At the end of May, I went on a Utah camping trip with my friend Julia. My last Trail of the Month talked about the first part of this trip. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find my experience in Canyonlands National Park here. As promised, here is my adventure in Arches National Park!
Sunrise Hike
We got up on time and headed into the park before the sun was up, which Julia and I were both surprised we actually did. I’m not much of a morning person, but I do think it was worth getting up so early to see the sun rise over the beautiful landscape. Julia got up first and made coffee, which is definitely the only reason I was able to see the sunrise.
We drove around the park for a bit deciding on where we wanted to watch the sunrise. We stopped at the Balanced Rock Loop but decided to keep going and hope for a better spot. I’m so glad we decided to keep going. We ended up making it to the Windows Loop, where we joined a crowd overlooking a canyon through one of the window arches.
Julia and I took a seat on part of the rock formation and enjoyed our coffee, along with a vegan donut from Doughbird, and watched the sun come up. Even though we were not alone here, it was very quiet as we all watched the sun. It felt like such a special, almost sacred moment, that I’m glad I got to experience. However, I was happy to move on to our next hiking trail and not stay quiet.
Delicate Arch
This was such a difficult hike for me. I had no idea what it was going to be like going in, and I’m glad I didn’t. I think I would have chickened out if I would have known. It was just over 3 miles and involved scrambling up what felt like a vertical rock wall.
There were lots of stairs that seemed to be never-ending. As someone with an old knee injury, stairs are my personal enemy. After what seemed like hours, but was probably only 45 minutes, I prevailed. We made it to the top of the stairs and only had a quarter mile to go to the arch.
I must confess, I was not familiar with Delicate Arch before we went on this trail and kept asking Julia if we had made it when we saw any rock that slightly resembled an arch. She told me I would know it when I saw it, and she was right. The climb was definitely worth the views.
Sand Dune Arch Trail and Broken Arch Loop
The Sand Dune Arch Trail is one of the shortest trails but is a welcome reprieve from the Utah heat. It’s only a five-minute walk from the parking lot and also connects to the Broken Arch Loop, which we did next. The Sand Dune Arch is nestled in between rock structures and provides a cool area to rest in the shade. If you’re in Arches during the afternoon, I highly recommend this area for a picnic.
After we got our picture taken at the Sand Dune Arch, we decided to do the Broken Arch Loop. This was under 3 miles and was on pretty flat ground. Originally, we weren’t going to do the loop, so I left my pack in the car. Which means I also left my water and snacks in the car. Not only did we decide to go farther than we originally had planned, but we made it all the way to Tapestry Arch.
Most of the trail was easy and flat. It was also fairly empty and the farther we went, the fewer people there were. We made it to the Tapestry Arch and took a little snack break. Luckily, Julia thought ahead and had her water bottle and a few snacks that she kindly shared with me. After our break, we made our way back to the car, and my water, and went on to find our next trail.
Devil’s Garden
The entire Devil’s Garden trail is somewhere around eight miles long and we know our boundaries so we picked a few shorter trails that totaled about three miles to finish our day with. We started with the Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch Trails. We could see the Tunnel Arch from our parking spot, but we decided to go to the viewpoint along the trail. It looked like a tunnel from both places.
Can you guess why Pine Tree Arch is called Pine Tree Arch? I had assumed it was going to look like a pine tree, but I was wrong. It turns out that there are pine trees growing all around the arch.
After we looked at both Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch, we found our way to the next area in Devil’s Garden that you can get to via car, which was the Landscape Arch trail. This was our last hike of the day and I finished all 2.5 liters of water before we finished this hike. Don’t forget to bring lots of water while in Arches! Dehydration is one of the biggest dangers you face in this area, so make sure you stay hydrated throughout your hike.
The Landscape Arch was really impressive. You can see where part of the rock had fallen off during the 1991 collapse. I’ve seen pictures of the arch before, but they didn’t do it justice. Nature really is more beautiful in person.
S’mores Rewards
Julia and I ended the day with a grand total of 10 miles, which called for a celebration. We made dinner at our campsite and sipped our canned margaritas by the water. Once the sun started to set, we got our fire going and got out our s’mores supplies. I think between the two of us we had about 15 s’mores. It’s hard for me to choose a favorite part of the day. It’s a tie between Delicate Arch and s’mores.
I’m currently planning my next hiking trip and I’m taking any suggestions in the state of Colorado. Leave your suggestions below and you may get a shout-out in my next Trail of the Month!
Mara Irons
Mara Irons is the Marketing Manager at Transformance Advisors. She specializes in crafting compelling content and conducting research to ensure community relevance. With a background spanning education, transportation, digital marketing, health, and nonprofit sectors, Mara brings diverse expertise to her role.
Driven by a passion for assisting small businesses in the digital realm, Mara delivers innovative solutions and fosters meaningful connections.
Outside of work, she loves exploring the outdoors with her dog, Indi. However, if it’s cold or raining, you can find her on the couch watching true crime documentaries with a glass of wine.
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