Guest Blog Post--Memories of Arches National Park

August 28, 2019

Hey 1000 Bookies,

I have a real treat for you. My good friend, Sharon Vines and her family visited the Arches National Park in Utah this summer. The book I reviewed this week from 1000 Books to Read Before You Die, was Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. The book details his experiences during the two years as a park ranger at the Arches. I thought it would be great to present a first hand experience of the Arches National Park from this summer. Sharon was a great sport. I have included her photos for everyones enjoyment. Thank you so much Sharon!!!!

Memories of Arches National Park

By Sharon Vines

Day 31 of our 43 day road trip brought us to Arches National Park. After talking with rangers about which trail would best suit us - the boys, 9 and 11, prefer trails that are more than just a path, they enjoy rock scrambles or an opportunity to go a little off trail. We were directed to the Landscape trail which leads to the Double Arch trail - that was the one that was supposed to be more interesting.

Arches is a very popular park so the biggest challenge during the summer is finding parking places for the trails you want to go on. We were fortunate that the lot we needed was large and not quite full when we got there. We set off on the trail, which was wide with gravel and quite a few people. Interesting rock formations were on both sides of the trail. As we got near Landscape Arch the trail became sandier and harder for me to walk on. At that point the Landscape Arch trail went left and the Double Arch trail went straight - straight up a steep red rock incline. That was more challenging than I wanted to do so I turned back and the others continued. I hoped that the rest of the Double Arch trail would continue to have some challenges for the boys to enjoy; however, they reported that it didn’t really have much beyond the one steep incline.

What stands out most for me at Arches was the people. There were people of all ages and abilities on the trail and from all around the world. Because I did not hike as far as my family, I had time to sit on a bench at the trailhead (thankfully there was a little shade and a water fountain there) and observe and talk with other tourists. I spoke with the family from Germany who had rented an RV and were touring around. There were some Asian students on a bus tour. There was a family with two small children who played games on the trail to keep the little ones happy and moving.

When everyone returned, we headed to a picnic area for lunch and then did a short hike to view Delicate Arch. There was a hike to the base but it was further than we wanted to hike in the afternoon sun after the morning hiking.

Arches National Park offers from incredible rock formations in addition to the arches. We may not have appreciated them quite as much as they deserved as we were seeing it after Zion, Bryce, and Capital Reef National Parks and Kodachrome State Park. I would like to return sometime at a different time of year when it wouldn’t be so hot or so crowded.