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Tracy & Henry wave to a fellow climber as he takes a picture below Corona Arch, just outside Arches

Hikes: Arches and Moab, Utah

The friendly fellow at the Element Hotel’s main desk said, “Delicate Arch in Arches National Park is certainly a show stopper, but unless you have a permit, there is no way to see it this afternoon … unless you wait until after 4:00pm. That’s when the National Park is open and free to the public. The challenge will be to make it to see the best arches before the sunsets (at approximately 6:15pm this time of year).”

“Where can we go between now (noon and 4:00pm)?” we asked. He gave us a list of great hikes to see the other natural bridges and arches located just outside the Park boundaries. Off we went, dropping our bags in the room and setting off to see the redrock wonderland.

Arches National Park

Some of the most scenic and iconic images of the Southwest and Utah are the town Moab and the National Parks in the area. The best known Park is Arches. The others in Southeast Utah include Zion, Bryce, Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur and Canyonlands, all of which are complemented by such magnificent views from State Parks and Monuments such as Bears Ears, Dead Horse Point, Four Corners, Goosenecks of the San Juan and many more.

Just outside of Arches lie Corona Arch, Bowtie Arch, Wilson Arch and Funnel Arch. We chose Corona Arch and we headed by car to the trailhead. It was a hot and windy day, so we packed some water and headed south then east to the trailhead. Crossing a railroad track, we followed a well worn, cairn-marked trail. The stone steps led us up a ladder attached to the sandstone and to some hand-over-hand cables to reach the best view point. It was well worth the effort as the image of Corona Arch at the top of this post attests.

Today we wanted to see Delicate Arch before the sunset over the horizon. So off we ran, literally, to the places we thought we could get the best view. We guessed the wrong spot and walked for about 45 minutes up a steep embankment only to see Delicate Arch about a mile away on the hillside.

We got back in our car and headed to the better trail head. Daylight was running out, as we could tell by the long shadow made by the Arch, so we had some serious hoofing to do to catch the best views. The day windy but the sky was crystal clear, no clouds, so it was applying sunscreen and off to the races. If it were not for the altitude (5,200 or so feet above sea level) and our poor, too-many-hours-in-the-car conditioning, we could have been more relaxed in our walk.

I arrived at the vista of the Arch first and took in the different views in all directions from this monument. Tracy arrived a short time later. We both made it to the base of the arch, with time to spare. We noted the fragility of this natural wonder, with one side of the arch looking as if it would blow over at any moment. It is aptly called Delicate.

Tracy was a great travel companion, allowing me to scoot ahead. The landscape is truly breath-taking. And trips like this one force me to go back and review my “intro to geology” lessons from Cottonwood Gulch days.

We walked back downhill to the parking lot and were tired from our heart-pumping afternoon. After dinner our sleep that night in the Element Hotel in Moab was a welcome relief.

The next day we explored Dead Horse Point State Park, which was equally spectacular. Don’t miss it on your next journey to Moab, Utah.