THE ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

We were really looking forward to this stop but after seeing so many red rock formations it was sort of anti-climatic. We also arrived on the weekend which meant it was busier so parking and moving about wasn't as easy. Now that we are home and can look back on the pictures we appreciate the rocks more. One thing I must say that these rocks are animated, there are so many "faces" in them that it was like lying on the grass and naming the pictures in clouds. My husband, who usually can't see anything except rock, was having a hay day pointing out all the features he saw that looked like something else.


This rock was sitting in the middle of no where. Not sure if it had a name but it was impressive. It reminded us of the Bell Rock in Sedona.

Approaching the park.

The first indication of what we were going to see.

The Wilson Arch with someone taking 'selfies' of herself.

I was a bit annoyed at first that someone was in there and taking so long to leave but it actually gives the size of the arch some perspective.

We didn't stop here as it looked like just a commercial set up with snacks and gifts.

The Three Gossips.

The cliffs were quite massive.

Balancing Rock

Balancing Rock and friend.

See any faces?

Turret Arch

I'm not sure of the names of these as it was hard to keep them straight. I just know I really liked this one and it is massive.

The people look like ants swarming all over the rock.

The other side of the arch where all the people were. Another prominent face in this rock.

Elephant Rock I believe.

The Devil's Garden Area  These with the white caps remind me of Bryce Canyon.

Beautiful view looking back where we came from.

The dark markings on almost all the rocks intrigued me.

Hoodoos?
Not sure if that's what they are called but that's what they look like to me.

Another view from a different angle.

I like the look of these trees against the blue sky.

The rock crumbles down to the softest powder of sand that would be perfect for a beach but I can imagine the dust storms when the wind gets going. I liked all the different shoe patterns imprints.

A guide is required to go into these rocks as it's very easy to get disoriented and lost.  These were the last of the rock features then we had to turn around and go all the way back again to get to the main road. There were more side roads that weren't paved but we'd had enough as this took most of a day.