Fernweh

Arches National Park in Eastern Utah is relatively small (~120 sq miles, 320 km^2), but contains more than 2,000 sandstone arches – the highest density of natural arches in the world. With a high desert climate, located about a mile above sea level, and receiving only 10 inches of rain per year, the park is extremely hot in the summer and quite cold in the winter. It is located just a few miles north of Moab, Utah, a small town of about 5,000 people with a wide variety of hotels, motels, and restaurants, as well as many businesses catering to outdoors-focused visitors.

Broken Arch

At the top of the post (and just below) is Broken Arch, reached by a short hike from the Devils Garden Campground at the end of the main park road. We began our hike before dawn and were lucky enough to have the location completely to ourselves to enjoy the beauty of the sunrise. Highly recommended!

Sand Dune Arch

Sand Dune Arch is found in a pocket in the rock, open to the sky; you walk through a narrow passage to access it. It’s very near Broken Arch, but much closer to the park road, and therefore typically more crowded. The name is a bit “on the nose,” as you can see in the picture – the area in and around the enclosing pocket is filled with fine sand, showing the footprints of the many visitors. Get here early and it’s still possible to have some solitude.

The Spectacles

The Spectacles are a pair of arches (sometimes called North and South Windows) in the same sandstone fin. Located mid-way through the park, near Double Arch and Elephant Butte, this is another great sunrise location.

If you sit in the right place, you can watch the warm dawn light illuminate both Windows and then see Turret Arch lit up through the North Window. In order to get this view, you have to walk up and through the North Window, down the other side, then climb up to a small outcropping (big enough for ~2 people) and wait. At sunrise, North Window will probably be full of people facing toward you, but soon enough, the crowds disperse and Turret Arch is visible without distractions.