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| Hiking the Park Avenue Trail |
My first stop this morning was the Park Avenue trail in
Arches National Park. It’s a fairly
short and easy trail just a little way up the road from the visitor’s center. The path starts as a paved sidewalk that
leads to an overlook with a display with a brief explanation of what you are
looking at. Then, after the display, the
tail gets more rugged and leads you down into a canyon. There are incredible views of various rock
formations in every direction! I really
enjoy being down among or below the rock creations. It makes me feel more immersed in the
strangely beautiful landscape all around me.
It also enhances the feeling of adventure by providing a sense that I am
totally lost in another world that is all mine to explore and discover.
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| Hiking the Park Avenue Trail |
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| Double Arch |
After leisurely strolling across the Park Avenue trail, I
headed north to Double Arch. It is a
spectacular display of the magical and peculiar beauty of Arches National
Park. The larger arch is one of the
biggest arches in the park (third largest I believe), which makes it quite
remarkable on its own. But it gets
better! That large arch is complimented
by a smaller arch that shares a starting point with the larger arch and ends
within the larger one. An arch within an
arch! Fantastic! Even better, I had the spot to myself the
entire time I was there! I had lots of
time to both gaze at it from afar and to climb up into it! I can’t believe I get to have Arches National
Park as my private playground! I am one
lucky girl!
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| Landscape Arch |
My next stop was at the Devil’s Garden. The original plan was just to take the short
hike to Landscape Arch, which is the largest arch in the park (and the world!),
but when I looked at the trail description, and the clock, I realized I had
time for a longer hike before I needed to report for farm duty! I headed out on the trail towards Landscape
Arch. It truly is a magnificent sight!
Not only is it extraordinarily large, it is astoundingly thin! At one point, it seems like just a thin ribbon
of rock. You have to come see it,
because, who knows how much longer it will be waiting for you!
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| Hiking the Devil's Garden Trail |
I continued on the trail.
After just a short while past Landscape Arch, the trail takes you up on
top of a ridge of rock that provides the most mind-bogglingly astonishing views! You do have to be careful about taking in the
views though, because if you lost your balance, it would be tremendously easy
to topple right off that ridge! After
climbing down off the ridge, and just around the bend, is Double O Arch. There is a large, round arch situated above
and to the side of a smaller, round arch.
I hiked up to and through the arch and took the opportunity to enjoy the
arch and the view through the arch while also enjoying the sun and a
snack.
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| Double O Arch |
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| Hiking the Devil's Garden Trail
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After my leisurely break at Double O Arch, I assessed the
situation and determined that I did indeed have time to make it a more remote
arch off of the primitive trail. The
section of the primitive trial that I covered was amazing! The trail is much less traveled than the
others in the park, so as you are hiking along, it’s less obvious where the
trail is heading. As a result, you look
out at everything in front of you as a potential destination. Then, just as you are falling in love with a
rock formation or arch in the distance and are getting more and more excited to
get a close look at it, the trail takes you in a totally different
direction. For a moment you may be disappointed,
but after a moment or two, you've already found something else in the distance
that is equally intriguing! (Obviously,
the primitive trail loop calls for a second and lengthier exploration in the
future!) On this journey, I made it to
Private Arch. I was even lucky enough to
have one of those wonderful, round the corner and come face to face with a significant
arch, moments! What can I say, yet
another outstanding day on the trails!
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