We visited Arches on May 14, 2021. The Lady had signed up to get their tweets, so she knew that park capacity was being surpassed daily. They were closing the park to additional visitors at 11am. Or earlier. The park was re-opening in the late afternoon when more visitors could be accommodated in this “small” park.
Plus, we knew that popular spots would run out of parking fast. So we spent the night in Moab, and then got up at 6a to arrive at the park at 7:30a.
We had to wait in line for 15 minutes to get into the park; they had both lanes open to get the paying visitors into the park. We, of course, had our Golden Eagle passports, so we were in without paying the $30 per car. We elected to drive straight to the iconic Delicate Arch first … and we got there with plenty of parking available. After that picture was captured, we proceeded to drive through the rest of the park at our leisure, stopping at every designated wide spot in the road to take pictures.
The park’s website said we could spend 10 minutes at every Viewpoint, and finish the park’s paved roads in 4-1/2 hours. We beat that time, and felt that we had been there, done that.
Half the park is after dark when the night skies come alive with dazzling stars. In the winter, skies are filled with a whole new catalog of stars, making the experience even better. Derek Culver took this amazing photo in December of Zion National Park in Utah. That’s the Virgin River, the Watchman, and in the sky, you can see the Orion Constellation with Barnard’s loop and Orion Nebula. Photo courtesy of Derek Culver. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 3/5/17.
Arches National Park. Photo by Joshua Snow. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 5/4/17.
Amateur photographer Matthew Hanna won the Share The Experience photo contest night sky category for this beautiful pic of the Milky Way stretching above the seastacks at Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Spanning the Oregon coast, the wilderness islands and windswept headlands of Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge are celebrated for their abundant wildlife, rugged grandeur and amazing night skies. Photo by Matthew Hanna. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 5/4/17.
A flock of Sandhill cranes pass in front of a setting sun on Pixley National Wildlife Refuge. Photo by Byrhonda Lyons/USFWS. Posted on the US Fish & Wildlife Service website, Pacific Southwest Region.
Sunset at Balanced Rock … in Arches National Park. Tweeted by the US department of the Interior, 2/9/17.
Sunset over Olympic National Park. Photo by Bryan Moore. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 2/10/17.
An unforgettable night sky – with a tinge of color from the Northern Lights – stretches over Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. America’s national parks hold some of the last remaining harbors of darkness where visitors can enjoy the splendor of these protected dark skies. Photographer Matthew Newman says his nighttime adventure forever changed the way he experiences nature: “Making a seven-mile snowshoe hike round trip in the middle of the night to try and capture the Aurora Borealis and Milky Way from this location was amazing.” Photo by Matthew Newman. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 1/15/17.
Arches National Park in Utah is the perfect place to snuggle into your sleeping bag and spend the night counting stars. Towering rock formations reach for the Milky Way as the magnificent landscape surrounds you in silence. Photo by Allen Utzig. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 11/26/16.
It doesn’t get any more beautiful than this: the Milky Way as seen from Observation Point in Utah’s Zion National Park. Photo by Joshua Snow. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 12/9/16.
Another out-of-this-world moment at Wyoming’s Devils Tower National Monument. Photo by Rip Rippey. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 9/6/16.
Beyond its spectacular natural beauty, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah offers 1.9 million acres of cliffs, terraces, trails and views for your needed nature fix. Established in 1996, the monument is an adventurer’s dream and a fantastic scientific resource for geologists, paleontologists, archaeologists and biologists. Photo by Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 9/18/16.
A powerful lightning storm lights up the sky over Arches National Park! Photo by David Lane. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 9/19/16.
The Milky Way over the Watchman at Zion National Park. Photo by Evan Kokoska. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/11/16.
A natural wonderland created by stone and erosion, Utah’s Arches National Park offers unforgettable experiences. When visiting the park this summer, photographer Derek Cronk looked up and saw a shimmering rainbow framed in the massive window of Delicate Arch. “I felt lucky to be in such an incredible location as it was, but it took my breath away to be presented with such an amazing opportunity.” Lucky and good is a great combination. Photo by Derek Cronk. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 8/27/16.
Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park. Photoby Derek Culver. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 7/31/16.
The sky above California’s Death Valley National Park comes alive at night! Milky Way photo by Sriram Murali. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 8/17/18.
The Milky Way behind Balanced Rock Arizona’s Arches National Park. Photo by Joshua Snow. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 8/2/16.
Red Cliffs National Conservation Area in Utah protects a unique transition zone – the meeting of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin Desert and Mojave Desert. Where these distinct landscapes overlap, unusual plants and animals have evolved, including flowers like the dwarf bearclaw poppy and Shivwits milk-vetch that grow nowhere else on earth. Explore the area’s flora, wildlife and spectacular desert scenery with more than 130 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. Photo by Bob Wick. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 5/18/16.
Water and wind have carved unique shapes into the soft stone of Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Over millions of years, incredible natural sculptures have emerged and eroded away. What you see in the park now is only temporary. As the work of erosion continues, today’s geologic displays will eventually disappear, making way for future wonders. Photo by Kait Thomas, National Park Service. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 6/25/16.
Moonrise over Balanced Rock in Utah’s Arches National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 4/12/16.
Thor’s Hammer in Bryce Canyon National Park. Photo by Ed Cooper. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 3/14/16.
The massive sandstone monoliths along Park Avenue Trail at Arches National Park in Utah have imaginative and descriptive names. You won’t regret this easy one-mile hike. Where else can you walk in the shadows of the Tower of Babel, the Organ, the Three Gossips and Sheep Rock? Photo by Bud Walley. Posted on Tumblr by the US Department of the Interior, 4/5/16.
Sunrise, seen through Mesa Arch in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 5/3/16.
