Hiking To Delicate Arch At Arches National Park

When you first start the hike, you'll come across this cute little cabin that is part of the historic Wolfe Ranch. After that, you will walk along a foot bridge that crosses over a creek. It was dry when we were there but I've seen photos of it with water. Probably after they've had a lot of rain in the area. Rains can come fast and suddenly so make sure you watch the weather as it can be dangerous hiking in the desert during a downpour. It floods easily as the ground does not soak it in.

When you reach the switchbacks section of the hike, this will tell you the majority of the rest of the hike is all up hill. There is an elevation climb of about 550 feet. If you are not used to hiking, you will want to take your time.

The views to the arch are literally breathtaking! You will find yourself stopping not only to enjoy the views, but to also catch your breath. I love the beautiful red rock mountains that surround the valley landscape.

About halfway to the arch, you'll start walking on slickrock. Don't worry. It's only slick when wet. It has a rough sandstone texture. You still want to make sure you wear good hiking shoes that are comfortable and don't hurt your feet. Make sure you've had some mileage on the shoes too as new shoes can cause blisters. Don't forget to turn around every once in a while to enjoy the view!

You can see for miles while walking on this hike. You may also see some animals on your way. We saw some small chipmunks and prairie dogs. I love the prairie dogs. They are so cute especially when they stretch and stand up.

The trail can be hard to follow when you reach the slickrock section. You will want to follow the poles and the cairns (stacks of rocks) the National Park Services uses to mark the trail. If you come across a stick or peace of driftwood that is blocking what looks like a trail, that is an indication that is not the right trail. If you are hiking it at night or early in the morning when it's darker, I recommend using an offline hiking trail app. There is no internet service, so it'll need to be one you've previously downloaded. During the day when there are more people on the hike, it is easier to follow.

As you get closer, you'll start seeing some cool juniper trees, bushes and plants that you will be hiking around. I just love the cool junipers. They like to twist around in different shapes and really create some beautiful natural art. There is also a lot of rocks, steps and holes so make sure you watch your step and not twist your ankle.

Make sure you bring lots of water with you! Both my husband and I brought jugs that held 64 ounces each. We drank a lot of it and the temperature wasn't that hot when we went in May. If you go in the summer this hike will be very hot! You also might want to bring some snacks. There are lots of beautiful spots to sit down and enjoy the view while having a little picnic (if not too hot). Just make sure what you bring with you, you take back with you. There are no trash cans along the hike and no bathrooms. The only bathrooms are down by the parking lot.

You know you are getting close when you notice the hike becoming steeper and soon, it will become very narrow! If you are afraid of heights, this part can be scary. For some reason the past couple of years, I've developed a little fear of heights.  I swallowed my fear and made it through it. It is well worth it!

There is part of the path that is only about 2-4 foot wide and has a steep drop off to the side. People are walking both directions. Personally, I stayed as close to the wall as I could get. The day we were there, it was very windy. The wind was sustained about 20-30 mph with gusts up to around 50 at some points. It made it difficult to balance, especially when I was carrying about 30 pounds of weight on my back with all of my photography equipment. It probably wouldn't have been so scary without the wind.

We saw several kids on the trail with their families. It made me even more nervous watching them run around this area. If my daughter was with us, I would have been a nervous wreck. I was already worried about my husband and myself. We were so tired and our shaky legs became even weaker at this point. We had done a lot of hiking the days before and are not used to that much walking.

There was a time up at the arch we witnessed a lady who had her young son in a big backpack carrier who lost her balance and almost fell down a big drop off. My husband almost fell with them as he quickly ran towards her to catch them on the very steep embank. Luckily she did catch her balance just as my husband grabbed her hand. The poor kid was screaming and crying the whole time, both before her slip and all the way back down to the parking lot. We felt sorry for both the kid and the parents.

If you take this hike early in the morning or late in the evening to see sunset or sunrise, you want to be really careful and have good lights. We recommend wearing a bright headlamp that way you have your hands free to balance or catch yourself if needed.

The good news....this narrow part is the last of the trail to the arch! Once you get around the mountain, you'll see a beautiful sight to your right...the Delicate Arch.

It is a breath taking site and after a long uphill hike, you are so relieved to finally reach it. There's a view of the La Sal Mountains behind the arch which is part of the Rocky Mountains. There was still snow on top of them while we were there in May. The arch is fragile and could collapse at anytime so no one knows how much longer it will be standing.

While the trail may be finished, if you want to do down to the arch, there is more hiking to do and it is steep. You want to be careful and stay away from the bowl area which is right beside the arch. It is a drop off into a deep hole. Some people have fallen into that area and sadly some did not survive.

There is also a drop off behind the arch so you don't want to go to far past it. It can be scary to watch some people jump for their photos under it. Sadly, some have fallen that way to so you want to be careful especially if you have kids.

The wind and our weak legs kept us from walking down to it. I started to go, but my shaky legs made me too nervous. Something told me not to do it so we just sat at the top and enjoyed to stunning view while resting.

After you've enjoyed some time at the majestic arch, it's time to head back to the parking lot. At least most of the hike is downhill from here and of course, the views will keep your attention.

You may be pretty tired towards the end like we were, but we recommend taking a small detour to see the cool petroglyphs.

At the bottom the switchbacks part of the trail, you'll see the sign that points the way to see the historic drawings on stone. The drawings look like Indians on horses hunting long horned sheep, or rams. They depict ancient Fremont and Ancestral Puebloan art and stories of these people who lived in the area from approximately 600-1300 BC. Different tribes interpret the images in their own way. The are very cool to see.

The hike took us about three hours to complete roundtrip. If you are in good shape and hike and run a lot, you can probably complete the hike in two hours or less, however, that doesn't give you much time to really enjoy the beauty this hike has to offer. Take your time. Enjoy the scenery, and enjoy the beautiful arch.

So if you get the chance to go to Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, we hope you get to take this beautiful trail and hope this helps give you some tips to be prepared. Below is a video of the hike. The video starts about halfway through our hike to the arch, and then the majority of the hike back.

If you like the photos you see in this blog and would like to see more, they are available on a couple of my websites for sale as a variety of products. Here are the links:

Fine Art America: https://5-jennifer-white.pixels.com/collections/utah/delicate

Pictorem: https://www.pictorem.com/gallery/Jennifer.White?cat=20376&iframe=1

Enjoy and be blessed!