Delicate Arch, Arches National Park Trip Report
November 24, 2005
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John Munyan
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John is an avid hiker, spending a goodly portion of his time up in the hills, or sitting in front of a computer.
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alexi
32 Review(s) to Date
There are photographers, and then there is me. When I am not at work, and sometimes even while there am thinking about photography and the outdoors.
Representing it Wasatch style, yo!
I give my photos 5 yams!
Directions:Trail Notes: If you are only in Arches for a limited time and have to choose amongst the different hikes in the park one would do very well to hike the short access trail to Delicate Arch.
The trail begins at a large parking lot which even on this day was full of cars.
Ajacent to the parking lot is the old site of the Wolfe Ranch which contains an interesting narrative on the owner of the cabin.
The story is interesting, and left me with considerable wonderment about why people of the early times chose to settle here and what their day to day life was.
There certainly were no tourists to keep them company.
I digress.
The trail starts off on what appears to be a gravel road, and shortly gains a slick rock ridge.
From here one can easily spy the slick rock carne marked trail ahead.
At times the trail looks steep, and like it might be a bit to chew on, but in fact is much easier than it looks.
From here you spend about 20 minutes or so working your way up the exposed slick rock slope in front of you.
Once reaching the top of the slick rock the trail takes a gradual bend to the north and turns into a catwalk type trail cut out of the side of a slope. The trail is wide, and shaded gathering from the green grasses growing in the cracks as you make your way up the catwalk. Delicate Arch is only a shot distance from here, maybe 5-10 minutes. And all of the sudden the trail stops and there you are looking at Delicate Arch, probably with many other visitors to keep you company. The view is quite grand, however the opportunity to get a picture of the arch sans people is pretty difficult. If you wait your time you can get a shot of the Delicate Arch with you under it. By the time I was in a position to have my picture taken under Delicate Arch the feeling had waned inside me so I contented myself on some of the nearby ledges and enjoyed the view to the canyon below.
Delicate Arch is definitely a beautiful arch, however, as odd as this sounds, if you are up to it I would consider doing this trail when either it is cold, November Decemberish or when it is very hot to minimize the people. If choosing the latter remember to bring considerable water – the sign at the entrance states everyone should drink at least one liter or water on the hike. If you are there in November as we were, well you don’t really need much water at all.
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BUCKET LIST MUST
Reviewed By: Rich Romano on Sunday, September 27, 2009 @ 09:06:02 AM
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Just returned from a father/son vacation to give my son his first taste of the southwest. I gave him no hint of what he would see or experience once he makes that last turn and look to the right. Amazing hike and one of the most exiliarating sights in nature. The weather was perfect +- 75 degrees. Other short hikes in the park for most to see are Landscape arch, Pine Tree, and sand Dune. Go there and you will never be disappointed with this Park.
Delicate Arch-March 2007
Reviewed By: Todd Lochmoeller on Monday, December 10, 2007 @ 12:18:16 PM
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Pictures at http://4cornershikesarch.blogspot.com
A hint of spring finally hits the mountainous west, snow starting to melt and warm enough to try a hike in the Utah canyon country. Arches National Park is in southeast Utah, near Moab, the mountain bike capital, and near where the Colorado river starts flowing though the famous canyons. One of my favorite hikes in the region is to the Delicate Arch.
The Delicate Arch is the best known arch in the world. (Big Deal! you say....) Well, nevertheless they are proud enough of it in Utah to put it on the license plate. The trail up there is about 3 miles round trip and climbs about 500 ft. The snowy mountains visible from up there are called the LaSals.
It took me about 45 minutes to get up there, and for a while I was there by myself. The first part of the hike featured an addition to the bridge that crosses a stream. Apparantly, recent flash floods had cut a new channel making the existing bridge useless unless you were willing to wade to get to it.
My desert solitaire was broken by the call of a guy lower down who had somehow gotten off the trail and wondered how I had gotten to where I was. He was about to skid down into a deep hole if he went any further. He turned out to be a professional photographer and was carrying a heavy load of equipment.
very nice
Reviewed By: Anonymous on Sunday, July 16, 2006 @ 02:20:52 AM
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Review: I'm not an outdoorsy hiking type person (the outdoors is sunburns and allergies). But I wanted to see Delicate Arch up close, so I and my son hiked this. It's pretty much up hill the whole way. The only bad part was, even in April, it was crowded and hot. But I hauled my fat ass up it, and it was worth it.
One of the Best
Reviewed By: ddogg7864 on Sunday, March 12, 2006 @ 12:05:01 AM
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The first time we came to Arches, in summer of 2004, we skipped this hike. We had saved it for the last day of our stay and with poor planning, ended up at the trailhead in the afternoon with temps pushing 100 degrees. The following year we came back and it was on my list of must do's. Well, it was worth the wait! Possibly the most awesome place I have seen. I really can't say enough about it.
We arrived at the trailhead just after a rainstorm. Everyone we met on our way up, was coming down the trail absolutely soaked. (I guess this time our timing was much better.
) Hiking up the trail, what is usually flat, barren, hot sandstone was covered with small streams and pools of water from the storm. The views along the way are fantastic and the final 1/4 mile follows the edge of a very high cliff with just enough exposure to be exciting and comes around a blind corner to shock you with a close up view of the arch that is absolutely breath taking. For the best experience, don't climb up to the window along the way and spoil the surprise, the end of the trail is just few hundred feet further and saving the experience for the up close view is worth it. You can always check the wind that whistles through the window and the view from there on the way down.
Delicate Arch - Don't Overlook this Little Hike!
Reviewed By: Jeff McGraw on Thursday, January 5, 2006 @ 01:48:14 PM
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If you are lucky enough to have made your way to Arches National Park don't even think about skipping out on this hike. Delicate arch is a literally a national treasure. The hike is relatively short with modest elevation gains so don't pass it by. If you find yourself breathing hard on the trip it is this is likely due more to the elevation than difficult terrain.
The trail meanders a bit past the old wolfe ranch and then gives way to a long upward tilted expanse of solid sandstone. Just follow the little rock carnes - stacks of rocks on the rock used to mark your route of passage - and the colorful flow of tourists until you reach the your destination. Be sure to pack in plenty of water, an apple or two and bring a good hat/sun glasses to ward off the sun. All and all this is a very moderate hike. If you are going in to capture that perfect image of this awesome rock formation you will want to head out prior to sunrise or just over an hour before sunset (or one cloudy day so you can avoid the overtly bright sun). If you must go mid day don't forget to bring your polarizer and shoot a your lowest ISO (100 or <)! If someone has parked themselves just below the arch don't be shy, ask them to move so you can take a picture (unless you live nearby you won't have many other chances to get this shot). Other people on site will quickly back you up..especially if they just hauled in camera gear.
On a side note. Don't forget to check out the rock shop on the outskirts of Moab. It may look a bit shabby on the outside but on the inside it is absolutely fantastic. From dino fossils to giant basalt slabs of invertebrates the collector who runs this place really has some amazing stuff (of course they have an array crystals and every type of rock you can imagine too). Either way have a great trip.
All the Best,
Jeff
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