Canadian-Traveler

August 03


Arches National Park

View across the Park with the Manti LaSalle Mountains building the backdrop

Utah! The State of Utah is one of my favorites in the U.S. From the very outset on I was amazed about the formations and colors. When ever I was bound for the great National Parks I went to the town of Moab.           

For any traveler to the Moab area an exploring visit to the Arches National Park should take priority over everything else. This National Park is showcasing the extreme variety of the Utah Red Rocks landscape. Sandstone formations like you never have seen them before and most important within the park should be a hike to DELICATE ARCH, a true Utah trademark as it also appears on a series of the State's license plates. WELCOME TO DELICATE ARCH!

We took the hike on a rather cool day. An almost icy wind blew out of the north into our face as we ascended the slope leading up the spectacular view across from a deep canyon.
Arches National Park preserves over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, like the world-famous Delicate Arch, as well as many other unusual rock formations. 

The extraordinary features of the park create a landscape of contrasting colors, landforms and textures that is unlike any other in the world. 
The forces of nature have acted in concert to create the landscape of Arches, which contains the greatest density of natural arches in the world. Throughout the park, rock layers reveal millions of years of deposition, erosion and other geologic events. These layers continue to shape life in Arches today, as their erosion influences elemental features like soil chemistry and where water flows when it rains.

Arches is located in a "high desert," with elevations ranging from 4,085 to 5,653 feet above sea level. The climate is one of very hot summers, cold winters and very little rainfall. Even on a daily basis, temperatures may fluctuate as much as 50 degrees (F).

The plants and animals in Arches have many adaptations that enable them to survive these conditions. Some species are found only in this area. The diversity of organisms reflects the variety of available habitat, which includes lush riparian areas, ephemeral pools, dry arroyos, mixed grasslands and large expanses of bare rock.

This formation is called: The Gossips