It’s difficult to imagine something made out of rock as being delicate, but Delicate Arch in Arches National Park seems to fit that bill rather well. I’ve hiked out to it several times over the years and have always been impressed. One interesting thing about the hike is that you can’t see the arch until you’re almost there. The trail is about a mile-and-a-half long and it’s an uphill trek over shadeless slick rock the entire way. Finally, you go around a bend and there it is, sitting delicately on the edge of a cliff. Well worth the walk.
This is one of my first photos of Delicate Arch, which was taken in October 1973. The weather was perfect and the freshly snow-capped La Sal Mountains stood out clearly against the blue sky.
If you don’t want to make this hike, there are two shorter trails from which you can see the arch. The first is an easy walk along a boardwalk and with a long lens you can still get some good views. The second is maybe a half mile or so and it leads to an overlook at the edge of a canyon that separates you from the distant arch. The photos below are views from this second trail.
On my most recent hike to Delicate Arch the weather wasn’t very cooperative. It rained on my hike out there, which scared many other hikers away. Fortunately, the rain let up just before I reached the arch. Most of the remaining wet hikers soon left and a young couple from Austria and I had the place all to ourselves. The photos below are from that hike. The last picture was taken by one of the Austrians. Instead of using a rock hammer, as geologists often do, I put myself into the picture for scale.
If you ever make it out to Arches, I suggest you hike out to Delicate Arch. If it’s a hot day, however, I strongly suggest that you bring along a liter or two of water. If it’s raining, you might need less!
For many more photos, please visit my gallery of photos from Arches National Park.