Arches National Park! One of many scenic national parks in southern Utah!

I visited Arches one previous time, in 1994, during my cross-country drive across America at age 23. During that trip I felt a strong calling, burden and/or desire (whatever you want to call it) to move to the Mountain West as soon as I could. Three years later, I made it happen. Today's adventure brought back many sweet memories of my prior visit and a past era of my life.

Arches National Park needs to be savored. Ideally, if you are staying in Moab for a few days, take your time covering everything this region has to offer. In contrast, I merely had one full day to cram as much as I could, and as you will see, I photographed most of the main attractions of the park. Sigh! How amazing would it be to live in Moab and photograph and document every "nook and cranny" the park?

I really suggest seeing all this in person, but if in case you haven't, there are over 70 photos and a video below. Enjoy!

-Steve

P.S. This is only my second pictorial of anything in Utah. The other page is a really stupid visit to a rest area west of the Utah/Colorado border on I-70. :)

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	The Beginning Arches National Park ... the entrance is just a few miles north of Moab, Utah.
	Now some Coloradoans might say these orange rock structures remind them of Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, because of the orange sandstone texture of the rocks. However, I'd say this park is about 50 times better than Garden of the Gods. This place has grander landscapes, larger rocks ... and arches! The arches are coming farther down in the photo gallery! :)
	TOP: The Park Avenue viewpoint, named so because of the orange rocks providing the feeling of being on a city street with tall structures on each side. There is a trail - notice the two people on the bottom right corner of the photo. BOTTOM: A boulder standing perilously on the vertical shelf, called a "fin." A plethora of rocks are situated in positions that appear ready to fall. Someday.
	Three photos of the road. I frequently pulled over to captured the landscape! :) I have not yet visited nearby Canyonlands National Park, but below are my other national park and monument pages: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (Arizona) Saguaro National Park (Arizona) Chiricahua National Monument (Arizona) Great Sand Dunes National Park Rocky Mountain National Park Black Canyon of the Gunnsion National Park
	This rock is named "Three Gossips." :)
	Sheep Rock (right rock) likely was connected to the left rock with at least one arch, possibly two, according to this sign. Notice there is a "baby arch" growing in the left rock.

Balanced Rock Look at this!
It is very interesting to discuss how long that large rock with remain perched up there ... in defiance of gravity! :)
Another angle.
A short trail travels around Balanced Rock.
Near the Garden of Eden turnoff, I zoomed-in to capture one more view of Balanced Rock.

	The Windows Section Traveling toward the Windows ...
	... approaching the sign. :)
	North Window. I included people on the right to give some perspective.
	Two more views of the arch. I walked directly under the arch and noticed various cracks, boulders and small rocks being held up there. It was a little scary. Gravity will surely have it's way with these arches over time, whether it's in ten years or 1,000. Fortunately, new arches are being formed by mother nature over time.
	The view as I stood under the North Window.
	The South Window.
	Both North Window and South Window.
	Turret Arch. All three of these arches can be viewed along a short trail.
	I noticed on park's brochure this photo of Turret Arch within the arch of one of the other arches. Pretty nice!
	Like I said, this visit brought back so many sweet memories from 1994. I was so happy in the desert! :)
	Cove of the Caves and Double Arch were across the parking lot and accessible by another short trail. For better or worse, I moved on and did not visit these two. I captured these two adjacent pictures with people in the foreground.

Miscellaneous Scenery Traveling away from the Windows Section.
The view of the desert from the Garden of Eden Overlook.
The Fiery Furnace rock area.
More orange rocks.
I pulled over at one particular stretch of road that overlooked much of the park. So pretty! Special thanks to my Honda Civic for making the ride. Too bad my car was so dirty, but that's life living in wintery Colorado. (How's that for an excuse?) I've only driven Hondas throughout my life - the very best automaker of our era. I had my '91 Honda CRX the last time I was here.

	Skyline Arch Approaching Skyline Arch.
	A sign at the trailhead provides information about a massive slab of rock falling in 1940. Nuts!
	Two photos as I approached Skyline Arch. It is only a 0.2 mile walk from the road.
	A closer look at Skyline Arch. One can clearly notice a break in the rock on the left side of the arch ...
	... and in fact, there are huge boulders and rock debris below! It's still there after 69 years.

Landscape Arch Among all the arches in this park, Landscape Arch is a natural wonder. The pictures speak for themselves! A sign provides information including a photo taken by a visitor when a large piece of rock broke off the arch in 1991.
Approaching Landscape Arch.
Lighting during my afternoon visit was terrible. The sun was directly behind! PHOTOGRAPHY SUGGESTION: Visit Landscape Arch early in the morning.
My camera focuses on the dark as the sun hides behind the thin rock.
Beyond Landscape Arch is a loop trail to other arches. I walked a short distance up toward Wall Arch. This arch made the news last year when it collapsed over night. The rock remains of the arch are sprawled out on the ground.
It's approximately 0.7 miles each way to Landscape Arch. Lots of orange rock views along the way!

	Extra Photos In Arches National Park A nice view. The La Sal Mountains in far eastern Utah are way out there. The rocks on the right include the Windows Section, Garden of Eden and the Balanced Rock areas.
	One picture at the Salt Valley Overlook.
	On my way out of the park, I noticed some rocks on top of this particular rock structure. Take a closer look at the rocks on the bottom photo here... don't they look like three people and/or creatures looking out? :)

Delicate Arch One last photo section. How could I not include Delicate Arch on this page? Visiting Delicate Arch, at least from a photography standpoint, is best during the late afternoon and evening. Otherwise, you'll be snapping pictures of the arch with the sun directly in the background! TOP PHOTO: The Delicate Arch Trail. Two miles round trip. Definitely some uphill. Novice hikers need to be aware of dangers: Bring plenty of water, wear sunscreen (this is the desert!) and follow the trailmakers. The park provides plenty of information and warning at the trailhead. BOTTOM PHOTO: One particular spot near the top has a ledge that has a significant vertical drop.
There it is ... Delicate Arch!
Two more photos. Notice the person in the left one.
I walked down to the base to inspect the arch.
Three close up shots of the arch as I stood directly below it. Well folks, we'll see how long this arch lasts!
Near the arch, I looked back toward where most visitors sit and gaze at the arch. There is a large bowl direct below with one hiker in there. If the conditions are icy or snowy in this area, I do not suggest walking down to the arch.
As I stood near the arch, I heard voices coming from the other direction. People sat on the rock on the other side! :)
One really bad token tourist photo of myself. I really wanted to capture a photo of me standing underneath the arch either from far away or close up, but I was not in the mood to ask anyone to take a photo of me. Then, as I was leaving, I struck a conversation with a visitor from Boston and I asked him to take my photo near the area where most people sit. Ah well ... it's okay. :)