Arches National Park

We arrived late to Arches National Park and there were no camp sites available. The ranger pointed us to another campsite nearby that was fine and we made dinner (mac and cheese and beans) and hit the sack. We got up the next morning and went into Moab and got a cup of coffee and gassed up the car before setting off for Arches National Park.

As a side note, we have totally blown our gas budget. We planned to drive about 3000 miles total, but we have driven well over 2000 miles and are only 1/2 way through our trip.

We did not know what to expect at Arches National Park but it was spectactular. The area was formed by salt domes being liquified under high pressure by shifting tutonic plates and pushing up unusual rock formations. Some have been affected by wind and rain to form arches and that is how the name of the park came about.

We hiked to about 10 arches for a total of 10 miles of hiking. One of our favorite Arches was the Delicate Arch which is about 50 feet tall and equally wide on top of a ridge with a spectacular view. The trails were not for the faint of heart or someone with vertigo. We walked on narrow ledges and on top of fins (fins are 30-100 feet high narrow outcropsof rocks. We passed over two where the path was 3-6 foot wide and if you fell from either sied, you would go down 50 feet!

You can see our pictures here.