A day in Arches before CM08. What would you see?

[Rezarf <><]

Hello-

On our way to Cruise Moab in a few weeks I am hoping to swing through Arches National Park with the wife.

Are there any must see things we shouldn't miss?

Any nice hikes? We both enjoy scenery over technical routes. Something that won't take all day.

Any opportunity for some off pavement travel, I have heard of a loop in the park, but haven't even cracked open a map.

Thanks in advance, I know I have come to the right folks!

Drew

 

[cruiseroutfit]

The Delicate Arch hike is very entry level, and can be completed in a couple of hours round trip, more if you like to take your time. When I get a second I'll post up some more Arches favorites of mine...

 

[cellularsteve2]

I was at Arches for one night last summer and a great hike that gives you a big bang for the buck is Devils Garden. A bunch of arches on one route that is relatively flat. Easy to do in a couple of hours. You can have lunch at Double Arch which is beautiful and then be on the way to Moab.

http://www.americansouthwest.net/utah/arches/photographs2.html

Always have fun,

Steve

 

[kcowyo]

Any opportunity for some off pavement travel, I have heard of a loop in the park, but haven't even cracked open a map.

Here's a link to a pdf map of the park -

On the west side of the main road, just past the turn off for Sand Dune Arch and Broken Arch, is the beginning of a nice trail out to the Klondike Bluffs and the Eye of the Whale Arch. You can continue on Willow Flats out to Hwy 191, just a few miles north of the turn off for Hwy 313, which leads to Dead Horse State Park and the beginning of the White Rim Trail.

The Eye of the Whale Road is a really fun trail with sandy two tracks and some steep slickrock descents. Takes maybe two or three hours, depending how often you stop for hikes and photos. Highly recommended.

 

[Pskhaat]

a nice trail out to the Klondike Bluffs

:iagree: Just can't beat KC for timeliness on this kind of stuff.

 

[robert j. yates]

Delicate Arch is a nice hike although a little busy. There is some rock art down towards the bottom along with some settler history that always makes a hike like that a bit more interesting to me. The arch itself and the view is definately worth the hike and its interesting in that you do not really see the arch until you round a corner and then wham...there it is.

Arches is on our list of places to go back to some day as we only had a day to spend there the last time we were in Moab.

That map link is superb....thanx for that KC :beer:

 

[DaJudge]

Delicate Arch
Devils Garden Area
Take the 4x4 trail to Tower Arch, when we did this we did not see another person...it was great!

The rest is pretty much right off the park roads. Take a few minutes to walk around and under/inside the arches near Double Arch.

I love Arches and will be going back this fall!

Glen

 

[Moody]

I'll echo what has been said above. Tower Arch is a fun road that gets you away from the busy main areas.

A few pics:

On the way out to the Arch

And I won't spoil the arch with a picture....

 

[targa88]

55 documented trails in the Moab area - you could be there for weeks!!!

 

[nwoods]

Klondike Bluffs is pleasant, but there are a LOT of moutain bikers on it. However, there are interesting features like very clearly decernable dinasour tracks and lots of slick rock to travel on. Nice short (1/2 mile?) hike to the Bluffs themselves, with a terrific view.

My favorite is a somewhat technical trail from Klondike up over the range towards...a valley I can't remember the name of. I think the trail is called "Baby Steps" or something like that. It's only a suggestion on the Charles Wells book and not in the BackCountry Adventures I don't think. My memory tells me its waypoint #4 in the Charles Wells book for the Klondike Bluffs trail. It consists of a short twisty uphill then a steep twisty downhill section comprised of trash can sized boulders. It's quite fun and interesting, and easier than it looks. I did it in my Land Rover LR3. It connects to the valley with a well maintained dirt road that connects to the main paved road in Arches NP. It's from this valley dirt road that you have two ways to Tower Arch. The northernmost trail head is a hiking trail, it's only a few miles long, but fairly strenous hike. The trail slightly south is the off road 4x4 trail. A group of hikers started the trail as I started the 4x4 route at the same time, and I was only a few minutes ahead of them when we reached the Arch. The Tower Arch trail is slightly technical, but a stock long wheel base 4x4 Taco can do it (because I spotted through for a solo young lady who got stuck at the beginning).

Note, from the Tower Arch trail, there is a road that takes you right to Balance Rock, HOWEVER, this road is currently closed due to severe rain damage last fall. I was just there two weeks ago and they had no plans to open it, but they admited a lot of people were pestering them to do so.

I have some photos of the Klondike to Tower Arch trails on my website from 2006, I haven't processed my more recent trip images. Here is a link to the older ones: http://blog.nextstepdesigns.com/?p=28

Dinosaur prints

My size 13 shoe is dwarfed

The view from high on top of Klondike bluffs after a short hike.

The road down into the valley is definately a bit more challenging this year than when this photo was taken:

Tower Arch

Okay - I culled through a few more current images, because I was re-living the trip and getting excited all over again

Coming down that connecting trail (Baby Steps?), my Wife in a rental Jeep behind me:

About halfway through Tower Arch trail:

 

[nwoods]

To answer your question about timing, I started the Klondike trail around 10:30, had lunch on top of the bluffs, drove over the range up to Tower Arch, and back down the valley to the paved National Park road by about 3ish...

From there, you've got all the cool arches to chose from along the paved road. Delicate Arch is really spectacular, as are the Window Arches and Double Arch on the south end of the park. I also really like hiking down into Park Avenue...you can do all this in one day, but it's a full day.

 

[Rezarf <><]

Keep it up! Thanks for all the info so far. I am going to show the wife this thread a little later.

Thanks again! We are excited to get out and play this year!:xxrotflma