Delicate Arch

Took this hike in Sept. 2010.  It was mid day when we began.  I'm in my late 60's but live in the hilly part of NJ where I take my walks, so I felt I was in shape.   I wondered why people were equipped with walking sticks, hiking boots, backpacks, wide brimmed hats, and large amounts of water. After all its only a mile and a half.  I was armed with baseball cap, liter bottle of water, light jacket and old sneakers.  It's a fairly easy hike if you take your time.  Sunscreen is a must, one of the hikers  saw I was cooking  and gratiously gave me some lotion.  Many hikers lose their hats near the summit from the wind gusts, including myself.  I ended up coming down with my jacket covering my head and neck.

This is spectacular scenery beyond description,  One should properly should prepare with sturdy shoes, sun protection, and water.  I hope to take this hike again!

Delicate Arch is a must if going to Arches National Park.  It is a good hike for everyone in that is not that difficult.  Just go early to avoid the crowds and the heat.   Arches gets hot in summer.

Just returned from a father/son vacation to give my son his first taste of the southwest. I gave him no hint of what he would see or experience once he makes that last turn and look to the right. Amazing hike and one of the most exiliarating sights in nature. The weather was perfect +- 75 degrees. Other short hikes in the park for most to see are Landscape arch, Pine Tree, and sand Dune. Go there and you will never be disappointed with this Park.

Pictures at http://4cornershikesarch.blogspot.com

A hint of spring finally hits the mountainous west, snow starting to melt and warm enough to try a hike in the Utah canyon country. Arches National Park is in southeast Utah, near Moab, the mountain bike capital, and near where the Colorado river starts flowing though the famous canyons. One of my favorite hikes in the region is to the Delicate Arch.

The Delicate Arch is the best known arch in the world. (Big Deal! you say....) Well, nevertheless they are proud enough of it in Utah to put it on the license plate. The trail up there is about 3 miles round trip and climbs about 500 ft. The snowy mountains visible from up there are called the LaSals.

It took me about 45 minutes to get up there, and for a while I was there by myself. The first part of the hike featured an addition to the bridge that crosses a stream. Apparantly, recent flash floods had cut a new channel making the existing bridge useless unless you were willing to wade to get to it.

My desert solitaire was broken by the call of a guy lower down who had somehow gotten off the trail and wondered how I had gotten to where I was. He was about to skid down into a deep hole if he went any further. He turned out to be a professional photographer and was carrying a heavy load of equipment.

I'm not an outdoorsy hiking type person (the outdoors is sunburns and allergies).  But I wanted to see Delicate Arch up close, so I and my son hiked this.  It's pretty much up hill the whole way.  The only bad part was, even in April, it was crowded and hot.  But I hauled my fat ass up it, and it was worth it.

The first time we came to Arches, in summer of 2004, we skipped this hike.  We had saved it for the last day of our stay and with poor planning, ended up at the trailhead in the afternoon with temps pushing 100 degrees. The following year we came back and it was on my list of must do's.  Well, it was worth the wait! Possibly the most awesome place I have seen. I really can't say enough about it.

We arrived at the trailhead just after a rainstorm. Everyone we met on our way up, was coming down the trail absolutely soaked. (I guess this time our timing was much better.) Hiking up the trail, what is usually flat, barren, hot sandstone was covered with small streams and pools of water from the storm. The views along the way are fantastic and the final 1/4 mile follows the edge of a very high cliff with just enough exposure to be exciting and comes around a blind corner to shock you with a close up view of the arch that is absolutely breath taking. For the best experience, don't climb up to the window along the way and spoil the surprise, the end of the trail is just few hundred feet further and saving the experience for the up close view is worth it. You can always check the wind that whistles through the window and the view from there on the way down.

If you are lucky enough to have made your way to Arches National Park don't even think about skipping out on this hike.  Delicate arch is a literally a national treasure.  The hike is relatively short with modest elevation gains so don't pass it by. If you find yourself breathing hard on the trip it is this is likely due more to the elevation than difficult terrain.   

         The trail meanders a bit past the old wolfe ranch and then gives way to a long upward tilted expanse of solid sandstone. Just follow the little rock carnes - stacks of rocks on the rock used to mark your route of passage - and the colorful flow of tourists until you reach the your destination.  Be sure to pack in plenty of water, an apple or two and bring a good hat/sun glasses  to ward off the sun.  All and all this is a very moderate hike.  If you are going in to capture that perfect image of this awesome rock formation you will want to head out prior to sunrise or just over an hour before sunset (or one cloudy day so you can avoid the overtly bright sun).   If you must go mid day don't forget to bring your polarizer and shoot a your lowest ISO (100 or <)!  If someone has parked themselves just below the arch don't be shy, ask them to move so you can take a picture (unless you live nearby you won't have many other chances to get this shot).   Other people on site will quickly back you up..especially if they just hauled in camera gear.   

         On a side note.  Don't forget to check out the rock shop on the outskirts of Moab.  It may look a bit shabby on the outside but on the inside it is absolutely fantastic.  From dino fossils to giant basalt slabs of invertebrates the collector who runs this place really has some amazing stuff  (of course they have an array crystals and every type of rock you can imagine too).   Either way have a great trip.

 All the Best,
Jeff