Today’s plan was to get up early and hike to the Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. We had purchased a 7:00 AM reservation yesterday, so we didn’t have to get up quite as early. Susan and Mom decided to sit this one out.
Andrew and I arrived at the park entrance at 7:20. There was a somewhat long line for the left lane, but the right lane had only two cars, so we chose the right lane and zipped right through. We drove directly to Delicate Arch, and we were not alone. It seemed like everyone wanted to do that hike.
Earlier in the week, we heard that this hike was hard. I didn’t really believe that assessment. The trail is 1.5 miles long and climbs 480 feet. The trail from the parking lot passes Wolf Ranch with a bridge over a small, nearly dried up stream, then crosses a ridge before climbing a long solid rock slope. The trail winds around a hill to the left before turning back for the "Aha" moment.
The arch was very popular, as was expected. Many people stood in a makeshift line, waiting for their chance to be photographed under the arch. Andrew and I explored the area and viewed the arch from every possible angle.
| David standing near Delicate Arch |
| Panoramic view of Delicate Arch |
After about a half hour, we started the hike back to the parking lot. We took our time on the way down and found a few surprises that we missed on the way up. For example, there is a window in the hill that provides a different view of Delicate Arch.
| Andrew and David in the window near Delicate Arch |
Just before reaching the parking lot, we could see another arch in the distance. We weren’t sure what it was, but thought it might be Turret Arch, but the alignment seemed wrong. When we got back to the car, we looked at the map. Our best guess is that it was Elephant Arch.
With our main goal accomplished, we headed up to Devil’s Garden to see the two arches we skipped yesterday – Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch.
| David near Tunnel Arch |
| David near Pine Tree Arch |
With all arches visited, we headed out of Arches for the last time. Near the entrance, we made one last stop at the Visitor Center to buy shirts. I’ve been collecting long sleeve T-shirts from each National Park and needed to add an Arches shirt to the collection.
Andrew and I were done hiking in Arches, but we weren’t ready to return to Green River. We decided to go eat in Moab, then explore the area around the potash ponds. On the way into town, we finally stopped at the visitor sign that we had passed many times during our visit.
| David by the Moab welcome sign |
In Moab, we needed to choose a place to eat. Earlier in the trip, we read about a place called Quesadilla Mobila. It sounded good and the price was right, so that’s where we headed. We parked on the street, then walked to the Moab Food Truck Park. There was a lot to choose from, but we stuck with our initial choice and ordered a quesadilla to share.
| David at the Moab Food Truck Park |
While eating, Susan called and asked us to pick up some tissues. After eating, we stopped at Walker Drug, then continued to Corona Arch.
The Corona Arch trailhead is just off the road along the Colorado River, west of Moab. The attraction of this hike, other than the arch, is the railroad line that leads to the potash facility further down the road. We climbed the hill up to the tracks, looked at the cut that the railroad made, then decided to skip the hike.
Next, we drove out to see the potash ponds. We had already seen them from Dead Horse Point, but we wanted a closer look. We drove past the potash plant to the end of the paved road. From this point on, it would be steep and rough. We saw a long line of customized Jeeps coming down the hill. We weren’t sure that the Rogue could handle it, but a guy in a Toyota told us we’d be fine. So up we went. The road climbed and twisted its way up onto a mesa, where we found the ponds. While up there, we saw a huge black smoke cloud rising in the east. We never did figure out what caused it.
Our final stop for the day was Lions Park, on the Colorado River in Moab. It is the epicenter of bike trails along the river and into town. We walked across the hiking bridge to the north side of the river, then watched as people launched and recovered boats from the river. Finally, we returned to Green River.
Click the image below to see all pictures from the trip.
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