Animals Popular with Visitors PAGES 4 & 5

1 National Park Service Visitor Guide U.S. Department of the Inte ri or

Arches National Park

2007, No. 1 HIKING INFORMATION Animals Popular with Visitors PAGES 4 & 5

Although Arches National Park is artist and see photographs of his work not known for its wildlife, some very at www.mathhewgraypalmer.com. impressive specimens can always be found at the Visitor Center. They are “I think the great thing about the unafraid and approachable, and pose project at Arches,” Palmer said, “in patiently for endless photographs. addition to the tremendous honor of having my work integrated with one These monuments are the work of the most beautiful places in the of sculptor Matthew Gray Palmer country, is the use of the arts as an of Friday Harbor, Washington. interpretive vehicle for the park. The Commissioned in 2005 for the new arts are a natural complement to the Visitor Center, the sculptures include predominantly immersive experience a life-size desert bighorn sheep ram, that visitors enjoy, particularly with ewe, and lamb, as well as two ravens, a the profound visual and tactile whiptail lizard, and a collared lizard. A life-size desert bighorn sheep ram is one of several sculptures found outside the new visitor center. impact of the landscape at Arches. As visitors to our national parks, we Bighorn sheep are native to the park. The sculptures provide a close-up art institutes, he opted for hands- seek an encounter with beauty and Numerous petroglyphs indicate look at these magnifi cent animals. on training, gaining skill in using a the sublime. The arts have always that Native Americans saw – and no To make the sculptures, the artist variety of media including stone, clay, been a means to express this form doubt hunted and possibly revered fi rst made life-size wax models of the marble, and bronze. In 1995 he started of connection and if they can impart – these impressive creatures. After animals. A mold was made from the Parallaxis with the goal of educating information about a place, a time, or the original population was nearly wax, into which molten bronze was people about conservation and the its inhabitants, then that is a perfect extirpated through disease, 25 poured. Additional details are worked natural world through art. From his combination.” bighorn were re-introduced to Arches into the bronze by hand to make the studio on San Juan Island, he devotes from nearby Canyonlands National pieces as realistic as possible. his time to a variety of projects As you enjoy and appreciate these Park in the 1980s. The population has and commissions. His monument additions to the Visitors Center, please stabilized around 80 animals. Watch According to the artist’s website, installments can also be seen at the remember: Please don’t feed the for them around the entrance area Matthew Gray Palmer “began to Columbus Zoo, the Toledo Zoo, and animals (or climb on them, either!). and at the top of the hill behind the think big at an early age.” Passing the Kroger Equestrian Center, all in visitor center. up major scholarships from several Ohio. You can learn more about the

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 25) during the following hours:

Spring through October 2007

7:30 A.M. to 6:30 P.M.

Moab, UT 84532 UT Moab, PO Box 907 Box PO November 2007 through Spring 2008

Arches National Park National Arches 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.

U.S. Department of the Interior the of Department U.S. National Park Service Park National National Park Service U.S. Department of the Inte ri or General Infor ma tion CAMPING BACKPACKING COMMERCIAL TOURS Devils Garden Campground is 18 miles from Arches is a relatively small park, with very The following privately operated companies the park entrance. 24 sites are available on a few areas far enough from roads to qualify are authorized by the National Park Service Arches Visitor Guide fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis. One site is set as “backcountry.” Outside the developed to provide visitors backcountry vehicle tours aside for visitors with disabilities. 28 sites visitor area there are no designated trails, in Arches: Published By and two groups sites may be reserved in camp sites, or reliable water sourc es. If Canyonlands Natural Histo ry Association, advance (see below). The campground fi lls you’d like to backpack, consider nearby OARS Canyonlands, Inc. a not-for-profi t orga ni zation that assists daily between March and October, usually places like Canyonlands Nation al Park PO Box 67, Angels Camp CA 95222; (800) the Nation al Park Service in its educational, by mid-morning. Visitors must pre-register that offer more extensive backcountry 346-6277; (209) 736-4677; www.oars.com inter pre tive and scientifi c programs. For more at the visitor center as early as possible. oppor tu ni ties. If you do backpack in infor ma tion, see the back page. Navtec Expeditions Tables and fi re rings are provided in each Arch es, you must obtain a backcountry 321 N. Main, Moab, Utah 84532; (800) 833- site. Water and fl ush toilets are available in permit at the visitor center. The maximum Park Mailing Address 1278; (435) 259-7983; www.navtec.com several locations. Individual sites are $15 group size permitted is twelve, but smaller Arches National Park Tag-A-Long Expeditions per night. Wood gathering and ground fi res groups are strongly recom mend ed to PO Box 907 452 N. Main, Moab, Utah 84532; (800) 453- Moab, UT 84532 are prohibited. Wood may be purchased reduce impacts. 3292; (435) 259-8946; www.tagalong.com from campground hosts March through Phone October and at the visitor center November CLIMBING FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE ROUTES (435) 719-2299 (voice) through February. Two group tent sites are Most technical climbing routes here require Arches has a limited number of four-wheel available for eleven people or more: Juniper advanced skills. No permits are required; drive roads. Due to fl ood damage in the fall Email Basin (up to 55 people) and Canyon Wren however, it is your responsibility to know of 2006, the road from Klondike Bluff s to [email protected] (up to 35 people). The group camping fee current climbing rules and route closures, Eye of the Whale Arch is closed indefi nitely. is $3 per person per night, with a $33 per so ask at the visitor center. Climbing of any Website The other four-wheel drive road, Willow night mini mum. No recreational vehicles or type is not permitted on arches named on www.nps.gov/arch Flats, goes west from Balanced Rock to trailers are permitted in group sites. the USGS topographic map. Slacklining is Highway 191. Please check at the visitor also prohibited. Climbers must access routes center for current road conditions. The RESERVATIONS by using designated trails, slickrock or sandy Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has The National Park Service cares for the special At Devils Garden, 28 individual sites washes to protect soil crusts. Canyonlands many popular 4WD routes off ering a wide- places saved by the American people so that and two group sites may be reserved for Natural History Association carries several range of diffi culty. all may experience our heritage. dates between March 1st and October books with route information. 31st. Reservations must be made at least EMERGENCY! four days and no more than 240 days in Any number of emergencies can occur RANGER-GUIDED ACTIVITIES advance. To make a reservation online, while you are visit ing a national park: hiking Rangers offer a variety of guided activities go to www.reserveUSA.com (search for accidents, medical emergencies, motor from mid-March through October. Check Devils Garden Campground) or contact vehicle acci dents, or perhaps you have at the visitor center or on any park bulletin ReserveAmerica by phone: Toll Free locked your keys in your vehi cle. If you have board for specific times and locations. (877) 444-6777; TDD (877) 833-6777; an emergency: International (518) 885-3639. Fiery Furnace Walks • Contact a park employee: park ranger, From mid-March through October, ACCESSIBILITY campground host, or mainte nance person. rangers lead walks into the Fiery Furnace Not all park facilities meet mandated Many park rangers are trained emergency twice each day. These 2½ to 3 hour hikes standards, but we’re always trying to med i cal technicians. Law enforcement wind through terrain that occasionally increase ac ces si bil i ty. We would appreciate rangers can investigate vehicle acci dents requires the use of hands and feet to your comments. Visitors with mobility and handle other police matters. They can scramble up and through narrow cracks impairments can access: also take reports of lost hikers, fi res, or and along narrow ledges above drop-offs. other emergencies. Group size is limited, and these popular Visitor Center walks often fill a day or two in advance. Ramp and reserved parking. • Go to the visitor center: If the building is Make your reservation and pay your Restrooms closed, use the pay phones in front of the fee at the visitor center no more than Throughout the park including the visitor building to dial 911 (no coin is needed). seven days in advance of the walk, and center and Devils Garden. Biking along the scenic drive. for groups of no more than ten people. Campsite • Dial 911 on your cellular phone: You will Larger groups can request a special tour (a Devils Garden site #7. reach the Grand County Sheriff ’s Offi ce, minimum of four weeks notice is advised). Park Avenue Viewpoint SHARE THE ROAD who will contact a ranger in the park. Paved path with slight decline near end. Guided Walks Drivers: Park roads are narrow and Delicate Arch Viewpoint winding. Do not stop in the roadway—save Have a safe and enjoyable visit! Rangers lead easy, one-hour walks each Hard surface, level. sightseeing for designated viewpoints. day at different loca tions through out the Balanced Rock Viewpoint Watch for pedestrians and bicycles. Ensure a park between early mid-March and late Paved surface, level. minimum distance of three feet (one meter) October. when passing. Evening Programs Bicyclists: Bikes are permitted only on Join a ranger at the Devils Garden roads, not on hiking trails or off -road. Ride campground amphi the ater (next to single fi le, and be attentive to passing cars Canyon Wren group campsite and across and recreational vehicles that may not be the road from campsite #25) nightly from aware of cyclists. On the paved road, there mid-March through October. Talks last are no road shoulders or bike lanes. Many about forty-five minutes, and cover a wide dirt roads here are sandy, washboarded or variety of topics, with titles such as “The gravel: however, the Willow Springs road Bare Necessities,” “Mines, Minerals and off ers an enjoyable two to three-hour ride. Mayhem,” and “Habitat is where it’s at.” The most popular biking trails in the Moab Starting times vary through the season. area are on Bureau of Land Management Interpretive walk (BLM) land outside of the park. Enjoying sunset at Delicate Arch.

2 Arches Visitor Guide Where does my money go?

IN 2004, CONGRESS PASSED THE FEDERAL LANDS and $5 for bicyclists, those walking, or on fees, and other special user fees. Previously- Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA), motorcycles. The following special passes issued Golden Access Passes will be honored which replaced the Recreational Fee are now available: forever by all agencies. Demonstration Program. Authorized through December 2014, the law allows retention Interagency Annual Pass ($80) Pass for local areas: Arches, Canyonlands, Previously the Golden Eagle/National Park Pass Hovenweep and Natu ral Bridg es ($25) of 80% of fees collected at a site to remain Hey Kids — Good for twelve months; available to any- Good for twelve months; avail able to there for repair, maintenance, and facility one. Free entrance to Fish and Wildlife any one; entrance to these four areas only. This One’s For You! enhancement related directly to visitor Service Refuges and National Park Service Tired of just sitting in the car, looking at enjoyment, visitor access and health and areas that charge entrance fees. Covers use This new revenue funded the following that stuff adults call scenery? safety. It also includes interpretation, visitor of Bureau of Land Management , Bureau of improvements at Arches: information, visitor service, visitor needs Do you want to know more about Reclamation, and Forest Service sites that • Rehabilitating park trails assessments, and signs; habitat restoration Arches and help protect the park? charge Standard Amenity Fees. • Replacing the entrance station septic system directly related to wildlife-dependent • Rehabilitating the Devils Garden picnic area Then the Junior Ranger program is recreation that is limited to hunting, fi shing Interagency Senior Pass ($10) • Maintaining park roads for you! (where permitted), wildlife observation or Previously the Golden Age Pass photography; and law enforcement related to Lifetime pass for U.S. citizens sixty-two ACTIVITY FEES If you are between the ages of six and years of age and older; entrance to all federal public use and recreation. Fees charged for the popular ranger-guided twelve, and you are planning to spend fee areas plus 50 percent discount on camp- Fiery Furnace walks will go directly to at least one day in Arches, pick up a ing, activity fees, and other special user fees. Congress is interested in your comments sup port ing the program. The cost is $10 for Jun ior Rang er booklet at the visitor Previously-issued Golden Age Passes will be center. You must complete several regarding the Federal Lands Recreation adults; $5 for children six to twelve years old honored forever by all agencies. activities in the booklet, like word Enhancement Act. Forms are available at the and Senior Pass/Golden Age card holders. games, drawings and fi ll-in-the-blanks Arches Visitor Center. Res er va tions are re quired and may be made Interagency Access Pass (Free) about why you shouldn’t chase or at the visitor center. Previously the Golden Access Pass catch liz ards. You must also gather a ENTRANCE FEES bag of litter or Lifetime pass for permanently disabled U.S. The entrance fees at Arches National Park bring twenty citizens; entrance to all federal fee areas plus are $10 per vehicle for a seven-day pass, alu mi num cans 50 percent discount on camping, activity to be recycled and attend a ranger program or watch the program at the vis itor center. It’s that simple! Then you can pick up your free badge at the visi tor center. You also have the option of purchasing a patch in the bookstore. Becom ing a Jun ior Rang er is a seri ous and impor tant task, but it’s lots of fun too!

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 Check it out! which have received needed attention in recent years. supports this program.

Photography at Arches

The fi rst time someone asked me about the best the making of a high-quality shot. If you need Early Morning Late Afternoon place to photo graph the sunset, I advised, “well, to move in closer, do it. You might want to get a most folks would say up at Delicate Arch.” zoom lens or a longer focal length lens. Moab Fault Park Avenue Though that information was accurate, and that The Three Gossips Courthouse Towers person proba bly came away with a memorable Eliminate unnecessary objects. See what your Sheep Rock Petrifi ed Dunes photo, I’ve since come to feel that I could have lens sees. Is there a yucca plant that seems to be The Great Wall Balanced Rock conveyed more. Read on. sticking out of the top of someone’s head? Is the Turret Arch The Garden of Eden The Spectacles North and South Windows red car in the background more obvious than the Double Arch Delicate Arch Composition is one of the fi rst ways to improve kids in front of the arch? Have you included too Cache Valley Fiery Furnace those photo graphs. Look at a really good many points of interest, to the detri ment of them Wolfe Ranch Skyline Arch photograph and you’ll fi nd the subject is placed all? Landscape Arch Fins in Devils Garden off-center, and probably falls along the imaginary Double O Arch Tower Arch line that connects the opposite corners of the Basic rule: keep it simple. frame. Or, imagine a grid in your viewfi nder that sections the frame into thirds top to bottom A photograph is not about an object, it is about Watch Your Step and right to left. Now, place your subject at the light on an object. The best photo graph ic light intersection of a horizontal line and a vertical occurs early in the morning and late in the af- This land is every bit as fragile as it is beautiful. line. That’s called the Rule of Thirds, and it’s a ternoon, as the lower angle of light gives your If you step off the trail or away from the good one to follow. Place a foreground subject subject depth and a greater sense of reality. The pullout, you may injure our living land. When Courthouse Towers on one of those intersections and a background warmth of the light deepens the redness of the biological soil crust is damaged, it can take subject on the opposite intersection, and you rock into amazing hues, the very reason this land centuries (liter al ly) to heal (see page 6 for more but remember, they are just the starting points. may fi nd that friends start asking for copies of is often called “color country.” information). Allow others who’ll be inspired by Countless other oppor tu ni ties will present your photos. your photos to come and see this land as Nature themselves if you keep an open mind and simply The features listed in the table on the right intended: organ ic and alive. respond to that place within you that says, Fill that frame! If your subject fi lls only 10 per- will serve as fi ne starting points for your “Wow, look at that!” cent of the picture, the other 90 percent prob- photo graph ic odyssey. Those places should ably is wasted on unin ter esting matter — not keep your eyes — and shutter fi ngers — busy, Arches Visitor Guide 3 Hiking Trails

Broken Arch Start: Sand Dune Arch parking area or Devils Garden campground across from camp site #40 Length: 1.3 miles (2.1 km) round trip; 2 miles (3.2 km) includ ing the loop Time: 30 to 60 minutes From the Sand Dune Arch parking area, the Be Safe trail crosses a large meadow to the arch and continues to the campground. Trail leads Each year, park rangers respond to dozens of through fi ns with sand dunes and slickrock. search or rescue incidents in the park, many of which involve heat exhaustion and/or Balanced Rock Skyline Arch dehydration or improper footwear. Always carry (and drink) water! Even the shortest EASY TRAILS Start: Skyline Arch parking area stroll will make you thirsty on a 100°F (38°C) Length: 0.4 mile (0.6 km) round trip day. One gallon (4 liters) per person per day Balanced Rock Time: 10 to 20 minutes is recommended for longer hikes. Water is Start: Balanced Rock parking area A short hike on a fl at, well-de fi ned available only at the visitor center and at Length: 0.3 mile (0.5 km) round trip trail. On a cold Novem ber night in 1940, a Devils Garden. Time: 15 to 30 minutes large chunk fell out of the arch, instantly • Wear sturdy shoes with enough tread to A loop trail at the base of fragile, pic tur - doubling the size of its opening. Delicate Arch give you good traction. Do not hike in esque rock forma tion. leather-soled shoes or boots. Some trails Landscape Arch cover uneven terrain and follow rock The Windows Start: Devils Garden trail head STRENUOUS TRAILS ledges. Start: Windows parking area Length: 1.6 miles (2.6 km) round trip Length: 1 mile (1.6 km) round trip Time: 30 to 60 minutes Delicate Arch • Protect your skin with a hat, long-sleeved Time: 30 to 60 minutes A relatively fl at, gravel-surfaced trail (usu- Start: Wolfe Ranch parking area shirt, and sun screen. There is little shade in A gentle climb up a gravel loop trail leads to ally heavily populated with hikers) leads to Length: 3 miles (4.8 km) round trip the desert. The sun is intense year round three massive arches (North and South Win- a spec tac u lar ribbon of rock, whose span is Time: 2 to 3 hours and can easily burn your skin, espe cial ly in dows and Turret Arch). An alternate return, more than a football fi eld in length. Short Elevation change: 480 feet (146 m) the summer. slightly longer, is by way of the primi tive side trips to Tunnel and Pine Tree Arches. Take at least 2 quarts (2 liters) of water per loop around the back of the two Windows. Trail guide available at trailhead. person! Open slickrock with some exposure • Slickrock invites ad venture. When you to heights and no shade. The fi rst half-mile climb or scramble, be sure you can The primitive loop trail starts at the South retrace your steps, and re mem ber that it Win dow view point. is a well-defi ned trail. Upon reaching the is often eas i er to go up than down. slickrock, follow the rock cairns. The trail Dou ble Arch climbs gradu al ly and levels out toward the • Sudden thun derstorms with deadly Start: Dou ble Arch parking area top of this rock face. Just before you get to lightning do occur here. The distance of Length: 0.8 mile (1.2 km) round trip Delicate Arch, the trail traverses a rock ledge lightning can be calcu lat ed by counting Time: 15 to 30 minutes for about 200 yards (183 m). the time inter val between a lightning fl ash A relatively fl at, sandy trail leads to the base and the subse quent thunder clap. Sound of two giant arch spans which are joined at Devils Garden (includes primi tive loop) travels about a mile in fi ve seconds, so one end. Start: Devils Gar den Trailhead if the inter val is fi fteen seconds (or three Park Avenue Length: 7.2 miles (11.6 km) round trip, in- miles) or less, you should seek shelter Delicate Arch Viewpoint
cluding all spur trails to points of interest im me diate ly. One of the safest places MODERATE TRAILS Start: Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trailhead Time: 3 to 5 hours to be during a thunder storm is in your Length: 100 yards (91 meters) round trip Longest of the maintained trails in the park, vehi cle with the windows complete ly Park Avenue Time: 10 to 15 minutes Devils Garden Trail leads to eight awe-in- closed. If you are unable to reach your Start: Park Avenue parking area In addition to the short acces si ble trail, spiring arches. Expect narrow ledges with vehi cle, go to a low-lying area. Stay away End: Courthouse Towers parking area another (moder ate ly strenu ous) hiking trail rocky surface hiking and scram bling on from open areas, high spots or tall objects Length: 1 mile (1.6 km) one way (such as Delicate Arch), and solitary trees. climbs 0.5 mile (0.8 km) toward Delicate slickrock. Not recom mend ed when rock Time: 30 to 60 minutes If your skin tingles or your hair stands on Arch and ends at the rim of a steep canyon is wet or snowy. Trail guide available at Elevation change: 320 feet (98 meters) end (signs that a charge is building up), that sepa rates the viewpoint from the arch. trailhead. From Park Avenue parking area, the trail crouch down and place both feet together This is not the popular trail to Delicate Arch, descends steeply into a spec tac u lar canyon fi rm ly on the ground. which starts at the Wolfe Ranch parking area. Double O Arch and contin ues down the wash to Courthouse Start: Devils Gar den Trailhead Towers. If you have a shuttle driver, you can Sand Dune Arch Length: 4.2 miles (6.8 km) round trip begin at one point and be picked up at the Hiking Etiquette Start: Sand Dune Arch parking area Time: 2 to 3 hours other. For round-trip hiking, retrace your Length: 0.3 mile (0.5 km) round trip Be yond Landscape Arch, the trail becomes steps along the trail rather than walk along • Stay on established trails: Follow the rock Time: 15 to 30 minutes more challeng ing as it climbs over sandstone cairns. Help protect the fragile biological the park road. Trail leads through deep sand to a secluded slabs; footing is rocky; there are narrow soil crust and other vegetation in our arch among sandstone fi ns. Do not climb or ledges with exposure to heights. Spur trails desert environment. Tower Arch jump off the arch. lead to Partition and Navajo Arches. Dark Start: Klondike Bluff s parking area, via the Angel is one-half mile (0.8 km) farther. Trail • Leave no trace: Move like a shadow, and Salt Valley road please take out the trash, even if it isn’t Length: 3.4 miles (5.5 km) round trip guide available at trailhead. yours. Time: 2 to 3 hours The trail climbs a steep, short rock wall, Fiery Furnace (Fee Area) • Pets and bicycles are not permitted on cuts across a valley and then meanders The Fiery Furnace is a mazelike labyrinth hiking trails. through sandstone fi ns and sand dunes. An of narrow sandstone canyons. To enter the alternate, shorter trail (0.3 mile [0.5 km] one Fiery Furnace, visitors must accompany way), begins at the end of the four-wheel- a ranger-guided hike (see page 2) or ob- drive road on the west side of Tower Arch. tain a hiking permit at the visitor center. This unpaved road washes out quickly in There is no trail, so visitors are encouraged rainstorms; check road conditions before to ac com pa ny a ranger — both for their own Rock cairn heading out. safety and to reduce impacts on the area.

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.

D EVI Private LS Dark Angel G Arch AR Double O Arch D primitive E N trail 1.1mi KLONDIKE 1.8km Wall Arch BLUFFS Navajo Arch Tower Arch Partition 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 STOP 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 9.0mi Fiery Furnace Viewpoint 4829ft 14.5km Salt Valley Overlook 1474m CLOSURE! Due to flooding in 2006, the four-wheel-drive Wolfe Ranch Pit toilet Delicate Arch Viewpoints road between Klondike Bluffs and Eye of the 1.0mi Whale Arch is currently closed. 1.6km C To 70 and Crescent Junction Parking and ACHE Pit toilet VA from junction of 191 and 313 : 1.2mi LLEY 18mi 29km 1.9km

2.5mi Panorama Point STOP 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 L SECTION 128 A 9.2mi

W 14.8km

T

A

313 E

R Petrified Dunes

N O G Y Viewpoint

N

A C E

E H IL T M EN V PETRIFIED E S DUNES BLM campgrounds

Denv BIG B e EN r D To Dead Horse Point State Park a from junction of 313 and 191 : nd Ri 6.0mi 9.6km 19mi 31km Tower of Babel

o Sheep Rock

To Canyonlands National Park, Courthouse Towers Viewpoint

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

W COURTHOUSE P

e a r

s k t TOWERS e

rn A v Park Avenue e

La Sal Mountains Viewpoint R Viewpoint and Trailhead VE RI Visitor Center Park headquarters Byway O D A Scenic 4085ft R O M 1245m L O O AB C C AN YO Parking is permitted only in N designated spaces. If a particular 128

parking lot is full, please return 4.3mi 7.0km at a later time. Strictly enforced. Scenic Byway

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

ARCHES IS A MINIMALIST LAND SCAPE FOR THE MOST PART: SLICKROCK erase decades of growth. Bike and vehi cle tracks leave long, straight and stretches of sandy terrain sparsely veg e tat ed with clumps of stiff strips of damaged crust that are extreme ly prone to wind and water grass and low-growing, tough-looking shrubs. In some places, the ero sion. Pieces of the damaged crust can also be carried away by ground around and between the widely spaced plants appears to the wind. The now loose soil under neath often blows over adja cent have large patches of dark, knobby, brittle crust. This same scruff y, un dam aged patch es of cryptos, prevent ing them from receiv ing ap par ent ly dead and dried out rind covers almost 75 percent of the sun light. No sun light, no pho to syn the sis, no cryptos. Un sta ble sandy ground surface of the 130,000-square-mile Colo rado Plateau. It is soils can turn a nearby solidly anchored, crypto-covered “garden” called biological, or cryptobiotic, soil crust; it is very much alive and into a drifting sand dune. of great eco log i cal im portance. Soil crust, sometimes called crypto for short, is made up of cyanobacteria, mosses, soil lichens, green Does biological soil crust ever recover? Well . . . sort of. The thin top algae, micro fun gi and bacteria. layer can grow back in a few years. Down where the dead sheath material binds sand grains to geth er, the damage heals much more Cyanobacteria are the most prevalent and most important com- slowly. It is esti mat ed that for a disturbed area of cryptos to become Biological soil crust is a living groundcover that forms the foundation of high desert plant life in po nent. When fi laments of cyanobacteria are moistened, they fully function al again, to do all the wondrous things it can, may take Arches and the surround ing area. advance through the soil, leaving sheaths of sticky muci lage on their as long as 250 years. trail. These gluey fi laments bind to soil particles and, over time, can create an erosion-resistant surface. Because cyanobacteria is able to Though mature cryptos quickly become easy to rec og nize, young capture nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that plants can crusts are without distinc tive coloration or features. To preserve use, it serves as a fertilizer — a truly useful trait in an eco sys tem noto - this unique resource, we ask your help. Vehi cles and bikes, please ri ous ly poor in nitrogen. Calcium, potas si um and manga nese bind re main on des ig nat ed roads. Hik ers, stick to trails or, if walking to the sheaths and are made available to plants in usable form. When cross-county, walk only on rock or in drainag es. Avoid using “social” wet, the sheaths will expand to ten times their dry size, enabling (un offi cial) trails. the soil crust to retain moisture, to its own benefi t as well as that of nearby vascular plants. For the sake of the park and other park visi tors, please leave no trace of your passage. In many natu ral areas, visi tors are asked to “Take In this harsh environment, plants need all the help they can get! Bio- only pictures, leave only footprints.” In southeast Utah, you are logical crusts provide stable soil, nutrients and moisture. Unfortu- asked to be even more careful. We all cared enough to seek out this nately, the inter wo ven mat of sheath mate ri al is easily broken, es pe - unique place, let’s care enough to keep it healthy, beauti ful and wild Soilcrusts provide a haven for seeds. cial ly when dry. If you tramp on a well devel oped patch of crust, you for gen er a tions to come. Ani mals that call this desert home

THE LANDSCAPE OF ARCHES, FOR ALL OF ITS chorus singing the tremulous Song of the out of your way if they have a chance. Watch spareness, provides life’s necessities for a West. Very rarely are bobcats and mountain for them, but chances are you will not see any variety of ani mals that have adapted to meet lions sighted. of these fascinating creatures. Even so, always its demands: 65 species of mammals, 190 bird look before you put your feet under ledges, species, 22 reptiles, 9 amphib i ans, 8 fi sh, and Protection programs within Arches and rocks, debris or in any crack, crevice or dark who knows how many kinds of insects. Canyonlands National Parks have dramati- place. Never lay your hand on a surface you cally increased opportunities for visitors to cannot fi rst see. Most desert mammals hunt in the early glimpse the magnifi cent desert bighorn. The morning and evening hours to avoid the Moab Fault Overlook and along Highway When animals eat other than their natural heat of day. About one-third of the area’s 191 near the park entrance are particularly foods, they develop nutritional problems that Do not feed wildlife! mammals are rodents — squir rels, packrats, good places to watch for them. During the can be fatal. Repeated contact with humans chipmunks, porcu pines — and most of these breeding season (November to January), caus es them to lose their “wildness.” Those Recently, 15 deer were shot by park rangers spend daylight hours in burrows. You are extremely fortunate observers may see males that con gre gate by roadsides where people in Grand Canyon National Park. Appalling? most likely to glimpse even desert cottontails engage in bouts of head-butting to establish feed them are often hit by cars. They thought so too. The rangers didn’t and jackrab bits at dawn and dusk. Mule deer dominance. want to do it. All 15 deer were weak and are the most commonly seen large mammal in Aside from the risk to the animals, you may starving because people were feeding them. the park, especially in the Devils Garden area. Of the lizards, the western whiptail (its tail be in danger too. Coyotes and small rodents Fawns and weak adults provide a food base is twice the length of its body) is most com- are known to bite, and may carry rabies and These deer had become addicted to human for the park’s large predators, coyotes and mon ly seen. The western collared lizard is other diseases. food. They started out eating handouts mountain lions. the park’s most photogenic, with coloring of of crackers, potato chips, and cookies, which eventually led them to eating food bright green with a distinctive black collar. When you are unable to resist the urge to wrappers, plastic bags, and plastic twine If you are lucky, you may spot solitary It is not often seen, but is very cooperative feed a wild animal, you are contributing to that smelled like food. Autopsies revealed coyotes foraging either day or night. The with pho tog ra phers. its death. Think about it. Enjoy watching that the deers’ stomachs were clogged with coyotes’ predations help maintain a natural them, but leave them wild. ingested trash. In some cases, three to fi ve balance among animal populations in the Some poisonous animals live here, includ- pounds of plastic obstructed the animals’ park. Late in the evening, the yips and howls ing rattlesnakes, scorpions and black widow digestive systems. Food could not be of one coyote are answered by a coyote spiders. They will not seek you out and will get processed, and the animals were starving even as they ate.

Arches National Park is having similar problems with their deer, and also their coyotes and ravens. Wildlife that approaches you, your car, or your picnic table is accustomed to being fed. YOU can help by discouraging begging animals. Do not let wildlife approach you. Clap your hands. Chase them away. Keep food stored properly in cars and coolers. Help us keep Bighorn Sheep our wildlife healthy. Collared Lizard Midget Faded Rattlesnake

6 Arches Visitor Guide Desert Plants Want To Be a VIP? MANY VISITORS ARE SURPRISED AT THE AMOUNT are not favorable. Most grasses are drought Another fascinating adaptation to resisting Arches may have just the job for you as of vegetation in Arches. Plants are critical escapers, as are wildfl owers that bloom after drought can be found in the Utah juniper, a Volunteer in the Park (VIP). The park provides training and orien ta tion, and components to all ecosystems, and Arches is seasonal rains during spring or late summer. one of the most common trees in the south- most VIPs receive a uniform and minimal no exception. Plants capture particulate dust west. During drought conditions, junipers subsistence pay. Many VIP positions involve in the air, fi lter gaseous pollutants, convert Drought resistors are typically perennials. can self-prune, diverting nutrients from one visitor contact, so a love of people is a must. carbon dioxide to oxygen, provide animal Many have small, spiny leaves that reduce the or more their branches in order to conserve Commitments must be for three to fi ve habitat and food, and possess raw materials impact of solar radiation, and some may drop enough water for the tree to survive. months. We need: useful to humans. A variety of adaptations in their leaves if water is unavailable. Spines and leaves and roots enable plants to survive the hairy leaves act to reduce exposure to air cur- Drought evaders, the fi nal group, survive Campground Hosts moisture and heat stresses here. Plant survival rents and solar radiation, limiting the amount in riparian areas where water is plentiful. Hosts provide on-site coverage in the strategies are grouped into three basic catego- of water lost to evaporation. Cacti, yuccas Monkey fl ower, columbine and maidenhair campground, the park provides a campsite ries: drought escapers, drought resistors and and mosses are examples of drought resistors. fern are found in well-shaded alcoves near with electri cal, water and sewer hookups. drought evaders. Yucca have extensive taproots that are able to seeps or dripping springs. Cottonwoods and Small cabin may be available. fi nd water beyond the reach of other plants. willows require a lot of water, and only grow Park Guides Drought escapers are plants that make use Moss, a plant not commonly associated with along river corridors and intermittent streams Volunteers provide full-time help in the of favorable growing conditions when they deserts, thrives because it can tolerate com- where their roots can reach the water table naturalist program, housing is provided exist. These plants are usually annuals that plete dehydration: when rains fi nally return, easily. (usually a private room in shared apartment grow only when enough water is available. mosses green up immediately. or house). Seeds may lie dormant for years if conditions Resource Management Volun teers provide full-time help in the natural resource program. The park provides housing (usually a private room in a shared apartment or house).

Apply online at www.nps.gov/volunteer, or contact the Park Volunteer Coordinator at P.O. Box 907, Moab, UT 84532, or email [email protected]. Please include your interests and availability.

Student Conservation Association The Student Conservation Association, a privately funded, non-profi t organization, places volun teers (not necessarily students) Moss comes to life after a winter rain. The abundance of wildfl owers varies greatly from Juniper “berries“ (they’re actually tiny pinecones) are around the country in parks, wildlife refuges, year to year. a source of food for many animals. forests and other resource agency loca tions. They provide a uniform allowance, $60 per week subsis tence, and transportation costs Deli cate Sky (by least expensive means) from your home to the park. We use SCAs for both park guide and resource management positions. Contact LIGHT IS FAST . . . VERY FAST. LIGHT CAN CIRCLE THE EARTH IN LESS THAN telescopes, which are, in essence, time machines. The Androm e da them direct ly at Student Conservation one-quarter second. If you could see the Eiff el Tow er, while you Galaxy, our closest neighbor ing galaxy, is more than 2 million light Association, P.O. Box 550, Charlestown, NH were standing atop Mount Peale in the La Sal Moun tains, you would years away. If we want to see what Androm e da looks like right now, 03603-0550. Their web address is www. be viewing light that left Paris about 3/100ths of a second before. In we would have to wait 2 million years. In comparison, we would theSCA.org. one minute, light travels 11.2 million miles. In one year, light travels wait only 8.3 minutes to see our Sun as it is right now; it is only 93 5.88 trillion miles. Zoom. million miles away.

In areas not plagued by light pollu- Many of us are becoming more aware Food For Thought tion, without a telescope you can of the beauty of the night sky, and the see about 2,700 stars. Every one darkness neces sary to enjoy it fully. Most people know that littering is unlaw ful, of those stars is in the Milky Dark ness, like many other envi ron - but it does still occur. Small items like twist Way, our own galaxy. In cos mic men tal factors, is a shrinking com- ties and cigarette butts are most common ly terms, they are close neighbors. mod i ty. Here at Arches, you are found. Food is consid ered litter too since In the northern hemisphere, the in a wonder ful place to star gaze; it does not biode grade in the desert. bright est star (other than our own there is less light pollu tion than Orange peels and apple cores will dry out Sun) is Siri us, 8.5 light years away, near large cities, and the alti tude and remain long after they have been left or about 51 trillion miles. When gives us a clear atmo sphere. behind. Please don’t litter! Be especially you look at Siri us, you are see- When you step into the out door careful on windy days when things can fl y away. ing it as it was 8.5 years ago. dark ness, your eyes will need several minutes to adapt. Then in Aluminum cans may be deposited for The Milky Way is a spiral- a sky fi lled with glim mer ing stars, recycling throughout the park, including struc tured disk that contains an you will see the Milky Way as a the visitor center and Devils Garden estimated 100 billion stars, and luminous streak. Binoculars will campground. Clear and brown glass, our solar system, revolving around make thousands more stars visible. tin cans, clear No. 1 plastic, corru gat ed one of those stars, is in one small arm The sky changes with the time of day cardboard and aluminum can be dropped of it. If you started at this very moment to or night or year, and star maps will help off at the Canyonlands Commu nity count the stars in the Milky Way at the rate you know what to look for and when. The Recy cling Center on the way to the of one per second, it would take you 3,171 years to visitor center and Moab Infor ma tion Center ed u ca - Slickrock Bike Trail in Moab. Keep these count them all. tion al sales outlets have a wealth of in for ma tion on hand. items in use — don’t send them to our landfi ll! Scholars esti mate that there are more than 100 billion galax ies, Millions of people travel to southeast Utah to see Earth’s natu ral each one contain ing hundreds of billions of stars. Is your mind wonders. Don’t overlook those countless marvels in our sky. reeling yet? We can see thousands of those galax ies with ama teur

Arches Visitor Guide 7 Time fl ies! Use it well

HAVE A LIMITED TIME TO EXPLORE ARCHES? HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS Fiery Furnace. Sign up ahead of time at the visitor center. to help you make the most of your visit, even if it is brief. • If you don’t mind driving the rough and often “washboard” road to the remote island of rock known as Klondike Bluff s, hike the IF YOU LIKE TO HIKE prim i tive trail to Tower Arch.

Time allocations are based on an average hiking speed of two miles If you have a whole day or more, com bine the above hikes to fi ll the per hour, and include time to drive to the trailheads. (Time spent time you have. marveling and contemplating the majestic wonders and sights varies greatly and is not included here.) Add time to take in the scenery IF YOU LIKE TO TOUR BY CAR Can Chico from roadside pullouts between desti na tions. come to Arches?

If you have 11⁄2 hours: In 2 hours, you can do one of these 4 routes: • Drive to the Windows Section and see some of the park’s largest During her long drive to Arches, Susie had been antic i pat ing a fun hike with • Hike the Windows loop trail and get an up-close view of the North arches. (Add one-half hour to stroll beneath either North Window her dog, Chico. She was so excited to and South Windows and Turret Arch. Then take the short trail or Double Arch.) get out of the car and walk that she between parking areas and hike up to Double Arch. Drive back to • Drive to the Delicate Arch Viewpoint and see the world’s most over looked the sign that read NO PETS. famous arch, a mile distant. Stop at Wolfe Ranch on your way Bal anced Rock and take the loop trail around its base. Contem plate Susie let Chico run free, off leash, and its precarious position as you walk beneath it. back and imagine what it would have been like to homestead this as Chico romped, chunks of fragile

• Take the Delicate Arch Trail from Wolfe Ranch up the sloping relatively barren area in the late 1800s. cryptobiotic crust fl ew. He then left some slickrock to stand under the best known arch in the world. urine marks and a few droppings. Susie (Dur ing hot months, do this hike early or late in the day.) If you have 3 hours: was concerned when he disappeared for • Hike between the tall sandstone fi ns in the Devils Garden to see Do both drives listed above (or you can do one drive, spending ten awhile; but, boy, he sure had a good time Landscape Arch, perhaps the world’s longest. How long will this minutes at each viewpoint along the way). chasing that rabbit! The porcu pine was thin span resist the forces of gravity? another story, and the quills in his nose 1 hurt even more than the cactus spines in • Walk to Sand Dune Arch, across the grassy fi eld and onward to If you have 4 ⁄2 hours: his feet. Susie’s work was cut out for her Broken Arch. Continue around the loop, through the end of the You can drive all of the paved park roads, spending ten minutes when he returned. camp ground, and return. Enjoy the vista toward the distant Book at each viewpoint, and take quick drives to the Windows Section, Cliff s, the beautiful Tapestry Arch and the sandstone fi ns. Wolfe Ranch, and Deli cate Arch View point. Such scenarios have made it necessary for pets to be prohib it ed from the backcountry In half a day, take one of these three hikes: Can’t decide? as well as on trails in Arches. Pets must be • Hike the entire Devils Garden Trail, all the way out to the spire Well, forget the schedule and stay another day. If you try to see too leashed at all times and may be walked called Dark Angel. When you return, take the primi tive loop. much on your vacation, you end up really “seeing” nothing. only on roads or in parking lots. They may • Take the moderately strenu ous ranger-guided hike through the the not be left unat tend ed (except in a paid-for campsite in the Devils Garden campground, where they must not cause a distur bance). Climate Information For your pets’ safety, do not leave them in vehi cles when outside temper a tures are Temperature (degrees Fahrenheit) Precipitation (inches) above 65°F. They can die of heat exhaus tion Average Average Max Max Days Days Average % of in a very short time. High Low High Low above below Annual 100 32 Visitors with pets January 44 22 63 -1 0 28 0.6 7 need not fret! February 52 28 73 9 0 22 0.7 8 There are two kennels with boarding services How do I get to March 64 35 87 13 0 10 0.8 9 in Moab: April 71 42 93 25 0 3 0.8 9 Karen’s Canine Campground Arch es Nation al Park? 2781 S. Roberts Rd. May 82 51 105 33 1 0 0.8 9 (435) 259-7922 Arches National Park is located in southeast June 93 60 110 43 6 0 0.5 5 Moab Veterinary Clinic Utah. 4575 Spanish Valley Drive July 100 67 116 51 16 0 0.7 8 (435) 259-8710 • 5 miles north of Moab • 110 miles southwest of Grand Junction, August 97 66 109 44 12 0 0.8 9 Nearby, there are vast public lands that offer great hiking and do allow pets on trails. Colorado September 88 55 105 36 1 0 0.9 10 • 236 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah We recom mend that you keep your pet • 360 miles southwest of Denver, Colo rado October 74 42 106 23 0 2 1.0 13 on a leash, even on public lands, to avoid • 350 miles north of Grand Canyon November 56 30 79 12 0 18 0.6 7 uncom fort able encoun ters with wildlife and National Park’s South Rim to prevent resource damage. December 45 23 69 5 0 26 0.4 5 Commercial airlines serve Grand Junction, CO and Salt Lake City, UT. From Salt Lake City, a commuter airline serves Moab. CANYONLANDS NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION Nation wide bus service is available to Green (CNHA) sells hundreds of items about Arches River, UT (50 miles from Moab) and Grand National Park and the rest of Utah’s canyon Junction, CO (100 miles from Moab). country. Visit their outlets in the Arches Visitor Center and the Moab Information Center (at Taxi and shuttle service can be arranged. ARK the corner of Center & Main in Moab). Your Bighorn Express (van shuttle) runs between purchase supports Arches National Park! Salt Lake City and Moab, Blanding, and points in between. Reservations required. For CNHA reservations and schedule, call (888) 655- 3031 S. Highway 191 Hiking Canyonlands & Arches National Arches National Park: Where Rock Meets 7433 or see www.GoArk.com. Moab, Utah 84532 Parks: A comprehensive guide to the trails and Sky: A beautiful book at a great price. $9.95 (800)840-8978 (toll free) backcountry roads in these parks. $16.95 For addi tion al infor ma tion on transpor ta tion Arches Self Guided Driving Tour (CD): (453)259-6003 arrange ments, contact the Grand County Best Easy Day Hikes: Arches & Canyonlands: Great audio commentary as you drive. $10.00 Travel Council, P.O. Box 550, Moab, UT www.cnha.org A pocket-sized trail guide with descriptions and Road Guide to Arches National Park: Well- 84532; (800) 635-MOAB. maps of 21 short hikes. $7.95 illustrated, stop-by-stop guide. $3.95

8 Arches Visitor Guide