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 - Windows Trail and Double Arch

  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

So far in this series I have spent two travel posts covering Arches National Park and have yet to show you what this park it's famous for....it's ARCHES.

First, let's talk a bit about the Arches. Arches National Park is known for containing over 2000 natural sand stone arches.   These arches are formed over time when parallel fractures in the rock's surface erode to form "fins".  Eventually, as the erosion continued through the years, these arches were created where the fins wore completely through.

The picture below shows a faraway shot of the North and South Windows.  The mammoth size of these arches is unbelievable!  Just notice the people in the picture to get an idea of the scale.

Windows Trail is a very easy, short hike on a paved trail.  Of course, most people go off the trail and hike up under and through the arches.  It is prohibited to climb or walk on any of the arches or natural bridges in the park.

The short one mile trail takes you to the North and South Windows seen above, and the Turret Arch seen below.

Anyone of all fitness abilities can walk on the main trail, but there is also an alternative return which is a primitive trail that is slightly longer and more difficult.

 They have nice, graduating steps that lead up to the North Windows Arch.

The short hike up is worth it for the views are amazing!

Here I am standing at the base of the North Window Arch.  You can see the Turret Arch in the distance behind me.

This is the view from up inside the Turret Arch.

I love it when State and National Parks provide hiking trails for everyone of all abilities to enjoy.  This is a trail that almost anyone can walk on for it's short,  it has stone or board steps, and easy to follow gravel paths.  We saw people of all ages enjoying this hike, from little children to the elderly.  But the young and fit enjoyed this trail as well, they just climbed a little higher and got off the beaten path for a bit.

This is a far away photo of Turret Arch.  It is so steep to get up under the arch.  I was literally pulling myself up and climbing rocks to get inside of it.  My husband always ended up going farther and he got so many of these lovely panoramic views.  I just climbed to the inside of the arch and usually stopped and waited in the shade for him to return.

This is called the Turret Arch because of the taller rock formation next to the smaller hole.  That formation looks like a turret...or a small tower.

I did make it to the top and climbed through Turret Arch.  This is me on the other side.

 On the other side of the parking lot of The Windows Trail and Turret Arch is the Parade of Elephants and the Double Arch.

The Double Arch trail is a 0.5 mile easy trail through some loose sand just to get to the bottom of the arch formation.  But if you want to get to the top base of the arch, that requires some major climbing.

The Parade of Elephants are the formations surrounding the Double Arch on the left.  They are named that because they look like, well elephants of course!

This is the base of the Double Arch trail.  It is two arches that form a dome.  It is an amazing experience to climb up into it as far as you can and look up and see the gorgeous blue sky.  Or, if your strong and brave like my husband, to climb up into the window and see breath-taking views!

Here I am standing near the end of the trail.

And here is the view from inside the arch.  See the tiny little person on the left?  That gives you some idea of the massive scale of these arches!

Here's an idea of what you have to climb to reach the top.

Me in the basin of the arch looking up at the arches above me.

That's my husband standing at the very top of the window of the arch.

View from the top!

The Arches of Arches National Park are truly amazing and you really have to experience them in person to appreciate them fully.  So if your ever in Utah, stop in Arches, even if you only have a short time.  We only had about six hours to spend in the park and we were able to hike three short trails and one longer one.  I wish I had about six more days to spend in the park, for there was so much more to see.  Hopefully someday I'll get back there!

Next week I'll conclude my visit to Arches National Park with the most famous arch of them all....Delicate Arch!  See you then!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE and Travel Tuesday!