July 4, 2002
After 18 hours of driving (slept at a rest area somewhere in Idaho) 1050 miles from Seattle, I arrived at the park late in the afternoon. Being the Fourth of July weekend, the camp sites inside the park were already full, as I had expected. Spent the night just south of the entrance at a private campground along the Colorado River called Riverside Oasis. Next morning I got up early at 6 and drove to the Delicate Arch trailhead. Luckily it was cloudy. Temperature quickly gets up to the 90's before noon. The trail to probably the most photographed arch in the world is 1.5 miles (2 km). After passing the Wolfe Ranch, an old homestead, the dirt trail wounds half a mile up to the foot of a pink sandstone hill. From there, hiking is terrific. Just pure sandstone. There are rock piles along the stone hill to mark the trail. As long as it's dry, which is most of the time, foot traction is perfect, so walking around the Delicate Arch is safe despite a big 100-foot drop. I saw a bighorn sheep near the top, seemingly lost or meditating. A handful of morning hikers were at the Arch when I arrived. Weather-polished sandstone was so smooth and earthy that I couldn't help but lie on back and let the Mother Nature's good vibes shoot into my body. On the way down I stopped at a petroglyph wall done by the Utes, who inhabited the area.
Half a mile down the Delicate Arch trailhead is the Arch Viewpoint, which give you a panorama view of the Arch. Click HERE to see my photos from this viewpoint and more around the park.
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