Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [19]
Park Avenue
1 mile one-way. Easy. Access: Park Ave. or Courthouse Towers parking area.
This easy downhill hike takes you into the canyon through scattered Utah juniper, single-leaf ash, blackbrush, and, in spring, wildflowers that sprinkle the sides of the trail with color. The park road allows views of Courthouse Towers, Tower of Babel, Three Gossips, and Organ Rock, but it's not nearly as awe-inspiring as actually walking among them. Have a friend provide a ride to the starting point so the trip is all downhill, or start at the Courthouse Towers end and make the 320-foot climb first, so the return to your vehicle is downhill.
Sand Dune Arch
.3 mile one-way. Easy. Access: Sand Dune Arch parking area.
This is an easy walk through low shrubs and grasses to the arch, which is hidden among and shaded by rock walls, with a naturally created giant sandbox below. Please resist the temptation to climb onto the arch and jump down into the sand—not only is it dangerous, but it can damage the arch. Just before Sand Dune Arch, a trail cuts off to the left that leads to Broken Arch, adding 1.2 miles to your hike. Those who try this detour should watch for mule deer and kit foxes, which inhabit the grassland along the way.
Skyline Arch
.2 mile one-way. Easy. Access: Skyline Arch parking area.
This is an easy walk along a flat, well-defined trail, with a view of Skyline Arch dominating the horizon. On a cold November night in 1940, a large boulder fell from the opening of this arch, doubling its size.
Windows Primitive Loop
1-mile loop. Easy. Access: Windows parking area.
This fairly flat hike leads to three massive arches, two of which appear to be almost perfectly round windows. It's a busy trail, but you'll find fewer people if you hike early or late in the day. On your way to North Window, take a short side trip to Turret Arch. Once you reach North and South Windows, take the loop around back and see for yourself why they are sometimes called Spectacles—the scene looks almost like a sea monster poking its large snout up into the air.
LONGER TRAILS
Delicate Arch
1.5 miles one-way. Moderate to strenuous. Access: Wolfe Ranch parking area.
Climbing about 480 feet, this hike is considered by many the park's best and most scenic; it's also complicated by slippery slickrock, no shade, and some steep drop-offs along a narrow cliff. The reward for your efforts is a dramatic, spectacular view of Delicate Arch. Along the way, you'll see the John Wesley Wolfe Ranch and have an opportunity to take a side trip to a Ute petroglyph panel that includes drawings of horses and what may represent a bighorn sheep hunt.
When you get back on the main trail, watch for collared lizards, bright-green, foot-long creatures with stripes of yellow or rust and black collars. Feeding mostly in the daytime, they particularly enjoy insects and other lizards, and can stand and run on their large hind feet in pursuit of prey. Continuing along the trail, watch for Frame Arch, off to the right. Its main claim to fame is that numerous photographers have used it to "frame" a photo of Delicate Arch in the distance. Just past Frame Arch, the trail gets a little weird, having been blasted out from the cliff.
Should you choose not to take this hike, consider driving to the Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trail, which provides an ideal location for a photo, preferably with the arch highlighted by a clear blue sky. From the parking area, it is about a 5-minute walk to the viewpoint.
Devils Garden
7.2 miles RT. Easy to strenuous. Access: Devils Garden parking area.
The whole Devils Garden loop is a fairly long, strenuous, and difficult hike, from which you can see 15 to 20 arches and some exciting scenery, as well as can'tmiss Landscape Arch. Be sure to take plenty of water, and don't hurry.
You don't have to go the entire way to see some unusual formations. Just .25 mile from the trailhead, a spur takes