Arches National Park - Day one

We got up early and headed out to Arches. The park can get really busy and we wanted to be there while it was still fairly cool. Several of the arches require a hike to see them.

The drive in was amazing. It is like driving into a movie. I understand why so many people come to this park.

The park rangers try to make it clear that walking off the paths can destroy “Biological soil” which is a knobby black crust that is made up of lichen, mosses, green algae, fungi, and bacteria. The process makes the desert soil suitable for plants to grow. The process is extremely slow and stepping on it can completely stop the process for a year or longer.

We found our way to several of the Arches.

Of course, we took the less walked path. The “primitive” trail took us along the areas that most tourists never get to see.

We decided to take the hike to Delicate Arch.  It was an interesting hike that took us over a huge rock outcrop and on a ledge.

Long ago this area was a small ranch.  A couple of the buildings are still here.

Our last stop was Balanced Rock.