Sunday, October 30, 2011

Arches National Park -- Home of the Natural Bridges

Arches National Park in southern Utah just outisde Moab is another of my favorite national parks. In this park, visitors can view natural bridges, formed from erosion and weathering. Because of the nature of these arches, the park is constantly changing. Some arches fall over time, while new ones are constantly forming in the soft rock.

The park is filled with more than 2,000 of these arches. Some are so small that they are hardly noticeable. Others are much larger and among some of the best known arches in the park. Delicate Arch is perhaps the most well-known of them all. In fact, it is found on the Utah license plate.



Other famous arches found in the park include Landscape Arch, Broken Arch and Tapestry arch. The sizes, shapes and thicknesses of each arch varies from the next, making them each unique. Visiting them again several years down the road provide you with yet another experience because they are ever-changing. In addition to the stone arches, many of the paths offer views of other stone structures, including turrets and plateaus.

Arches National Park is filled with hiking trails for visitors. You can easily see some of the arches from the road or from the designated stops along the road. However, others require you to hike to them. Delicate Arch is one of them. Some of the available trails include the Windows Loop, the Delicate Arch trail and Devils Garden.



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