Arches National Park: Curves of Natural Beauty

Anyone who has been on a road trip and played the ''license plate'' game will recognize this famous arch. Framing the La Sal Mountains in the background, it is one of the most recognizable natural features of the state of Utah

... and just happens to adorn the majority of its license plates.

Shaped over the last 100 million years by the forces of water and ice, extreme temperatures and underground salt movement, Delicate Arch and thousands of other curves of natural beauty rise up in the Utah high desert and form one of America's most beloved natural areas ... Arches National Park.

Now ''beloved'' can also translate to ''busy'' and ''overcrowded'' when talking about national parks. Arches attracts over 1.5 million visitors each year with most visiting during the peak hours of 8 am to 4 pm. In order to decrease congestion and distribute the number of visitors more evenly throughout the day, the Park Service is piloting a ''timed entry'' system from April through October of this year. So, in order to get into the park you need to get an on-line reservation in advance from the National Parks website.

Which, for non-planning travelers like us, could make it a bit of a challenge to see these beloved arches. But have no fear ... Doug found out that if we had a reservation at the campground in the national park, we did not need a ''timed entry'' reservation. Once again, the Wandering Labs app came through and informed us of a last minute cancellation, so we were able to reserve campsite for two nights at Devils Garden Campground inside Arches National park. 

Which was a win-win for us! A beautiful campsite overlooking a magical landscape of arches and spires and buttes ... and two days to enjoy the curves of natural beauty that make up Arches National Park.

Two days of hiking through spectacular canyons such as Park Avenue  

 ... and around Balanced Rock,

... and in the Garden of Eden where shapely spires tower over us and invite us to figure out an appropriate names for these unique sandstone sculptures.

Two days of sunrises and sunsets over the rock formations that surround Devils Garden Campground.

Two days of discovering 

...that we are not the first humans to be drawn to the beauty of this place.

And most enjoyably, two days of hiking over trails of sand and rock to capture a glimpse of the arches that fill this park with beauty and wonder.

Arches framed with wildflowers,

... and arches framed with pine trees.

New arches just beginning to form,

... and Delicate Arches that continue to thin

with the forces of weather and time.

Double arches that form side by side,

... and Double Arches that intermingle

with each other.

Arches that peer out over the desert below,

... and arches that capture the mountains beyond.

Arches that you can walk through,

... and arches that you can appear to help hold up.

Arches that only a Great Sculptor could create

... for us to enjoy!

So while it does require a bit more ''planning ahead'' to visit, it is well worth the effort to be able to see these spectacular curves of natural beauty that make Arches one of America's most beloved national parks. 

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