Driving down US 191, just north of Moab (the largest town in southeast Utah), red arches of Entrada sandstone began to emerge in the distance. The sun was midway over the red sandstone cliffs along the northern edge of Moab. It was 8:00 am and music was blasting on the rental Suburban stereo as our sport utility vehicle full of Plymouth State University student’s winds up the steep mountain road, past the ranger station, and up several steeper mountain sections. Dark shadows were still cast on some areas of the road where the sun had not quite made it up over the sculptured red rocks. The Suburban automatically shifted gears as we passed the sandy desert terrain that expanded as far as the eyes could see on both sides of the road. A perfectly upright column loomed in front of us as we passed the sections of the park known as Park Avenue and Courthouse Towers. These sections are comprised of monolithic spires and ridges of rock standing isolated in otherwise mostly flat, desert terrain. They have been featured in many films, including Thelma and Louise. As we continued on our geological journey, we crossed over a switchback that led us through an “open, undulating landscape of petrified sand dunes and eroded pinnacles� (www.americansouthwest.net), until we entered the Windows Section of the park.
The Windows Section was the first major location of arches and other geological formations that we could view from the road, including Double Arch, Cove Arch, and Balanced Rock. As we continued down the road, we passed a vantage point for the viewing of the Delicate Arch, the most famous arch in the park, and the Utah state symbol. When you visit Utah, look closely at the license plates, and you will see this arch displayed on the Utah Centennial plates.
The often snow capped blue La Sal Mountains near the Colorado border became more distinct as they stood out drastically from the brilliantly colored features of the Fiery Furnace as we continued up the road. The Fiery Furnace is “an intricate maze of eroded red and cream-colored ridges with narrow gullies between them� (www.americansouthwest.net). A few minutes later, we arrived at the trailhead.
When we began the 6 mile loop trail I had no idea that it would lead us to 8 major arches, including Landscape Arch, the longest arch in the world. My head was not filled with any preconceived notions because, before our Plymouth State University sponsored trip, I had never heard of Arches National Park. I had never seen any pictures, websites, or postcards. The Grand Canyon and Yosemite were the only national parks I had been familiar with and that is because I have been to the Grand Canyon and Yosemite is popular for rock climbing, which is one of my interests. I live on the East coast and state parks are what I grew up learning about. The idea of national parks was foreign to me. Since visiting Arches National Park I have expanded my interest in learning about these parks and what they were created to protect. National parks are no longer foreign to me because I was able to visit both Mesa Verde National Park and Arches National Park during my trip.
It is astonishing to me that the trail I hiked with the rest of the group was only a portion of 73,000 scenic acres of the most prestigious geological formations in the world. Our group spent almost an entire day hiking, observing, and learning about the natural sandstone arches. This amount of time was adequate considering my present knowledge of geology and the fact that I wouldn’t be able to actually study the arches like many of the geologists that travel to the park. As an avid bicycle rider, I would like to return to the area to bike the road that navigates through the park. I would like to ride with my father who has never traveled to a national park or seen anything as naturally brilliant as the arches that I witnessed in the park.
History is all around us, but rarely can you view such extraordinary geological features depicting millions of years of natural time-driven changes in one place. This place is Arches National Park, just north of Moab, Utah. –Matt Stanton
