Landscape Arch and Other Delights

Although we will be in Moab for a few more days, Wednesday was probably our last day to go into Arches National Park. We still want to explore Canyonlands National Park and Deadhorse State Park before we move on.

Wednesday was very warm, and once again sunny in the late morning when we left the rig. It did rain and blow a bit early in the evening, but we were back home by then.

We wanted to see Landscape Arch. If you have ever seen any pictures of the arches in Utah, you have probably seen one of Landscape Arch. It is said to be the largest arch in the world, and is approaching the end of its life. In 1991, several hikers were resting under the arch when they heard loud cracking noises that they mistook for distant thunder. Then suddenly, large sections of the arch fell. The park poster about Landscape Arch had an image of the event, but we can't find it on Google.

Looking at the picture below, you can see some lighter, newly exposed, rock on the bottom. Can you imagine being there when 180-ton blocks of sandstone came down? The trail under the arch is now closed.

When we got to the parking lot at the trailhead, it was full. But after going around the circle twice, we spotted a couple walking towards their car. I hopped out and confirmed they were leaving, then followed them to their spot. This may be a strategy we will use when we get to Yellowstone in July.   Being able to get out of the Jeep with Craig driving behind me is a help. He’s pretty good at pulling over far enough so other cars can pass him, but at the same time staying close enough to me and the car leaving, to indicate his claim on the spot.

The trail to Landscape Arch is an easy mile and half.  It was one of the first warm days we have encountered, and there was very little shade or breeze. Being the grumbler that I am, I couldn't help observing that hiking in the sun at high noon might not be a good plan! We agreed to get going a bit earlier as the days warm up.

There are over two thousand arches in the park, but only a few have been made famous through photography and art over the years. This one is just to the right of Landscape Arch.  It probably has a name, but I don’t know what it is.

As we walked along the trail we could see islands of sandstone out in the valley, every one of them worth a picture.

I did manage to find a bit of shade here and there, but it was pretty sparse.

On the drive back out of the park we stopped at the Fiery Furnace overlook. You can hike down into this area, but only with a special permit and a guide. We wondered if it was because it was particularly dangerous, or because it was vulnerable to damage by careless hikers.

Finally, there really is a lot of life around, but most of it stays well hidden in the day. This was a new kind of lizard for me. I'm used to California lizards, which are much smaller and gray. This one was almost yellow and spotted.