenth and FINAL post of my Utah travel series!  First, a big thank you for those who stuck it out for all sixteen weeks!  Second, a big apology to those who thought I dragged it out 

too long.  I did this series hike by hike instead of just a generalized overview of the three Utah parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Arches.  The main reason I did this is because this is what I prefer when I start researching an area I want to travel to.  I want to know what trails other hikers took because I don't want to waste my time on a trail that is not for me.  The average travel post is very generalized and just gives a brief overview of the destination and usually gives recommendations on where to eat and stay.  I could care less about where I stay or eat.  We save money on our trips by driving instead of flying, and by staying at more inexpensive hotels and eating only one meal a day out.  We definitely do NOT eat that one meal at an expensive restaurant.  When we travel, we are running about exploring like crazy and spend very little time in our hotel room.  Spending a lot of money on accommodations is not important to us.  But, spending our time wisely is important to us, as we never seem to have enough time to see everything we want to see.  So, when I come home and write these posts, I have that in mind.

Now, onto the last day of our vacation.  On day five of our vacation we were up before sunrise and saw Balanced Rock, hiked the Windows Trail, checked out the Skyline Arch and the Sand Dune Arch.  But we had one hike left before we could jump in the car and make the long drive home, and that was to see "Landscape Arch".  Landscape Arch is probably the second most famous arch in Arches National Park, with the "Delicate Arch" being the most well known.  We were unable to see this arch on our first visit to the park in 2016, and because we knew it wouldn't last much longer (it's expected to break soon), we really wanted to see it while it was still intact.

The Landscape Arch trail is a moderately easy trail on a hard-packed surface with some elevation gain.  There are short side trips to Tunnel and Pine Tree Arch, but you have to hike down to get to those arches and it's quite the steep climb back up.

I thought the terrain on this trail was different from the rest of the park.  It seemed more rugged and natural.

From Landscape Arch you can also take another trail to see Double O Arch, but this trail is very primitive and is a difficult route that requires lots of rock scrambling with steep, exposed slopes.  My husband and son started this trail to explore it a bit, while I stayed behind and rested at Landscape Arch.  The picture below shows my son in front, leading the pack on the start of the trail from Landscape Arch.

As for Landscape Arch, this is an arch not to be missed!  It's the longest arch in the park and the fifth longest arch in the world.  You can only take the trail up to a fence to view the arch as it is so delicate they don't want visitors hiking underneath it in case it collapses.



The arch is 306 feet long but spans only 11 feet thick at its center.

We enjoyed hiking this unique trail to Landscape Arch, but by the time we arrived in this area, it was already mid-day so it was hot and busy with other hikers.

A side trail spurs off the main trail and leads you to two more arches:  Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch.  Pine Tree arch is a gorgeous arch because it provides a window to the extraordinary landscape of Arches National Park.

The picture below shows the other side of Pine Tree Arch, named after the Pine Tree growing in front of it I assume.

And the last arch is Tunnel Arches.  This one is viewed only from a distance.  It has a viewing platform below.  It is a quite tall, thick fin of sandstone with a tunnel in the middle...hence the name.

And that concludes my Utah Travel post!  One of my regular readers, Ellie, asked me to do a post on which park and hike was my favorite.  I decided not to do yet another Utah post, but to let you know here which ones were my favorite and why.  Zion National Park was my absolute favorite Utah park and the best National Park I've been to yet.  The beauty of that park is unparalleled to any place I've ever been to before.  And my favorite hike was also in that park:  The Narrows!  Hiking the Narrows was one of the greatest thrills of my life.  It is such a unique trail, because you are walking in a river the entire time, but again, the beauty of that trail is like nothing I've ever seen before. 

That being said, I'd like to briefly summarize all three parks for you.  Zion, although the most beautiful, is the least family friendly.  There are a few easy trails like the Pa'rus Trail,  Riverside Walk, and Lower Emerald Pools that anyone can hike and are wheelchair/stroller accessible, but most are for the adventurous who are not afraid of heights as the trails are steep with lots of drop offs.  The MOST family friendly park is Arches.  Although there are a few strenuous trails here (like Delicate Arch) most of the arches you can see right from the road, or a short .5 round trip hike from the parking lot.  Many of the trails are paved or hard-packed sand so they are stroller friendly.  Bryce Canyon falls somewhere in the middle of the two parks.  Anyone can drive right up to the parking lot of the canyon rim and see the canyon and take the paved Rim Walk.  But all the rest of the trails require hiking DOWN into the canyon, and you know if you go down you have to climb back up to the rim.  Some people may find any trail, other than the Rim Walk, difficult because of the steep climb back up.  However, there are many nice short walks down into the canyon, my favorite being "Wall Street" that less adventurous hikers can take.  For those who like a more challenging hike, there are plenty of options there too; our favorite challenging hike in Bryce was "Peekaboo Loop".

For next week's Travel Post I'm going to share a little nature center in Illinois that I visited with the grand kids

last fall;  then, I will reveal where my husband and I plan to vacation in 2020!

Until then, 

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Our Utah Adventure: Day Five, Part II: Sand Dune and Skyline Arch

 This is a continuation of a travel series to Utah.  To start at the beginning, go  HERE.  The rest of the posts in chronological order are HERE,  HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE,HERE,  HERE, and HERE!

Day Five was our last day of vacation before we had to head home.  This has been a LONG travel series, as we did a lot in five days.  Next week will be the very last post.  I know some of you are probably cheering "Hip, Hip, Hooray" right now, as it has taken me so long to cover everything.  

On our last day of vacation, after we watched the sunrise at the Windows Arches, we got back in our car to see some of the arches we missed during our first visit to Arches National Park.

The first arch we came upon was Skyline Arch.  This arch you can see right from the road, you don't even need to get out of your car.  But my husband and son being the adventurers they are, wanted to get as close to this arch as possible so we parked the car in the small pull off.

It's a short 0.4 mile round trip trail to the base of the arch.  My hubby and son were disappointed that there was no way to get closer to the arch.  This is a HUGE arch, and there was no way to climb up for the boys.  The height of the arch is 33.5  feet and the span is 71 feet.

In the photo below you can see the boys standing at the base of the arch.  That gives you a lot of perspective at how tall this rock formation is.

An interesting thing about this arch is that it didn't always look like this.  Arches are constantly changing due to erosion.  In 1940 a huge boulder suddenly fell out of the arch essentially doubling the opening.

Another arch we stopped at was a fun one.  The irony is, when I read the description of the arch and trail to my husband, he didn't even want to stop!  He didn't think it would be worth it.  But it ended up being one of our favorite arches because it was so different!

This arch is called "Sand Dune" arch.  The reason it is called "Sand Dune" is because you literally walk in very deep sand to reach it.  The sand can be kind of taxing on the legs to walk on, but thankfully it is a very short 0.3 mile trail.

This arch is a hidden gem.  You would never know it was there if not for the trail guide.  The arch is hidden and surrounded among very tall rock formations.  The trail leading to the arch is so mysterious and fun.  You have to first walk through this narrow opening.

My son had fun crawling up all the rock formations as usual.

This arch is so unique.  You feel like you discovered a magical place when the trail widens out and the arch is revealed.  I loved the way the light shone inside.

You are not allowed to climb on any of the arches in Arches National Park, but you can climb other rocks and of course explore the area up around the arch.

This last picture shows a typical hiking day of the Johnson Family.  I'm usually sticking to the trail, while hubby and son are running off the beaten path and rock climbing.

Next week I will finish up the series with a few more arches, one of them being the famous " Landscape Arch".

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Our Utah Adventure: Day Four and Five, Part 1: Sunrise and Sunset In Arches National Park

 This is a continuation of a travel series to Utah.  To start at the beginning, go  HERE.  The rest of the posts in chronological order are HERE,  HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE,HERE, and HERE!

After we left Bryce Canyon, we grabbed some lunch and headed to our final destination of our Utah Adventure:  Arches National Park.  It is a four and a half hour drive from Bryce to Arches.  Now, my husband and I had already been to Arches back in 2016, but we went again this time around so my son could see it and also so we could hit some trails we missed on our first visit.

We arrived in Moab late in the day and had very limited time before sunset.  We had told our son all about the Delicate Arch Trail (the best trail in the park in my opinion, but also one of the most difficult).  My husband and I hiked that trail the first time we visited (you can read about it HERE).  To this day, I put that trail in my top three of most difficult hiking trails (I did hike it during the heat of the day, which is NOT recommended) but oh, so worth it!  After days of hiking, my son wasn't interested in hiking another long, arduous trail, and frankly, hubby and I were pretty pooped out ourselves, so we decided to take the "Cheater's Trail" so our son could at least see the arch from the distance.  It in no way is as great an experience as hiking the trail and getting right up to the arch, but it was still a neat experience because you get to see it from another perspective.  You really realize how HUGE this arch is when you see it from a distance.  Look at the pictures below, can you see the people standing to the left of the arch?  Like I said, it's all about perspective!

This trail has two viewpoints:  a lower and an upper.  The lower viewpoint is wheelchair accessible as is a 100 yd easy walk.  The upper viewpoint is 0.5 miles and is moderately difficult, rocky uphill route.  

If you ever visit Utah and go to Arches National Park, this is the arch that is not to be missed!  So if you don't want to walk a strenuous three mile trail to see the arch, at least take in one of the other "Cheater trails".  This arch is the one featured on Utah billboards and license plates.  It's a must see!

After we saw the Delicate Arch, we took our son to another spot in the park we thought he'd find interesting for it was featured in the movie "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade".  It is called "Double Arch".  I also did a post on this arch back in 2016 HERE.

This is such a great arch.  It's so fun to climb right into it.  It may not look like it in the photos but this arch is huge and it is quite the climb to get up to the first window.  To get up to the base of the arch itself is very easy.  It's only a 0.5 mile hike (round trip) from the parking lot on a easy, hard-packed trail.

I climbed up this baby the first time I visited (although not as high as my hubby did), but this time I held back and let my husband and son have all the fun while I took pictures.

By the time my son was done exploring the double arch, the sun was setting fast, so we knew we had to get going.  I did get some spectacular sun set pictures though!

The next morning we woke up before dawn so we could watch the sunrise in the park.  I can't recommend enough visiting these parks early in the morning or late at night.  First of all, there are hardly any other people, so you can always find a parking spot.  Second, you will always get amazing pictures because there aren't a lot of tourists in your frame, and the lighting is spectacular!  And thirdly, the day time temperatures are harsh in Utah.  It is so much more comfortable hiking in the coolest part of the day.

The picture below shows the famous "Balanced Rock" as the sun rises and hits it.  If you want to read more about this easy trail, check out THIS POST from 2016.  You will also see a big difference in the photography as those pictures were taken during the heat of the day.

After viewing the Balanced Rock, we then headed to show our son "Windows Trail".  I also wrote about this trail in 2016 HERE,

"Windows Trail" is an easy 1 mile round trip trail to North Window, South Window, and the Turret Arch.  I believe the photo below is the Turret Arch.  It is opposite of the Window arches.  My son is standing with his arms outstretched in front of it.  Can you see him?

It was such an amazing experience to sit underneath this arch and watch the sun rise.  The beauty was unbelievable.

Hubby walked around both sides of the arch (no easy feat) to get these stunning photographs.  On one side he captured our shadows, and on the other side (next picture), he captured the arch and us all lit up by the sun.

This picture shows the North and South Windows together.

After showing our son all the highlights of our first visit to Arches in 2016 we were off to explore some of the arches we missed the first time!  And wow!  Were we glad we did, because we sure found some beauties, but more on that next week.

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

Arches National Park - Delicate Arch Trail

 This is a continuation of a travel series of a road trip I took to Las Vegas in May with my husband.  To start at the beginning read THIS POST.    Here are the rest of this travel series posts in chronological order:

Dinosaur Hill, Fruita Colorado

Scenic 1-70 West Drive

The Flamingo Hotel and The Vegas Strip

Day Two in Las Vegas

The Bellagio Gardens

A Bus Tour to the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon West Rim

What To Do When Bad Things Happen When Your On Vacation  

Arches National Park - Park Avenue Trail

Arches National Park - Ancient Sand Dunes and Balanced Rock Trail

Arches National Park - Windows Trail and Double Arch

If you read last week's travel post I talked about what Arches National Park is famous for...it's arches and how they are formed.  This week is my final post on Arches National Park and I am ending it with the world famous Delicate Arch!  This is the arch that is pictured on Utah license plates and on their state welcome signs.  It is a 65 foot tall free standing natural arch with a picturesque view of the snow capped mountains and desert terrain.  People come from all over the world to see this arch, and once you see it for yourself, you know why.  It is truly a spiritual experience to be had!

There are two ways to see the arch:  the Lower and Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoints and the Delicate Arch Trail.  The first way, the viewpoints, is for anyone who physically can't hike the Delicate Arch trail, or doesn't want to exert themselves that much.  The Delicate Arch Trail is not for the faint of heart.  Rescue operations occur frequently for visitors who underestimate the trail's difficulty.

 I am thankful to the National Park Service for providing a second option to view this beautiful national landmark so everyone, regardless of their physical ability, can  see it.  Even though other options are provided for viewing, Delicate Arch is still not easy to see from a vehicle.  If you need a level path take the Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint.  It is a level 100 yard walk with a view of the arch a mile away.  The Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint is a 0.5 mile walk up stairs but has a less obstructed view.

Now, if your physically up to the challenge, the best view is the Delicate Arch Trail.  It is a difficult three mile round trip trail with a elevation of 480 feet, no shade, and open slid rock with some exposure to heights.  You will struggle not only with the challenge of walking up a steep hill for a mile and a half, but also with the desert heat, sun, and altitude.  I saw at least a half a dozen people or more walk half way up and either turn around and go back or they looked like they were suffering heat stroke.  I'm not kidding.  And the irony is that most of them were younger than me.  It's a test of endurance, that's for sure.  If you can hike the trail in the early morning or evening that is best, because then you will not be dealing with the hot desert sun.  We were stupid enough to hike it in the middle of the day, but we also didn't even know about this trail till we got to the park.

When you first start on the trail you come across this cute little cabin called "Wolfe Ranch Cabin".  It is named after John Wesley Wolfe who settled in this area in 1888.

I took this photo so you could get an idea of how dry this area is.  And yet, isn't it funny how there is still plenty of green growth?  I don't think I've ever seen ground this dry in Wisconsin during my entire lifetime.  It is such a different environment than my home state.

Still, despite all the dryness, there was still water running along this trail.

Now once you get past the cute little cabin and river, the long, uphill hike begins.  At first you think "This isn't so bad", and then after hiking for awhile, you look up and see this:

"Are those people up there on that rock?" I ask my husband.  "Looks like it", he said.  "Is that the trail, or are they just walking on that giant rock?".  He wasn't sure, but we soon found out.  Yes, those are people on that giant rock, see them in the center of the picture?  If not, there's a zoomed in photo below.  And yes, this is the trail.  Hmmm, somehow I didn't think rock climbing was in the trail description.

This is me thinking "Eh, how much further?"

And here I am at the top of the rock.  Can you see the dirt path in the distance?  There is a parking lot in the middle of the photo.  That's where the hiking trail starts.  Where I am is about 1/3 of the way.  I thought once I reached the top of this rock the hike would be over.  I mean, how long is a mile and a half anyway?  But no, I was no where near the end of the trail yet!

The terrain does change slightly once you reach the top of the first giant rock, but not for long!

If it weren't for all the other of hundreds of hikers on this trail, I think I would have gotten lost.  After all, your pretty much just walking on rock most of the time, it's not like a nice worn down path in the woods.  They do have these small stone formations (called cairns) occasionally to make sure you are on the path.

As you start to near the end of the trail, the terrain changes again.  Now you are no longer up on top of a giant rock, but walking alongside the huge rock formations!  The path is right along the lower edge of this formation...see the person walking in the distance?

And here I am ascending the same path as well.

And now is when one's fear of heights is tested.  It may be hard to tell in the pictures, but this is HIGH, with a steep drop off.  Needless to say, I hug the rock wall!  Look at the two people in the distance...they look like they could drop off the edge!  Yikes!

This is the view below from where I am standing.  Gorgeous, but scary!

But when you finally make it to top, it is all worth it, because this is what you see!  Amazing isn't it?  Just look at those gorgeous snow-capped mountains in the distance!

When you get to this point, you are so physically exhausted. I remember my legs feeling like rubber and starting to shake a bit.  I sat down on the rocks and just soaked in the view while I ate some granola and dried berries.  This is a hike where you must bring food and water with you. The park service advises bringing at least one quart of water per person on this hike.   I never felt a need to eat during a hike before, but I did on this one.  I felt my body was just so weak at this point and I was craving the nourishment.   I also noticed most people around me were eating as well.

After I was physically refreshed, I started to explore.  It involved more climbing, for I now had to climb down the rocks and into the "bowl".

Professional photographers often complain that Delicate Arch is always so crowded that it is hard to get a photo without someone in it.  I felt everyone was very polite and waited their turn in line to get a photo of themselves standing under this famous arch.  And I actually prefer pictures of people in the photos to help give an idea of scale.

This is the view of the opposite side from which the arch stands.

Another view of the opposite side of the arch.  Notice the crazy person sitting on the formation?

 And here is a good view of the "bowl" and the desert terrain of the right side of the arch.

My husband under the arch.

And me to the left of the arch with a view of the snow capped mountains.

We probably spent almost an hour at the Delicate Arch.  It was such a spiritual experience to see such beauty and grandeur, and I think the difficult hike to get there, only made me appreciate it so much more.  I was proud of my 53 year old body to be able to make a hike that people half my age couldn't do.  It proved to me that even though exercise doesn't produce the waif thin body I would like to have, it's still certainly worth it for my health.

Now, if I could only get over my fear of heights!!!!  My husband made fun of me for hugging the rock wall.  Of course, he walked right along the outer edge with no fear at all!

 I have to show you how pretty most of this rock is.  Not all of the rock looked like this, but a lot did. Just look at how gorgeous this is!  I would love to have this beautiful rock in my garden.

Going back down the trail was so, so easy.  It seemed to take minutes to get back down.  We did notice that there were a lot more people going up when we were coming down.  I did find out later that the park recommends taking this hike to see the sunrise or the sunset to avoid the desert sun and get the best views.  Parking is difficult to find during sunset hours, so sunrise would be the best time of the day to hike this difficult trail.

And finally, here is a very short 1:13 minute video of the Delicate Arch.  I am standing at the very top of the rock, when your view first opens up to the arch.  I will do a complete circle with the camera.  I want you to notice how quiet it is.  Even though there are hundreds of people all excited to see the arch, it's almost like there is a spiritual reverence here.  Every one just seemed so awestruck by the experience and the views there was no need for conversation, but only contemplation.

And that concludes my posts of Arches National Park.  Next week I will share the very last day of our May road trip...Vail, Colorado!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE and Travel Tuesday!

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