We drove about a half hour south of Thompson Springs down Hwy 191 toward Moab. We turned at the entrance to Arches National Park and was greeted by two VERY long lines of traffic making their way toward the Entrance Station. (note: be sure to arrive before 0930 even on a weekday in October!) It took close to a half hour to make our way into the Park. A quick stop at the Visitor Center and decided it would be better to view the exhibits later in the day. So, off we went on the 23 miles of paved roads that takes you to viewpoints and hiking trails to some amazing natural wonders.
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| The lineup to get to the Entrance Station. |
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| See the lineup of vehicles heading to the Entrance Station on the left? |
It was a perfect hiking day. Temperature around 70F (20C), light wind and light cloud cover. The only thing to contend with were the crowds. The parking areas are not large and we drove right by some trails as you just couldn't park anywhere near them. That's OK, we caught them on the way back in the afternoon.
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| The Gossips |
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| Balanced Rock |
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| Up close |
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| The trail to the Delicate Arch overlook. I think these look like tortoise shells. |
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| It's interesting to look closely at the makeup of the rock. Mostly sandstone. |
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| This is Delicate Arch. The most visited of all the arches. Look at the people on the trail! We couldn't get close to the parking lot so this overlook view will have to do. |
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| Various colors to the rocks tells the history. Inland seas, water and winds layered the sandstone. |
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| These type of formations are called 'fins'. Eventually they may erode to create an arch. |
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| This is Tunnel Arch. If you look closely you will see a second 'tunnel' on the left. |
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| This is Pine Tree Arch. |
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| This is Landscape Arch. A portion of it collapsed in 1991. |
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| This one is Skyline Arch. |
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| Impressive rock structure. |
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| Turret Arch |
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| The Windows |
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| Double Arch. See how tiny the people look? This is a huge arch. |
After our feet couldn't take any more we drove to the Visitor Center to view a short video. The gift shop was closing for the day (Awww) so we packed up and headed into Moab to buy a few groceries and wine. The traffic lineups were crazy just getting into the town limits. We found a Kroeger food store, bought our groceries and then found the State Liquor Outlet. This is Utah and liquor sales are controlled by the State, which means not quite the same value as we found in Arizona. Anyway, all stocked with wine and bourbon so time to head back to Thompson Springs. Thankfully no traffic delays getting out of town!
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| Downtown Moab |
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| Sunset from our campground. |
Friday we head to Canyonlands National Park. If it is half as spectacular as Arches NP was it will be well worth the trip!
........and that was Our View From Here!
We stayed in Moab a few years ago and saw the lines to get into Arches like you did. We opted to go early in the morning and avoided the lines. That area is crazy with people!
ReplyDeleteWho would have thought that October would be this crowded. We are still hoping to be able to see some of the parks. Thanks for sharing your pictures.
ReplyDeleteIt was busy many years ago when we visited but I think there are more RV’s on the road now and with the Internet and social media the word is out on so many more areas. We never used to have to reserve sites but are finding now we have to.
ReplyDeleteSafe travels!
Great pictures! We really hope to make it there someday.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures and memories for us!
ReplyDelete