Arches Visitor Guide

National Park Service Park News U.S. Department of the Interior

The official newspaper of Arches National Park

2012, No. 1 The Heart of the Desert by karen henker

Water. The lack of it defines the desert, water, 4.2oz/0.125L of oil, and 0.26lb/20g and yet evidence of its influence of greenhouse gases to create just one surrounds you at Arches National 16.9oz/0.5L disposable plastic water Park. Water’s unequalled power to bottle. In 2011, park visitors recycled an carve, chisel, and crack solid rock is impressive 13,750lbs/6,237.8 kg of these responsible for wondrous sandstone single-use vessels, but how many more arches, towers, and other fanciful went to the landfill? Just as dinosaur shapes that ignite the imagination. fossils give us a glimpse of ancient life, the Cracks filled with trapped rainwater objects we carelessly throw away could sustain diverse plant life, like the iconic become our civilization’s fossil record. gnarled juniper tree and razor-sharp Choosing to drink from reusable water yucca. Shallow pools called desert bottles, such as those sold in the Arches potholes teem with microscopic Visitor Center bookstore, reduces our creatures, and could mean the imprint today and far into the future. difference between life and death for Thirsty? Refill your water bottles at Devils Garden or the visitor center. Refilling a reusable bottle at a faucet in a thirsty bighorn ewe. There is just the park does more than conserve fuel, enough water here for desert-adapted The most obvious “local” natural water center provide purified water just for water, and landfill space. When you life forms to survive, but what about source would be the Colorado River, drinking. This water has been treated by drink park water, a drop of the desert non-native species, such as park but its rust-red eddies and frothy rapids a reverse osmosis system that removes becomes a part of you. It is a way to take visitors? Is there enough water to share? are most enjoyed by rafters and riparian particles and organic chemicals, making Arches National Park home with you, wildlife. Water for park visitors’ use the water extra-soft and remarkably along with memories of your visit, a little Yes. Arches National Park provides comes from deeply-buried rock layers, good tasting. The treatment process uses sand in your shoes, and photographs water at the visitor center, campground, where it travels through cracks and energy and park resources, so please of unique and dramatic landscapes. and Devils Garden trailhead for visitors gaps in the porous sandstone. Two conserve water and do not bathe at these Responsibly sharing water with the to enjoy. When you refill a water bottle wells reach far below ground (one over spigots. And when you do fill up, please juniper, yucca, pothole creatures, at any water faucet in the park, you’re 1,160ft/353.6m deep) to collect this turn faucets completely off so that none bighorn sheep, and countless future getting a clean, fresh, local taste of the ancient, naturally-filtered source, and of this precious resource is wasted. visitors is part of the experience at desert’s most precious resource, and underground pipes transport it to sinks, Arches. So fill your cup, say a word of conserving other limited resources – flushing toilets, and drinking faucets Wisely choosing how your water is thanks, and enjoy a refreshing gulp of such as fossil fuels and clean air – shared throughout the park. Two specially- packaged can also conserve limited the heart of the desert. by every creature on Earth. labeled spigots in front of the visitor resources. It takes around 50oz/1.5 L of

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA YOUR EXPERIENCE Hours of Operation

Arches is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day. The visitor center is open daily (except December 25th) during the following hours: Mid-March through October 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

November through mid-March

Moab, UT 84532 UT Moab, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (subject to change)

PO Box 907 Box PO Arches National Park National Arches

www.facebook.com/ArchesNationalPark

U.S. Department of the Interior the of Department U.S. National Park Service Park National www.twitter.com/ArchesNPS National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior General Information Camping traveling with pets Overnight camping is only permitted in Activities with pets are limited at Arches. Pets the campground or with a backcountry are not allowed on hiking trails, at overlooks Arches Visitor Guide permit. Devils Garden Campground has or anywhere in the backcountry. Pets 50 sites and is located 18 miles from the may accompany visitors in the developed Published By park entrance. Expect the campground campground, and may be walked in the park Canyonlands Natural History Association, to be full daily March through October. along paved roads. Pets must be leashed at all a not-for-profit organization that assists Tables and fire rings are provided in each times when outside a vehicle. For your pets’ the National Park Service in its educational, site. Water and flush toilets are available safety, do not leave them in vehicles when interpretive and scientific programs. For more in several locations. Camping fees are $20 outside temperatures are above 65�F as they information, see the back page. per site per night. Wood gathering and can die of heat exhaustion. There are three ground fires are prohibited. Wood may kennels with boarding services in Moab: Park Mailing Address be purchased from campground hosts Arches National Park PO Box 907 March through October. Two group tent Karen’s Canine Campground Moab, UT 84532 sites are available for eleven people or 2781 S. Roberts Rd. more: Juniper Basin (up to 55 people) (435) 259-7922 Phone and Canyon Wren (up to 35 people). The (435) 719-2299 (voice) group camping fee is $3per person per Moab Veterinary Clinic night, with a $33 per night minimum. 4575 Spanish Valley Drive Email No recreational vehicles or trailers are (435) 259-8710 Biking along the scenic drive [email protected] permitted in group sites. Desert Doggie Daycare Websites share the road Reservations 4890 Sunny Acres Lane www.nps.gov/arch Park roads are narrow and winding. Do not Reservations may be made up to six (435) 259-4841 www.facebook.com/ArchesNationalPark stop in the roadway—save sightseeing for www.twitter.com/ArchesNPS months in advance. Due to high demand, designated viewpoints. Watch for pedestrians www.flickr.com/ArchesNPS reservations are recommended prior to and bicycles. Ensure a minimum distance of Nearby, there are vast public lands that offer arrival at the park, otherwise plan on three feet (one meter) when passing. great hiking and do allow pets on trails. Cover Photo utilizing other camping options in the We recommend you keep your pet Double O Arch Moab area. All campsites at Devils Garden Bikes are permitted only on roads, not on a leash, even on public lands, to avoid are on a reservation system between on hiking trails or off-road. Ride single uncomfortable encounters with wildlife and The National Park Service cares for the special March 1st and October 31st. Reservations file, and be attentive to passing cars and prevent resource damage. places saved by the American people so that must be made at least four days and no recreational vehicles that may not be aware all may experience our heritage. more than 180 days in advance. To make a of cyclists. On the paved road, there are EMERGENCY! reservation online, visit www.recreation. no road shoulders or bike lanes. Many Any number of emergencies can occur while gov. To make a reservation by phone, call you are visiting the park: hiking accidents, Ranger-Guided Activities dirt roads are sandy, washboarded or (877)444-6777 (Toll Free), (877)833-6777 gravel. The Willow Springs road offers an medical emergencies or perhaps you have Evening Programs are offered most nights (TDD) or (518)885-3639(International). enjoyable two to three-hour ride. Most locked your keys in your vehicle. If you have per week, spring through fall, at the Devils popular biking trails in the Moab area are an emergency: Garden Campground Amphitheater. Check Accessibility on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at the visitor center for time and topic. • Contact a park employee. Many park Not all park facilities meet mandated land outside of the park. rangers are trained emergency medical standards, but we’re working toward Guided Walks are offered most days per technicians. Law enforcement rangers can increased accessibility. Visitors with week, spring through fall, at various locations Climbing & Canyoneering investigate vehicle accidents, handle other mobility impairments can access: in the park. Routes follow easy or moderate Most technical climbing and canyoneering police matters, as well as take reports of trails up to 1 mile in length. Check at the routes require advanced skills. Please plan lost hikers, fires, or other emergencies. Visitor Center accordingly and be prepared for self rescue. visitor center for times and locations. Ramp and reserved parking. • Go to the visitor center: If the building is It is your responsibility to know and follow closed, use the pay phones in front of the Restrooms all current climbing and canyoneering Fiery Furnace Walks are offered daily, building to dial 911 (no coin is needed). Throughout the park including the visitor spring through fall. These three hour regulations and closures. Climbing of any center and Devils Garden. hikes wind through terrain that requires type is not permitted on certain prominent • Dial 911 on your cellular phone: You will scrambling up and through narrow cracks Campsite features and arches. Slacklining is also reach the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, and along narrow ledges above drop-offs. Devils Garden site #4H. prohibited. All individuals should access who will contact a ranger in the park. routes by using designated trails, slickrock Children under five are not permitted. Park Avenue Viewpoint or sandy washes to protect soil crusts. Books Reservations may be made at www. Paved path with slight slope near end. recreation.gov and must be made more than with route information may be purchased Delicate Arch Viewpoint four days before the date of the hike. Walks on the CNHA website (see back page) or at Hard surface, level. are limited to 25 people and typically fill bookstores in Moab. weeks in advance. Reservation holders must Balanced Rock Viewpoint check in at the visitor center at least one hour Paved surface, level. before their hike. Wolfe Ranch Cabin/Rock Art Panel Hard surface, level. Park staff are available during visitor center hours or at locations throughout the park to provide orientation information and assistance. BackPACKING Arches is a relatively small park, with very few areas far enough from roads to qualify four-Wheel Drive Routes as “backcountry.” Outside the developed Arches has a limited number of four-wheel visitor area there are no designated trails, drive roads, including the Willow Springs campsites, or reliable water sources. If you’d Road that goes west from Balanced Rock like to backpack, consider nearby places to Highway 191. Please check at the visitor like Canyonlands National Park that offer center for current road conditions. The more extensive backcountry opportunities. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has To backpack at Arches, you must obtain a many popular 4WD routes offering a wide- backcountry permit at the visitor center. range of difficulty. A crowd gathers for sunset at Delicate Arch (photo by Andrew Kuhn)

2 Arches Visitor Guide Where does my money go?

In 2004, Congress passed the Federal Lands Entrance Fees Interagency Access Pass (Free) Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA), The entrance fees at Arches National Park Previously the Golden Access Pass which replaced the Recreational Fee are $10 per vehicle for a seven-day pass, Lifetime pass for permanently disabled U.S. Demonstration Program. Authorized and $5 for bicyclists, those walking, or on citizens; entrance to all federal fee areas through December 2014, the law allows motorcycles. The following special passes are plus 50 percent discount on some camping, activity fees, and other special user fees. retention of 80% of fees collected at a site now available: Hey Kids — Previously-issued Golden Access Passes will to remain there for repair, maintenance, Interagency Annual Pass ($80) be honored forever by all agencies. This One’s For You! and facility enhancement related directly to Previously the Golden Eagle/National Park Pass Do you want to explore Arches and help visitor enjoyment, visitor access and health Good for twelve months; available to anyone. Interagency Annual Military Pass (Free) protect the park? Then become a Junior and safety. It also includes interpretation, Free entrance to Fish and Wildlife Service For qualifying active military and their Ranger! Becoming a Junior Ranger is visitor information, visitor service, visitor Refuges and National Park Service areas that dependents. Present military ID cards at park a serious and important task, but it’s needs assessments, and signs; habitat charge entrance fees. Covers use of Bureau of entrance for verification. lots of fun too. Ask at the visitor center how you can get involved. Options restoration directly related to wildlife- Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, include completing dependent recreation, wildlife observation or and Forest Service sites that charge Standard Local Pass: Arches, Canyonlands, a booklet or Hovenweep and Natural Bridges ($25) photography; and law enforcement related to Entrance Fees. checking-out a public use and recreation. Good for twelve months; available to anyone; Red Rock Explorer Interagency Senior Pass ($10) entrance to these four areas only. Pack. It’s that Activity Fees Previously the Golden Age Pass simple! You’ll Fees charged for the popular ranger-guided Lifetime pass for U.S. citizens sixty- This new revenue funded the following earn a badge Fiery Furnace walks will go directly to two years of age and older; entrance improvements at Arches: and certificate, and join the supporting the program. The cost is $10 for to all federal fee areas plus 50 percent • Rehabilitating park trails ranks of the adults; $5 for children five to twelve years old discount on some camping, activity fees, • Upgrading roadside restrooms many Junior and Senior Pass/Golden Age card holders. and other special user fees. Previously- • Rehabilitating the Devils Garden picnic area issued Golden Age Passes will be honored Rangers who help Children under five years of age are not • Enhancing trailheads and scenic pullouts protect this special place. permitted on Fiery Furnace walks. forever by all agencies.

Photo Suggestions

Take home great photos of your Arches experience. Below are some tips for where you might capture that magic moment at both sunrise and sunset.

Early Morning Late Afternoon Moab Fault Park Avenue The Three Gossips Courthouse Towers Sheep Rock Petrified Dunes The Great Wall Balanced Rock Turret Arch The Garden of Eden The Spectacles The Windows Trails in the Windows Section (above left) and the Devils Garden Picnic Area (above right) are just two locations The fee visitors pay for Fiery Furnace Walks directly Double Arch Delicate Arch which have received needed attention in recent years. supports this program. (photo by Andrew Kuhn) Cache Valley Fiery Furnace Wolfe Ranch Skyline Arch by Karen henker Landscape Arch Fins in Devils Garden Sharing the Scenery Double O Arch Tower Arch Delicate Arch Arches National Park attracts visitors from all over the world. Despite Viewpoint this diversity, most visitors flock to the same four destinations: Balanced Rock, Devils Garden, Delicate Arch, and The Windows. Parking lots at these popular areas frequently overflow with cars during the busy season (March through October). Entrance station lines can stretch almost to the highway, causing long waits and testing visitors’ patience before they even cross the threshold.

Arches National Park hopes to pilot a voluntary shuttle system soon to help reduce this congestion; see the park website for more information. In the meantime, here are some ways every visitor can help:

• Relax and allow yourself extra time to reach your destinations. Choose your parking spot wisely: illegally parked cars may be cited. There is plenty of scenery for all to enjoy and the rocks aren’t going marked stalls and parking “lanes” along fences, or existing wide spots anywhere – at least, not on a human time-scale. along the roads. Never park on vegetation or in a manner that blocks • Start your day early. Try entering the park before 8:00 a.m. Sunrise traffic, and please don’t hold up the flow of cars by waiting for a is just as beautiful as sunset. parking spot. If there isn’t room at your chosen destination, consider • Consider carpooling. Parking is very limited, so consider leaving moving to another area and coming back later. extra vehicles, large RVs, or trailers at the hotel, campground, or visitor center parking lot. People take vacations to escape the stresses of daily life, but traveling • Choose to visit the park during the off-season. Winter is a great itself can be stressful. Visitors to Arches during the busy season might time to visit, when light snowfalls accent the red-rock vistas. encounter long lines, jostling crowds, intense heat, and unexpected Sunset/moonrise at North Window. delays – all of which can make tempers flare. Thankfully, these same visitors will also encounter breath-taking scenery, warm and An Extra Note about Parking flickr.com/archesnps Parking lots at Arches are kept small to better preserve the landscapes welcoming park staff, and opportunities to help preserve these you came to see. Acceptable parking places include individually timeless landscapes for the enjoyment of others for years to come. Arches Visitor Guide 3 Hiking Trails

Skyline Arch Start: Skyline Arch parking area Length: 0.4 mile (0.6 km) round trip Time: 10 to 20 minutes A short hike on a flat, well-defined trail. On a cold November night in 1940, a large chunk fell out of the arch, instantly doubling the size of its opening.

Landscape Arch Start: Devils Garden trailhead

Balanced Rock Length: 1.6 miles (2.6 km) round trip Be Safe Time: 30 to 60 minutes A relatively flat, gravel-surfaced trail (usually Each year, park rangers respond to dozens Easy Trails heavily populated with hikers) leads to a of search or rescue incidents in the park. These frequently involve heat exhaustion, Balanced Rock t spectacular ribbon of rock, whose span is dehydration, climbing or scrambling and Start: Balanced Rock parking area more than a football field in length. Short improper footwear. Length: 0.3 mile (0.5 km) round trip side trips to Tunnel and Pine Tree Arches. Time: 15 to 30 minutes Trail guide available at trailhead. • Always carry and drink water. Even the shortest stroll will make you thirsty on a A loop trail at the base of a fragile, Courthouse Wash Rock Art Panel Fins along the Devils Garden Primitive Loop 100°F (38°C) day. One gallon (4 liters) per picturesque rock formation. person per day is recommended for longer Starting Point: Lower Courthouse Wash hikes. Water is available only at the visitor The Windows parking area (Highway 191, on the right 0.5 Delicate Arch center and at Devils Garden. Start: Windows parking area miles north of the Colorado River) Start: Wolfe Ranch parking area Length: 1 mile (1.6 km) round trip Length: 1 mile (1.6 km) round trip Length: 3 miles (4.8 km) round trip • Wear sturdy shoes with enough tread to Time: 30 to 60 minutes Time: 30 to 45 minutes Time: 2 to 3 hours give you good traction. Do not hike in A gentle climb up a gravel loop trail leads A short walk south across the Courthouse Elevation change: 480 feet (146 m) smooth-soled shoes or boots. Some trails to three massive arches (North and South Wash bridge and a brief climb leads to a Take at least 2 quarts (2 liters) of water per cover uneven terrain and follow rock ledges. Windows and Turret Arch). An alternate prehistoric rock art panel (at the base of the person. Open slickrock with some exposure return, slightly longer, is by way of the cliffs, facing west). to heights and no shade. The first half-mile • Protect your skin with a hat, long-sleeved primitive loop around the back of the two is a well-defined trail. Upon reaching the shirt, and sunscreen. There is little shade in Windows. The primitive loop trail starts at moderate Trails slickrock, follow the rock cairns. The trail the desert. The sun is intense year round climbs steadily and levels out toward the and can easily burn your skin, especially in the South Window viewpoint. the summer. Park Avenue top of this rock face. Just before you get to Double Arch Start: Park Avenue parking area Delicate Arch, the trail traverses a rock ledge • Slickrock invites adventure. When you Start: Double Arch parking area End: Courthouse Towers parking area for about 200 yards (183 m). climb or scramble, be sure you can retrace Length: 0.5 mile (0.8 km) round trip Length: 1 mile (1.6 km) one way your steps, and remember that it is often Time: 15 to 30 minutes Time: 30 to 60 minutes Double O Arch easier to go up than down. Sandstone is A relatively flat, sandy trail leads to the base Elevation change: 320 feet (98 meters) Start: Devils Garden Trailhead From Park Avenue parking area, the trail very slippery when wet or covered in snow. of two giant arch spans which are joined at Length: 4.2 miles (6.8 km) round trip descends steeply into a spectacular canyon one end. Time: 2 to 3 hours and continues down the wash to Courthouse • Sudden thunderstorms with deadly Beyond Landscape Arch, the trail becomes lightning occur here. The distance of Towers. If you have a shuttle driver, you can Delicate Arch Viewpoint t more challenging as it climbs over sandstone lightning can be calculated by counting begin at one point and be picked up at the Start: Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trailhead slabs; footing is rocky; there are narrow the time interval between a lightning flash other. For round-trip hiking, retrace your Length: 100 yards (91 meters) round trip ledges with exposure to heights. Spur trails and the subsequent thunderclap. Sound steps along the trail rather than walk along Time: 10 to 15 minutes travels about a mile in five seconds, so the park road. lead to Partition and Navajo Arches. Dark if the interval is fifteen seconds (or three In addition to the short accessible trail, Angel is one-half mile (0.8 km) farther. Trail miles) or less, seek shelter immediately. another (moderately strenuous) hiking trail guide available at trailhead. One of the safer places to be during a climbs 0.5 mile (0.8 km) toward Delicate Arch thunderstorm is in your vehicle with the and ends at the rim of a steep canyon that Devils Garden (includes primitive loop) windows closed. If you are unable to separates the viewpoint from the arch. This is Start: Devils Garden Trailhead reach your vehicle, go to a low-lying area. not the popular trail to Delicate Arch, which Length: 7.2 miles (11.6 km) round trip, Stay away from open areas, high spots starts at the Wolfe Ranch parking area. including all spur trails to points of interest or tall objects (like Delicate Arch), and Time: 3 to 5 hours solitary trees. If your skin tingles or your Sand Dune Arch Longest of the maintained trails in the park, hair stands on end (signs that a charge is Start: Sand Dune Arch parking area Devils Garden Trail leads to eight awe- building up), crouch down and place both Length: 0.3 mile (0.5 km) round trip inspiring arches. Expect narrow ledges with feet together firmly on the ground. Time: 15 to 30 minutes Rock cairn rocky surface hiking and scrambling on Trail leads through deep sand to a secluded Hiking Etiquette slickrock. Not recommended when rock arch among sandstone fins.Do not climb or Strenuous Trails is wet or snowy. Trail guide available at jump off the arch. trailhead. • Stay on established trails and/or solid Tower Arch rock: follow the rock cairns. Help protect Broken Arch Start: Klondike Bluffs parking area, via the the fragile biological soil crust and other Fiery Furnace (Fee Area) Start: Sand Dune Arch parking area or Devils Salt Valley road vegetation in our desert environment. The Fiery Furnace is a mazelike labyrinth Garden campground across from campsite #40 Length: 3.4 miles (5.5 km) round trip of narrow sandstone canyons. To enter the Time: 2 to 3 hours • Leave no trace: move like a shadow, and Length: 1.3 miles (2.1 km) round trip; 2 miles Fiery Furnace, visitors must accompany a The trail climbs a steep, short rock wall, cuts carry out garbage, even if it isn’t yours. (3.2 km) including the loop ranger-guided hike (see page 2) or obtain across a valley and then meanders through Time: 30 to 60 minutes a hiking permit at the visitor center. There sandstone fins and sand dunes. An alternate, • Pets and bicycles are not permitted on From the Sand Dune Arch parking area, the is no trail, so visitors are encouraged to shorter trail (0.3 mile [0.5 km] one way), hiking trails. trail crosses a large meadow to the arch and accompany a ranger — both for their own begins at the end of the four-wheel-drive road continues to the campground. Trail leads on the west side of Tower Arch. This unpaved safety and to reduce impacts on the area. through fins with sand dunes and slickrock. road washes out quickly in rainstorms; check road conditions before heading out.

4 Arches Visitor Guide North

0 1 2 3 4 Kilometers

0 1 2 3 4 Miles

CAUTION Stay on trails or slickrock to protect fragile biological soil crust. These tiny organisms are critical to all life in the desert.

DE VILS Private Dark Angel Arch GA RD Double O Arch E primitive N trail

1.1mi KLONDIKE 1.8km BLUFFS Navajo Arch Partition Arch Tower Arch Pit toilet Landscape Arch Pine Tree Arch Tunnel Arch Marching 1.7mi Pit toilet Men 2.7km Devils Garden Trailhead 1.4mi 2.3km Campground Soft sand in wash crossings. Skyline Arch Impassable after heavy rains. Amphitheater 1.0mi 1.6km S Broken Arch A L T

Sand Dune Arch

7.2mi

11.5km

V A L L E Y

5.0mi FIERY 8.1km FURNACE Pit toilet Delicate Arch 4829ft Fiery Furnace Viewpoint Rock Art 1474m 9.0mi Panel 14.5km Salt Valley Overlook Wolfe Ranch Upper Viewpoint Recommended north Pit toilet 1.0mi to south travel Lower Delicate Arch 1.6km Viewpoint To 70 and Crescent Junction Parking and from junction of 191 and 313 : Pit toilet 1.2mi CACH 18mi 29km 1.9km E V ALLEY

2.5mi Panorama Point 4.0km

Eye of the Whale Arch ARCHES NATIONAL PARK

Soft sand. Impassable after heavy rains. Ham Garden WILLOW Pit toilet Rock of Balanced Eden Elephant Butte 5653ft Rock To 70 and Cisco from FLATS 2.5mi Cove 1723m 4.0km Arch junction of 191 and 128 : Cove of Caves 45mi 72km Double Arch Parade of Elephants To Castle Valley from junction of 191 and 128 : 191 ROCK Pit toilet North Window 16mi 26km PINNACLES South Window 1.9mi Turret Arch 3.1km THE WINDOWS L 128 L SECTION

A 9.2mi 14.8km W

313 E

R Petriﬁed Dunes

O G Viewpoint Y N A C E

E H IL T M EN V PETRIFIED E S DUNES 9 9

De n G ver BI BE ND 9 To Dead Horse Point State Park

an from junction of 313 and 191 : 6.0mi d 9.6km

19mi 31km Rio Tower of Babel Sheep Rock 9 To Canyonlands National Park, Courthouse Towers Viewpoint

Island in the Sky district from junction of 313 and 191 : Gr Three Gossips a The Organ 21mi 34km n d e

COURTHOUSE P

W a r 9 e TOWERS k s

e A r

n v Park Avenue e Viewpoint and Trailhead La Sal Mountains Viewpoint R VE RI Visitor Center Park headquarters O D A Scenic Byway 4085ft R O M 1245m L O A O B C Courthouse Wash CA NY Rock Art Panel Parking is limited at all destinations. ON 9 9 If a particular parking lot is full, 128

please return at a later time. 4.3mi 7.0km Scenic Byway

M 0.5mi Distance O AB To Monticello: Unpaved road 0.8km indicator Picnic area Interpretive trail V 191 55mi 90km AL LE To Canyonlands National Y Four-wheel 279 Park, Needles district: drive road Hiking trail Restrooms Drinking water 77mi 126km tunnelTo Petroglyphs 5mi 8km MOAB

Arches Visitor Guide 5 Hope on Hooves by matt smith Shortly after entering Arches National Park, a large yellow sign with the image of a bighorn sheep alerts us that for the “next three miles” we might encounter them crossing the road. Seeing sheep in Arches is a treat that only a few visitors experience each year, however. Desert bighorns (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) historically ranged in large numbers throughout most of the Colorado Plateau. Today, only a few remain. Life for desert bighorns is tough and they Sighting Sheep face many challenges that have pushed them close to extinction. The sheep in Arches Your best chance to catch a glimpse National Park provide hope that their of bighorn sheep in Arches is the first resilience, combined with our help, will keep three miles of the park road. Slow down them here for many generations to come. and find a pull off and watch for them. A bighorn ram near the Arches Visitor Center Another option is to travel the southeastern Sheer cliffs, rugged slopes and deep canyons boundary of the park by driving north along of good habitat, and deadly diseases transmitted by domestic sheep Highway 128 from its junction with Highway are where bighorns prefer to live, but the rough terrain can work reduced the once abundant herds. Sheep disappeared completely 191. Take along a pair of binoculars to look against them, too. Imagine the challenges they face while attempting in some areas, including Arches National Park, by the early 1900’s. for sheep across the river. to outmaneuver a mountain lion or seek a mate. Male sheep, known In the mid-1980’s, a partnership between the state of Utah and the as rams, commonly travel over 100 miles to find an ewe through an National Park Service reintroduced 25 sheep to Arches from nearby Remember that “Looking for sheep is an environment where there is very little water, forage, or shelter from Canyonlands National Park. exercise in patience,” according to nature predators. essayist Peter Steinhart, and “it’s usually The current Arches herd is only around 50 animals. Management rhymed with disappointment.” In spite of the harsh conditions, sheep thrived here for thousands of and study of the sheep here in Arches will continue in the hope that years. Westward expansion in the mid-1800’s brought thousands of the bighorns will endure, prosper among their human neighbors, and Knowing desert bighorn sheep have a safe settlers and new challenges for bighorns. Unregulated hunting, a loss once again become a stable part of the Arches ecosystem. place here at Arches National Park and efforts are ongoing to help them survive might help satisfy those who wait in vain.

by Deborah ehr But, give it a try—persevere in bighorn fashion—this may be your lucky day! Marks on the Land - Links to the Past

Every person who passes Today, travelers occasionally through this land makes a leave a different kind of mark, leaves a track, or stakes mark. Artifacts that tell a claim. These marks create the stories of the past are a link to the past and allow disappearing. Rock art modern explorers to imagine and historic signatures are how the area’s 12,000 years of defaced by new marks, like human history has influenced graffiti. Pieces of the past are the present. lost. Fortunately, national parks are places where this Groups of Native Americans priceless history is preserved have traveled through and and protected. lived in this area for over 10,000 years. They left behind For hundreds of years, flakes of chert, which are humans have left their remnants from stone tool- indelible mark on this area. Esther and Ferol Stanley, part of John Wesley Wolfe’s extended family, at Wolfe’s Ranch making. They inscribed on Now, humans take the stage Watch Your Step rock walls, creating pictographs (paintings is believed to pass through Arches National as preservers. The National Park Service on the rock) and petroglyphs (carvings in Park just north of the Visitor Center. protects these places and shares their stories the rock). Early ancestral Puebloans wore so that each of us can make a connection Biological soil crusts are a very important sandals with raised patterns that left marks on In the 1850’s, waves of settlers from the to our past. How will your mark shape the part of the park’s ecosystem. They prevent future of this landscape? soil erosion, absorb and hold water, and the ground while later groups painted their east began adding their mark. Ranchers provide nutrients to plants. One footstep ceramic pots with elaborate decorations. All of tamed the harsh landscape to raise cattle can kill hundreds of years of growth. these marks may have helped to link families and sheep. John Wesley Wolfe was one Make your mark a positive one. National with the others that would follow. Their stories such homesteader who set down roots in parks protect the irreplaceable evidence of Crusts are formed slowly by living and culture live on through their descendents. the future park. His family joined him from the past. organisms and their by-products, creating a Ohio in 1906, and they built a new cabin with fragile surface crust of soil particles bound In 1765, Juan Maria Antonio de Rivera and a wooden floor, complete with fine china Be a caretaker: together by organic material. his company left their mark by becoming the ordered from the Sears Catalog. • Preserve your heritage. Do not enter, alter, first Euro-Americans to cross the Colorado or deface historical sites. Leave artifacts Covering nearly all soil surfaces in the River at what later became Moab. The Later, others arrived seeking mineral riches, undisturbed. (It is illegal to remove them.) desert, biological soil crust is almost invisible efforts of these Spanish explorers led to the especially valuable uranium. While the at early stages of growth but over time lucrative trade route that later became the inhospitable desert took its claim on many of Explore Arches’ past: appears lumpy and black. “Old Spanish Trail”. Nicknamed the longest, the prospectors, some struck it rich. Roads, • See rock art near the Delicate Arch Please help us protect fragile crusts by crookedest, most ornery pack trail in the mine shafts, and tailings are the marks they trailhead and lower Courthouse Wash. walking on designated trails, bare rock or history of the United States, this part of left behind. Other miners found different • Ask for information about the Old Spanish streambeds. Utah was one of the few places to get around value in the landscape, like Alexander Trail at the Visitor Center. impassable canyons. Only sections of the full Ringhoffer who helped create Arches • Visit the Wolfe family’s cabin near the 1,121 mile trail can be retraced, but part of it National Monument in 1929. Delicate Arch trailhead

6 Arches Visitor Guide by Alicia Lafever Nature’s Art Preserving Dark Skies Arches National Park is a vibrant, living form of biological soil crusts on the museum’s in place. They also absorb water and increase National parks preserve some of the darkest museum where works of art are displayed, foundation. These living crusts are composed the nutrients that plants need to survive. skies in the country. To find the darkest preserved and protected. Some of the displays of cyanobacteria, lichens, mosses, microfungi, Intact biological soil crusts provide a strong parks and document the widespread affects you might find include tapestries, mosaics and bacteria and green algae. When they are foundation for the whole park’s ecosystem. of light pollution, the National Park Service jewels. As you travel through the museum, see young, crusts can be invisible to the naked This work of art is fragile. Mind the “velvet created the Night Sky Team. This team what catches your eye. ropes” and stay on the path. completes light surveys to identify areas parks can minimize their contribution to the light pollution problem. Look closely at the towers At night, the overhead of rock in the park and lighting is turned off In the survey of Arches, and neighboring you will discover the and the vault is opened. National Park Service areas like beautiful “tapestries” that The prized jewels are Canyonlands, Natural Bridges and adorn these walls. Like displayed in the sky in Hovenweep, several light impacts were tapestries in museums, the form of planets, stars identified. In 2010, the park began nature’s tapestries and the Milky Way. It is a replacing exterior light fixtures and bulbs to document historical constant struggle to keep reduce energy consumption and preserve events. Surprisingly, the these valuables in Arches’ the night sky. To discover more about how thread that holds much gallery because they are national parks are protecting the night of the park’s tapestry so fragile. Each decision sky visit: http://www.nature.nps.gov/air/ lightscapes/. together is iron. The red the park and the local “thread” visible in the rock community makes about layers is due to “rusting” outdoor lighting affects or oxidizing of iron. their future. It’s a big Whitish to yellowish-tan The night sky at Balanced Rock (photo ©Manish Mamtani) responsibility for each and threads are the result of every one of us to ensure an accumulation of organic acids dissolving eye, but after time and frost heaving have that these jewels remain for all to see. the iron and bleaching the rock. Ribbons been at work and new organisms join in, they of turquoise-colored threads run through appear dark and bumpy and have an antiqued These are only a few of the awe-inspiring the tapestry at Wolfe Ranch. This unique appearance, reflective of their mature age up displays in Arches National Park. The park blue-green layer was created when volcanic to 600 years old. is a perfect gallery to house nature’s amazing ash settled into a large alkaline lake - an works of art. Long after your visit to the park, environment with little oxygen. Time can The “tiles” of this mosaic are attractive when you can know that the treasures you enjoyed change the design and the story. viewed individually, but the real beauty lies are safeguarded - a lasting legacy for future in the “big picture” they create. Working generations. Look from the walls down to the floor, and together, these biological soil crusts stick to enjoy the covering of “mosaic tiles” in the grains of sand and literally hold the ground What’s in a Name? by matt smith A Shining Example Arches National Park contains the largest concentration of natural stone arches in the world – more than 2,500 at last count. Yet “In any land what is more glorious than sunlight! Even here in what is an arch? Is it the same as a bridge? the desert, where it falls fierce and hot as a rain of meteors, it is How about a window? If you’ve asked these questions, you’re in good company. the one supreme beauty to which all things pay allegiance.” To qualify as an official stone “arch,” a hole Late 19th century author John C. Van Dyke must have an opening at least three feet (1m) long in any one direction. There is no Visitors typically describe their Devils Garden Campground requirement for width, though; quite a lot of experience as “amazing,” “tremendous,” and “spectacular.” Fifty the arches in the park are so skinny you have to campsites are nestled among distinct sandstone formations and place your cheek up against the rock in order to see any light through them. desert vegetation – trademarks of Arches National Park. Encounters with wildlife, night skies flooded with stars, and quiet campfire A natural bridge is formed by running water gatherings are among the experiences that make the campground and spans either a present or former waterway. such a special place. Not long ago, campers also experienced the Very few natural bridges exist at Arches, but constant droning of diesel generators intruding on their tranquility. Natural Bridges National Monument just two hours south (112 miles) has three tremendous Solar panels in the Devils Garden Campground (photo by Andrew Kuhn) examples of this feature. All of them are visible The generator noise impeded our mission to preserve “unimpaired from their paved scenic road or by hiking trail. the natural and cultural resources and values” of this special place. Equally disturbing were the engine exhaust (a byproduct fails or on a rare cloudy day in the desert. Noise has diminished, air Is a window a special kind of arch? Not really. of the generators running 24 hours each day) as well as the price quality improved, and the money saved can fund other projects that “Window” is just a descriptive term that is tag of $20,000 a year in operating costs and many hours of staff improve visitor experiences. often given to rock openings high on a rock maintenance. The park needed a better way to provide power to the wall or fin. Some arches are called windows if they “frame” a particularly good view of the campground, and after years of study and research we finally saw Thanks to a productive partnership, wise management decisions, landscape beyond. the light… and implementation of new technologies, the constant whirring of diesel engines and their choking exhaust are no longer part of the Arch, bridge, window...or hoodoo, spire, …of the sun! In 1995, the NPS (in partnership with the state of Arches camping experience. So breathe deep and enjoy the serenity. tower...these are all descriptive names given Utah) installed a photovoltaic/diesel hybrid electrical system to sandstone features visible in the park and for the campground. Photovoltaic technology – also called solar elsewhere in the southwest. Whatever you call them, shapes in the rock possess great power power – harvests clean energy from the sun and stores it in batteries. to capture the human imagination. What Currently, 95 percent of the campground’s electrical needs are names might your imagination suggest? captured from the sun, and the generators only run if the PV system

Arches Visitor Guide 7 Time flies! Use it well

Have a limited time to explore Arches? Here are some suggestions • Take the moderately strenuous ranger-guided hike through the to help you make the most of your visit, even if it is brief. the Fiery Furnace. Make a reservation online at least four days in advance (see page 2). If You Like to Hike • If you don’t mind driving the rough and often “washboard” road to the remote island of rock known as Klondike Bluffs, hike the Time allocations are based on an average hiking speed of two miles primitive trail to Tower Arch. per hour, and include time to drive to the trailheads. (Time spent marveling and contemplating the majestic wonders and sights varies If you have a whole day or more, combine the above hikes to fill the greatly and is not included here.) Add time to take in the scenery from time you have. roadside pullouts between destinations. If You Like to Tour by Car In 2 hours, you can do one of these 4 routes: 1 • Hike the Windows loop trail and get an up-close view of the North If you have 1 ⁄2 hours: and South Windows and Turret Arch. Then take the short trail • Drive to the Windows Section and see some of the park’s largest between parking areas and hike up to Double Arch. Drive back to arches. (Add one-half hour to stroll beneath either North Window Balanced Rock and take the loop trail around its base. Consider its or Double Arch.) Friends of precarious position as you walk beneath it. • Drive to the Delicate Arch Viewpoint and see the world’s most Arches and the

• Take the Delicate Arch Trail from Wolfe Ranch up the sloping famous arch, a mile distant. Stop at Wolfe Ranch on your way Canyonlands Parks slickrock to stand under the best known arch in the world. (During back and imagine what it would have been like to homestead this hot months, do this hike early or late in the day.) relatively barren area in the late 1800s. The Friends of Arches and the

• Hike between the tall sandstone fins in the Devils Garden to see Canyonlands Parks: Bates Wilson Legacy Landscape Arch, perhaps the world’s longest. How long will this If you have 3 hours: Fund provides direct support to Arches thin span resist the forces of gravity? Do both drives listed above (or you can do one drive, spending ten and Canyonlands National Parks and to • Walk to Sand Dune Arch, across the grassy field and onward to minutes at each viewpoint along the way). Natural Bridges and Hovenweep National Broken Arch. Continue around the loop, through the end of the Monuments in order to enhance existing 1 campground, and return. Enjoy the vista toward the distant Book If you have 4 ⁄2 hours: projects in these spectacular areas to Cliffs, Tapestry Arch and the sandstone fins. You can drive all of the paved park roads, spending ten minutes at conserve the land and its cultural treasures each viewpoint, and take quick drives to the Windows Section, Wolfe for present and future generations to enjoy. In half a day, take one of these three hikes: Ranch, and Delicate Arch Viewpoint. This mission honors the legendary work of • Hike the entire Devils Garden Trail, all the way out to the spire Superintendent Bates Wilson. Bates came called Dark Angel. When you return, take the primitive loop. Can’t decide? to Arches in 1949, inspiring and leading the Well, forget the schedule and stay another day! effort that resulted in Canyonlands National Park being established in 1964. He is regarded by many as the “Father of Canyonlands.” Weather Information Bates Wilson firmly believed that:

Temperature (degrees Fahrenheit) Precipitation (inches) • The park visitor must have a great experience; Average Average Max Max Days Days Average % of High Low High Low above below Annual • Exploratory and educational 100 32 opportunities must abound; • Preservation is our obligation to future January 44 22 63 -1 0 28 0.6 7 generations; February 52 28 73 9 0 22 0.7 8 • Youth indeed are the future: Bates March 64 35 87 13 0 10 0.8 9 enhanced the lives of countless young How do I get to people as they explored and learned to Arches National Park? April 71 42 93 25 0 3 0.8 9 appreciate the parks with him. May 82 51 105 33 1 0 0.8 9 Arches National Park is located in southeast Go to www.bateswilson.org to learn more or June 93 60 110 43 6 0 0.5 5 Utah. mail a check made out to Friends of Arches July 100 67 116 51 16 0 0.7 8 and the Canyonlands Parks/CNHA to: • 5 miles north of Moab • 110 miles southwest of Grand Junction, August 97 66 109 44 12 0 0.8 9 Friends of Arches and the Canyonlands Parks Colorado September 88 55 105 36 1 0 0.9 10 c/o CNHA • 236 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah PO Box 1680 • 360 miles southwest of Denver, Colorado October 74 42 106 23 0 2 1.0 13 Moab, Utah 84532. • 350 miles north of Grand Canyon November 56 30 79 12 0 18 0.6 7 National Park’s South Rim December 45 23 69 5 0 26 0.4 5 Thanks! Commercial airlines serve Grand Junction, Moab and Salt Lake City.

Nationwide bus service is available to Green Canyonlands Natural History Association (CNHA) Carry the park in your pocket! River, Utah (50 miles from Moab) and Grand sells hundreds of items about Arches National Park and The Official App for Arches National Park Junction. the rest of Utah’s canyon country. from CNHA

Visit their outlets in the Arches Visitor Center and the Includes: For additional information on transportation Moab Information Center (corner of Center & Main in Moab). • Favorite destinations arrangements, contact: • Things to see and do CNHA • Stunning photos Grand County Travel Council 3015 S. Highway 191 • A park map P.O. Box 550 Moab, Utah 84532 • Ranger-led activities Moab, UT 84532 • Junior Ranger program (800) 635-MOAB (800)840-8978 (toll free) • How to maximize your visit www.discovermoab.com (435)259-6003 • Photography tips & more! www.cnha.org Download the Essential App for FREE! facebook.com/moabcnha twitter.com/CNHA1 Your purchase supports Arches National Park.

8 Arches Visitor Guide