We have arrived at Arches National Park, our 5th of the “Mighty 5” Utah national parks. Not only is this our 5th Utah national park, it is where we sadly part ways with Greg & Helen to go back to our respective states. It’s hard to imagine our joint trip is over. Sometimes it seems like it was so long ago when we started together (on May 13th) and other times it feels like the time (5 ½ months) has just flown by. For giggles, I counted the number of unique locations we stopped at. For Greg & Helen it was 67 and Dave & I had 65. Greg & Helen had a side trip to Kodiak Island in Alaska and I didn’t count Dave and my return to Anchorage for the axle repair. Dave drove 15,500 miles since we joined up with Greg & Helen. That’s a lot of exploring we did!
From our first meeting at Flandreau State Park in Minnesota on May 13th to Greg & Helen’s departure at Arches National Park on October 23rd, our joint trip spanned 167 days. We averaged 2.5 days at each stop. Many were overnights, some 2 or 3 days depending on the location, and we stayed for 5 nights at several of the national parks we visited. During our stay in Arches, Helen and I obtained our last national park Passport book stamp and sticker and we had our last campfire together. No s’more variation that night; Greg enjoyed a traditional s’more. And then, for our very last night together, we enjoyed dinner at the dog friendly Trailhead Public House and Eatery in Moab, which, had an awesome dessert to top it all
On to Arches National Park. According to the park brochure, there are over 2,000 cataloged arches ranging in size from a three-foot opening (the minimum considered an arch) to the longest, Landscape Arch, measuring 306 feet base to base. The park also has spires, pinnacles and balanced rocks, all scenic spectacles. We were lucky to get campsites at the park’s campground, Devil’s Garden, and, as with most national park campgrounds, we had to log on the minute reservations were open for our selected dates (which for Arches was 6 months in advance). The campground was spacious and near many trails to arches as well. We were able to walk on the rocks behind our campsite.
Upon arrival, we were ready to see arches! Greg, Helen and I hiked to 3 arches reasonably near our campground. As we weren’t sure how level the hike was, Dave stayed with Murphy. We first saw Tapestry Arch, then hiked to Broken Arch, and lastly Sand Dune arch (lots of kids at that one!). We could even see Skyline Arch from our campsite (after climbing up the rock behind our campsite).
Delicate Arch is a widely recognized symbol of the state of Utah, it is even on Utah’s license plates. The light opening beneath the arch is 46 feet high and 32 feet wide, making it the largest free-standing arch in the park. It is also regarded as a great place to see the sunrise, but since the trail can be a bit difficult, Greg suggested we leave right at sunrise. That worked great! We were able to see the trail and made our way up to the arch, hiking up slickrock and across narrow ledges. We joined fellow arch seers, carefully walking along the bowl to the arch and took our pictures under the arch. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to walk under there, but with Greg & Helen guiding me, I made it! You can see how massive the arch is by how small we are in the pictures. As we were hiking back down, there were tons of people hiking up, which would be scary for me on the narrow ledges. We were so glad we left early. Great call Greg!
That afternoon, Dave joined us on a hike to Landscape Arch, the second most popular and recognized arch in the park, 290 feet long and only 18 feet wide. It is the longest sandstone span in Arches National Park. As it looks more “delicate” than Delicate Arch, there is a rumor that the names were accidently switched due to a signage mix up, but the National Park Service says that is false as they were named that way by Frank Beckwith, during a scientific expedition in the winer of 1933-1934. In 1991, a large slab fell off of Landscape Arch and then two additional large rockfalls occurred in 1995. Since the rockfalls, the trail beneath the arch has been closed.
Early the next morning, Greg, Helen, and I headed out to the Devil’s Garden trail for more arch viewing. We first stopped by Tunnel Arch and then Pine Tree Arch and then made our way back to Landscape Arch. At this time of day, the sun was shining on it so we took a few more photos. Greg and Helen then ventured on further, which is labeled a difficult, primitive trail with elevation changes, rock scrambling, and some exposure to heights. I was going to go with them until I felt uncomfortable, and that only lasted ¼ mile in and I turned around. I think I have reached my limit in pushing my comfort boundaries for this trip. They came back with awesome photos of more arches and an ice cold pit they had to hike through. They are the hiking rock stars of this trip
The next morning, we said farewell and watched Greg & Helen pull out and head down the road. I am sure we will see each other on another adventure and I hope they will want to get out of that Minnesota cold and visit Dave, Murphy and I in in Florida this winter.
For our last day in Arches, Dave and I took Murphy and drove to several scenic locations, some with short hikes to see, what else, but more arches! Actually, there are many other unique rock formations as well, including the balanced rock shown below and something that looks like a hand. The formation that looks like 3 people is called the “Three Gossips”.
Dave and I are now on the road headed to Florida, while Greg & Helen are making their way to Minnesota. We will share an update on our adventures back to our respective states soon.
Stay tuned for a special blog edition with the results of our Cinnamon Roll taste tests, S’more variations and even a Kit Kat USA vs. Canada challenge.
Sad to see our Alaska and More adventure come to an end Brenda, already making plans for next year Dave, and where did that treat box with the nice people go Murphy?
Beautiful adventure!
Thanks for following along Susan! I hope our paths will cross again one day.
Wow
“Parting is of sweet sorrow” as my grandfather used to say to say.
(Quote from Romeo and Juliette”
I bet Alaska is still your favorite.
How is Dave’s injury ?
I bet Murphy will miss Greg and Helen
Have a safe trip home
I fell behind in following your adventure but caught up. I loved reading and visiting your blog and am saddened because it is over. It was a wonderful monologue on our beautiful country. Thank you for that.
I’m looking forward to your next adventure. Stay safe, stay healthy!
Reta