Fun visit to Arches Natl Park with great friends!

Corona Arch; Arches was declared a national monument in 1929 but didn't become a national park until 1971; it is only 4 miles north of Moab, UT

Delicate Arch is featured on traditional Utah license plates; there are 2000+ arches in the park - the largest known concentration in the world

Landscape Arch measures 306 ft across and is the longest arch in the park; a great, lyrical book about Arches is Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey (first superintendent of the park)

Double O Arch was one of my favorites since it is so different; I went off the trail to capture this photo and then couldn't get back to the group resulting in a long and treacherous hike alone back to the car

Civil War veteran John Wesley Wolfe started a ranch in 1888 in what is now Arches; he added this one room cabin in 1906 for his daughter Esther and her family

Partition Arch was one of our favorites; it is one of seven arches featured on the Devil's Garden hike and offers incredible views across the Colorado Plateau

Double Arch formed differently from most of the arches-it formed by water erosion from above rather than more typical erosion from the side; the larger opening has a span of 148 ft and a height of 104 ft

North and South Windows were among the many features that could easily be seen just a short walk from a parking area; admission to the park is $35 per vehicle and is good for a week

Ribbon Arch is one I found using my AllTrails app since there is no signage in the park for it; it may look impressive in the photo but actually sits high atop a ridge and has to be enjoyed from afar

Turret Arch; the park lies atop an underground salt bed that is responsible for the arches, spires, sandstone fins and eroded monoliths that have made the area a mecca for photographers

Hikers could walk under Landscape Arch until a 180 ton section of rock fell from it in 1991; luckily, visitors heard the rock cracking and no one was injured

Balanced Rock is one of the most famous sights in the park; the rock is 55 ft high and sits precariously on a 73 ft high pedestal

Delicate Arch may be the most poorly named arch in the park despite its fame; a 4 story building would easily fit underneath

Skyline Arch is one of many arches easily seen from the park's scenic drive; Arches can be overrun with tourists on the weekends so it's best to visit on weekdays

Lichen is actually a partnership of two organisms: fungi and algae; these colorful splotches dot the exposed rock in the park and are often hundreds to thousands of years old

Dark Angel is a 150 ft high, free-standing sandstone pillar at the end of the 4 mile Devil's Garden trail; this was the most strenuous hike we did in the park but definitely a highlight of the visit

This window at Partition Arch looks as if someone has a oddly shaped landscape painting of SE Utah on their wall; there are no services in the park so bring food and drink for all day (and fill up with gas too)

The hike to Delicate Arch is the most popular in the park but had steep drop-offs near the end; like most of the park trails, there is virtually no shade to be found so bring plenty of water, sunscreen and a hat

This petroglyph was carved by Ute Indians, likely in the 1700s; bighorn sheep (I never did see one on this trip) and figures on horseback are easily recognizable

Bowtie Arch (along with Corona Arch) is not in Arches National Park but is one of the many arches you can see in the area around Moab; the town is known as the adventure sport capital of Utah