Arches National Park

While in Utah, going to the Arches National Park was a MUST. We left Park City and headed to Salt Lake City. We checked out the Great Salt Lake (which wasn’t that great, IMO), grabbed some lunch, and headed to southern Utah.

We arrived at Arches National Park about two hours before sunset. We didn’t realize just how BIG the park was, so we only got to see a small part of it before it started to get dark. We drove around and saw some of the smaller arches, but the one I wanted to see in particular was the Delicate Arch. We pulled into the parking lot at the start of the trail, got our camera gear and hiking boots on. I knew there was a hike to the arch but I had underestimated just how far the hike was. The trail is about 1.5 miles, making it a 3 mile round trip. I made the mistake of wearing ribbed socks, so I left with some pretty gnarly blisters on my feet. 

Although it was a pretty long hike, it was absolutely stunning. I feel like the desert is a very underrated part of the country. It goes on for miles and is so serene. The arch itself is absolutely stunning. Pictures really don’t do it justice. It was so much larger than I had expected. It is at the end of a pretty narrow ridge, with a large “bowl” type drop off before it. Being so elevated and close to the edge makes it all the more thrilling. And being there just before sunset seemed to make it even more beautiful. It complimented the colors of the desert terrain. The coolest part about the Delicate Arch is that, in the distance behind it, you can still see the snow covered mountains that are miles away.

We plan on going back to Utah in the future. It is a beautiful state with a lot to offer. Arches National Park is a place we will definitely visit again. There are several other arches I wanted to see, but we ran out of sunlight. Zion National Park is another place we didn’t get to visit on our trip. If you ever get the chance to go to Utah, take advantage of it! It’s so cool to see the different terrains our beautiful country has to offer.