Sunday, September 15, 2013

THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM

Friday, September 13 – We returned to Arches NP EARLY this morning. We were in the Park just after 7 a.m., and it sure paid dividends. We were here to hike the Devil's Garden Trail. Devil's Garden contains the highest concentration of arches in the world, among them is Landscape Arch, a slender ribbon of stone longer than a football field.

The hike out is gorgeous.
archeswalk to landscape arch

This is the most popular trail in the park. From the parking lot to Landscape Arch is only a 1.6 miles one way. The trail is very easy but not a stroll.

trail

Since we were early, we certainly avoided the inevitable crowds. As a matter of fact there was only one other couple on the trail when we viewed Landscape Arch. We were DELIGHTED by the serenity and solitude.

Do not miss the beauty of this arch.
landscape arch
 

Landscape Arch is the longest natural arch in the world. This is Marsha's favorite arch.

lanscape arch

At its thinnest section, it is only 6' thick.

landscape arch

On our way back to the parking lot, a crowd, consisting of a bus group, was heading to Landscape Arch. Get there BEFORE 8 a.m. if you want to avoid the crowds!

There are two trails off of the main trail leading to Landscape Arch. On our way back, we hiked out to Pine Tree Arch which was Paul's favorite because we could easily walk up, touch it, and enjoy it up close and personal.

There is little Paul on the left-hand side.pine tree arch

looking through pine tree arch

Looking up.
looking up

About a quarter of a mile from Pine Tree Arch is Tunnel Arch. Tunnel Arch is actually a double arch comprised of a larger hole towards the center of the fin, and a smaller hole on the upper-left.

tunnel arch

We enjoyed all of these arches immensely.

We continued to explore more of the 2,000+ arches. We will show you more of them in future posts.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day.