Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [17]
Start at the visitor center, and then ask rangers for their suggestions for a short hike, so you can get a close-up view of some of the arches. Possibilities include the short, easy hike to Double Arch and the longer and sometimes hot hike to Delicate Arch. If you're up for a more strenuous excursion, and the timing's right, join one of the ranger-guided hikes to Fiery Furnace, one of the most colorful areas of the park.
Exploring the Park by Car
You can see many of the park's most famous rock formations through your car windows, although we strongly urge you to get out and explore on foot. You have the option of walking short distances to a number of viewpoints, or stretching your legs on a variety of longer hikes (see "Day Hikes," below). The main road is easy to navigate, even for RVs, but parking at some viewpoints is limited. Please be considerate and leave trailers at the visitor center parking lot or in a campground.
After leaving the visitor center, drive north past the Moab Fault to the overlook parking for Park Avenue, a solid rock "fin" that reminded early visitors of the New York skyline. From here, your next stop is La Sal Mountain Viewpoint, where you look southeast to the La Sal Mountains, named by early Spanish explorers who thought the snow-covered mountains looked like huge piles of salt. In the overlook area is a "desert scrub" ecosystem, composed mostly of blackbrush, with some sagebrush, saltbush, yucca, and prickly pear cactus, all plants that can survive in sandy soil with little moisture. The area's wildlife includes the black-tailed jackrabbit, rock squirrel, kangaroo rat, coyote, and several species of lizards.
Continuing on the scenic drive, you begin to see some of the park's major formations at Courthouse Towers, where monoliths such as Sheep Rock, the Organ, and the Three Gossips dominate the landscape. Leaving Courthouse Towers, watch for the Tower of Babel on the east (right) side of the road, then proceed past the "petrified" sand dunes to Balanced Rock, a huge boulder weighing about 3,600 tons, perched on a slowly eroding pedestal.
You'll soon take a side road east (right) to The Windows. Created when erosion penetrated a sandstone fin, they are visible after a short walk from the parking area. Also in this area are Turret Arch and the Cove of Caves. As erosion continues in the back of the largest cave, it may eventually become an arch. A short walk from the parking lot takes you to Double Arch, which looks like exactly that. From the end of this trail, you can also see the delightful Parade of Elephants.
Return to the main park road, turn north (right), and drive to Panorama Point. Here you'll find an expansive view of Salt Valley and the Fiery Furnace, which can really live up to its name at sunset.
Next, turn east (right) off the main road onto the Wolfe Ranch Road and drive to the Wolfe Ranch parking area. A very short walk leads to what's left of the century-old ranch. If you follow the trail a bit farther, you'll see some Ute petroglyphs. More ambitious hikers can continue for a moderately difficult 3-mile round-trip excursion to Delicate Arch, with a spectacular view at trail's end. If you don't want to take this hike, you can still see this lovely arch, albeit from a distance, by getting back in your car, continuing down the road for 1 mile, and walking a short trail to the Delicate Arch Viewpoint.
Returning to the park's main road, turn north (right) and go to the next stop, the Salt Valley Overlook. Varying amounts of iron in the rock, as well as other factors, have caused the various shades and colors in this collapsed salt dome.
Continue now to the viewpoint for Fiery Furnace, which offers a dramatic view of colorful sandstone