74°F
weather icon Clear

Utah park famed for its arches

Arches National Park in Utah boasts the world’s largest concentration of natural stone arches, more than 2,000 in fact, so it’s no wonder people often spend days traveling to see the place. Fortunately for us, we live fairly near the park, about 480 miles from Boulder City.

The park has an elevation range of 4,085 to 5,653 feet, which makes November an ideal time to visit. Not only does a November visit avoid the heavy crowds seen from early spring to early fall, but this month also boasts ideal hiking temperatures, with daily highs in the 50s and 60s.

The best way to introduce yourself to the park would be taking the 36-mile Scenic Drive. There are viewpoints, overlooks and parking areas along the way to see arches, windows, spires and pinnacles, and balancing rocks.

That’s the fastest way to see the park, but setting hiking boot to trail is the most rewarding. For seeing the famed arches, the best two trails are to Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch.

Landscape Arch is an easy 1.6-mile round trip with minimal elevation gain and a good one for people of just about every age who can hike over a bit of uneven terrain. Delicate Arch is a 3-mile round trip with an elevation gain of 480 feet. Small children should not attempt the Delicate Arch hike, as there are drop-offs.

Landscape Arch has a span of 290 feet base to base and is only 6 feet thick at its center, very thin for its length. Erosion, weather and gravity are constantly wearing away at the rock and, like all arches, it could collapse at any time, so be sure to see it before it does.

In 2008, the Wall Arch, at the time the 12th-largest arch in the park, came crashing down in the middle of the night. Delicate Arch is one of the most photographed arches in the world. It is the largest free-standing arch in the park, with an opening of 45 feet at its highest and width of 32 feet.

Snow and rain this time of year can make most of the trails treacherous. Be sure to get up-to-date trail conditions from a park ranger or at the visitor center before setting out. Take along hiking shoes or boots, a daypack, water, snacks and warm clothes for layering, including a hat or beanie and gloves.

The park is open 24 hours a day year-round. The Arches visitor center is open daily except Christmas, but hours change seasonally. For more information on Arches National Park, call 435-719-2299 or visit http://www.nps.gov/arch.

The nearby town of Moab is fun to stroll around and has a wide variety of restaurants, breweries, shops, gas stations and markets as well as plenty of lodging.

If you don’t mind low overnight temperatures, the camping is super here. The park’s Devils Garden Campground is open year-round and has 52 sites. It’s reservation-only from March through October, but this time of year it’s first-come, first-served. There are also fabulous sites in and around Moab along the Colorado River, and this time of year is the best because there are no mosquitoes.

For more information, visit the Moab Visitor Center, 25 E. Center Street, call 435-259-8825 or go to http://www.discovermoab.com.

A two-night minimum stay in the area is recommended.

Many of Deborah Wall’s columns have been compiled into books about hiking in the Southwest. She is also the author of “Great Hikes: A Cerca Country Guide” and a co-author of the book “Access For All: Seeing the Southwest With Limited Mobility.” Wall can be reached at Deborabus@aol.com.

MOST READ
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE
THE LATEST
Eagles grounded at homecoming

The scoreboard may have reflected a dreaded 44-8 loss to rival Moapa Valley on Oct. 3, but the optimism surrounding the Boulder City High School football team is much brighter heading into this week.

Girls golf ends season undefeated

Finishing the regular season with an undefeated record, Boulder City High School girls golf finished strong at Casablanca on Sept. 30.

BC seniors swim to victory

Competing at the Silver State Senior Games swim meet at Pavilion Pool in Las Vegas October 4-5, four members of Boulder City’s Masters swim team SONAR dominated the field.

Runners look toward postseason

Competing at the CSN Invitational at Floyd Lamb Park on Oct. 3, Aiden MacPherson and Caleb Wolfe finished fourth and fifth respectively out of 121 runners.

Tennis teams look toward postseason

Clinching regular-season league titles, both Boulder City High School programs defeated Adelson on Sept. 30.

Lady Eagles volleyball goes 3-4 in Las Vegas tournament

Facing strong competition in the Del Sol tournament on Sept. 26-27, Boulder City High School girls volleyball advanced to 11-14 on the season.

Eagles win third game in a row

Starting off league play strong, Boulder City High School defeated Democracy Prep 30-14 on Sept. 26.

Eagles win in OT on the road

Defying the odds, Boulder City High School football escaped an overtime thriller with 4A Eldorado on Sept. 19, winning 26-20.

Sports Roundup: Hinds continues to pace golf team

Remaining undefeated on the season, Boulder City High School girls golf won their league match at Coyote Springs on Sept. 15.

Volleyball looks to move closer to .500

The BCHS girls volleyball team advanced to 7-9 on the season after defeatimg rival Pahrump Valley 3-1 on Sept. 17.