1 National Park Service Visitor Guide U.S. Department of the Interior

Arches National Park

Hiking

informa 2010, No. 1 tion pages 4 & 5 Rethinking Wall Arch

Sometimes I’m considered bad luck. considering. Beyond the sadness or Things have a tendency to fall sense of loss that the collapse might wherever I work. In Sacramento, evoke, there is a realization that storms toppled trees in my agency’s something will eventually fill the void back yard more than once. When I where the arch once stood. Simply delivered pizza in college, a large iron put, another answer to the question parking gate inexplicably crashed “Why?” is, “So nature can make room to the ground within inches of my for something else.” car. Later, I began my National Park Service career at Carlsbad Caverns, Consider this: Arches National Park where a once in a lifetime rock slide contains a lot of rocks. The area is a occurred shortly before my arrival. virtual layer cake of rock miles thick, a So when I drove into Moab on celebration of sandstones, mudstones, August 5, 2008 to start my new job at shales, salts, and limestones all Wall Arch (before) Arches, people who knew me were stacked one upon another. Each layer not surprised when they heard that 1776. And, most notably, it was still relentlessly ate away at the natural represents a different environment an arch had collapsed that exact same there on August 4 when everybody calcium “cement” holding the arch’s that existed here in the past. A band of morning. went to bed. sand grains together. Eventually limestone might indicate the presence there wasn’t enough of this cement of an inland sea complete with colorful Everyone else, however, was pretty So when the remains of the ancient left to withstand the pull of gravity, reefs. A section of sandstone tells shocked. After all, Wall Arch had arch were found resting peacefully on and so the whole structure finally the story of wind-blown dunes from spanned a 71-foot gap in the rock the Devils Garden hiking trail the next came crashing down. It’s a bit like a time that was even drier than it is since time immemorial. It was morning, it came as no surprise that sucking on a mint or a candy cane: it today. A layer of shale contains the already curving gracefully when the the main question surrounding the slowly dissolves in your mouth but will relics of a swampy river floodplain Egyptian pyramids were still under collapse was “Why?” usually break up into pieces before it’s ruled by dinosaurs and giant trees. construction. It stood defiantly completely gone. Taken together, these layers reveal while the mighty Roman Empire was One answer is fairly straightforward. a picture of a Planet Earth that is collapsing an ocean away. It was still Erosion and gravity reign supreme Whatever the immediate cause, forever changing on a time scale holding strong when the Declaration over sandstone. For countless eons, though, there is also a more hidden beyond human comprehension. As of Independence was being signed in rain, ice, and groundwater slowly but dimension to the incident worth story continues on page 3...

A C I R E M A R U O Y E C N E I R E P X E 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 2010

7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Moab, UT 84532 UT Moab, PO Box 907 Box PO November 2010 through Spring 2011

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 Interior General Information Camping BackPACKING traveling with pets Devils Garden Campground has 52 sites Arches is a relatively small park, with very Activities with pets are limited at Arches. Pets and is located 18 miles from the park few areas far enough from roads to qualify are not allowed on hiking trails, at overlooks Arches Visitor Guide entrance. The campground fills daily as “backcountry.” Outside the developed or anywhere in the backcountry. Pets may between March and October. Tables and visitor area there are no designated trails, accompany visitors in the developed camp- Published By fire rings are provided in each site. Water campsites, or reliable water sources. If you’d ground, and may be walked in the park along Canyonlands Natural History Association, and flush toilets are available in several like to backpack, consider nearby places like paved roads. Pets must be leashed at all times a not-for-profit organization that assists locations. Canyonlands National Park that offer more when outside a vehicle. For your pets’ safety, the National Park Service in its educational, extensive backcountry opportunities. If do not leave them in vehicles when outside interpretive and scientific programs. For more Individual sites are $20 per night. you’d like to backpack, obtain a backcountry temperatures are above 65F: they can die of information, see the back page. Wood gathering and ground fires are permit at the visitor center. heat exhaustion. There are two kennels with prohibited. Wood may be purchased boarding services in Moab: Park Mailing Address from campground hosts March through Arches National Park PO Box 907 October. Two group tent sites are available Karen’s Canine Campground Moab, UT 84532 for eleven people or more: Juniper Basin 2781 S. Roberts Rd. (up to 55 people) and Canyon Wren (up (435) 259-7922 Phone to 35 people). The group camping fee is $3 (435) 719-2299 (voice) per person per night, with a $33 per night Moab Veterinary Clinic minimum. No recreational vehicles or 4575 Spanish Valley Drive Email trailers are permitted in group sites. (435) 259-8710 [email protected] Reservations Nearby, there are vast public lands that offer Website Campsites at Devils Garden may be great hiking and do allow pets on trails. www.nps.gov/arch reserved for dates between March 1st and We recommend that you keep your pet October 31st. Reservations must be made on a leash, even on public lands, to avoid at least four days and no more than 180 uncomfortable encounters with wildlife and The National Park Service cares for the special days in advance. to prevent resource damage. places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage. To make a reservation online, visit www. four-Wheel Drive Routes recreation.gov. To make a reservation by Arches has a limited number of four-wheel phone, call (877)444-6777 (Toll Free), drive roads, including the Willow Springs Ranger-Guided Activities (877)833-6777 (TDD) or (518)885-3639 Road that goes west from Balanced Rock Each day from mid-March through Octo- (International). Biking along the scenic drive. to Highway 191. Please check at the visitor ber, park staff are located throughout the center for current road conditions. The park to help visitors understand the unique Accessibility share the road Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has elements of Arches National Park. During Not all park facilities meet mandated Park roads are narrow and winding. Do many popular 4WD routes offering a wide- summer months special family activities standards, but we’re always trying not stop in the roadway—save sightseeing range of difficulty. take place. Check at the visitor center for to increase accessibility. We would for designated viewpoints. Watch for specific locations and times. Staff are al- appreciate your comments. Visitors with pedestrians and bicycles. Ensure a minimum EMERGENCY! ways available during Visitor Center hours mobility impairments can access: distance of three feet (one meter) when Any number of emergencies can occur while to help inquiring minds get the most out of passing. you are visiting the park: hiking accidents, their visit. Visitor Center medical emergencies or perhaps you have Ramp and reserved parking. Bikes are permitted only on roads, not on locked your keys in your vehicle. If you have Fiery Furnace Walks­ Restrooms hiking trails or off-road. Ride single file, and an emergency: From mid-March through October, rangers Throughout the park including the visitor be attentive to passing cars and recreational • Contact a park employee. Many park lead walks into the Fiery Furnace twice each center and Devils Garden. vehicles that may not be aware of cyclists. rangers are trained emergency medical day. These 2½ to 3 hour hikes wind through Campsite On the paved road, there are no road technicians. Law enforcement rangers can terrain that occasionally requires the use of Devils Garden site #4. shoulders or bike lanes. Many dirt roads investigate vehicle accidents, handle other hands and feet to scramble up and through here are sandy, washboarded or gravel: Park Avenue Viewpoint police matters, as well as take reports of narrow cracks and along narrow ledges however, the Willow Springs road offers an Paved path with slight decline near end. lost hikers, fires, or other emergencies. above drop-offs. Due to their popularity, enjoyable two to three-hour ride. The most these hikes often fill in advance. Reservations Delicate Arch Viewpoint popular biking trails in the Moab area are on • Go to the visitor center: If the building is can be made online at www.recreation.gov. Hard surface, level. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land closed, use the pay phones in front of the Reservations may also be made in person at building to dial 911 (no coin is needed). Balanced Rock Viewpoint outside of the park. the visitor center, but only up to seven days Paved surface, level. • Dial 911 on your cellular phone: You will in advance. Space on the walks is limited and Commercial Tours reach the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, groups of more than 15 people should split The following privately operated companies who will contact a ranger in the park. up and go on separate walks or request a are authorized by the National Park Service special tour. to provide visitors backcountry vehicle tours in Arches: Climbing Most technical climbing routes here require OARS Canyonlands, Inc. advanced skills. No permits are required; PO Box 67, Angels Camp CA 95222; (800) however, it is your responsibility to know 346-6277; (209) 736-4677; www.oars.com current climbing rules and route closures, so ask at the visitor center. Climbing of any Navtec Expeditions type is not permitted on arches named on the 321 N. Main, Moab, Utah 84532; (800) 833- USGS topographic map. Slacklining is also 1278; (435) 259-7983; www.navtec.com prohibited. Climbers must access routes by using designated trails, slickrock or sandy Tag-A-Long Expeditions washes to protect soil crusts. Canyonlands 452 N. Main, Moab, Utah 84532; (800) 453- Natural History Association carries several 3292; (435) 259-8946; www.tagalong.com books with route information. Interpretive walk 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 and other special user fees. Previously-issued Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA), motorcycles. The following special passes are Golden Access Passes will be honored for- which replaced the Recreational Fee now available: ever 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 Natural Bridges ($25) of 80% of fees collected at a site to remain Hey Kids — Good for twelve months; available to anyone. Good for twelve months; available to anyone; there for repair, maintenance, and facility Free entrance to Fish and Wildlife Service entrance to these four areas only. This One’s For You! enhancement related directly to visitor Refuges and National Park Service areas that Do you want to really explore Arches enjoyment, visitor access and health and charge entrance fees. Covers use of Bureau of This new revenue funded the following and even help protect the park? Then safety. It also includes interpretation, visitor Land Management , Bureau of Reclamation, improvements at Arches: become a Junior Ranger! Becoming a information, visitor service, visitor needs Junior Ranger is a serious and impor- and Forest Service sites that charge Standard • Rehabilitating park trails assessments, and signs; habitat restoration tant task, but it’s lots of fun too. Ask Entrance Fees. • upgrading roadside restrooms directly related to wildlife-dependent at the visitor center how you can get • Rehabilitating the Devils Garden picnic area involved. Some recreation that is limited to hunting, fishing Interagency Senior Pass ($10) • Enhancing trailheads and scenic pullouts options include: Previously the Golden Age Pass (where permitted), wildlife observation or completing a photography; and law enforcement related to Lifetime pass for U.S. citizens sixty-two years Activity Fees booklet, check- of age and older; entrance to all federal fee public use and recreation. Fees charged for the popular ranger-guided ing-out a Red areas plus 50 percent discount on camping, Fiery Furnace walks will go directly to Rock Explorer activity fees, and other special user fees. Congress is interested in your comments supporting the program. The cost is $10 for Pack and/or at- Previously-issued Golden Age Passes will be tending some regarding the Federal Lands Recreation adults; $5 for children six to twelve years old honored forever by all agencies. summer family Enhancement Act. Forms are available at the and Senior Pass/Golden Age card holders. activities. It’s Arches Visitor Center. Reservations are required and may be made Interagency Access Pass (Free) that simple! at the visitor center. Previously the Golden Access Pass You’ll earn a Entrance Fees badge and certificate, Lifetime pass for permanently disabled U.S. The entrance fees at Arches National Park and join the ranks of the citizens; entrance to all federal fee areas plus are $10 per vehicle for a seven-day pass, many Junior Rangers that help protect 50 percent discount on camping, activity fees, this special place.

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 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 Sheep Rock Petrified Dunes which have received needed attention in recent years. supports this program. The Great Wall Balanced Rock Turret Arch The Garden of Eden Rethinking Wall Arch, continued... The Spectacles The Windows Double Arch Delicate Arch awesome as these previous worlds Cache Valley Fiery Furnace Wolfe Ranch Skyline Arch may have been, nature is the ultimate Landscape Arch Fins in Devils Garden Etch-A-Sketch, periodically wiping Double O Arch Tower Arch away its old artistry in favor of new Delicate Arch Delicate Arch masterpieces just as astounding. Viewpoint

Looking around at the park’s current array of arches, fins, and spires, it can be easy to forget that this spectacular scenery is not an end. It is a step on the way to future worlds beyond our wildest imaginings. Will this region someday return to sea level and again be covered by water? Will volcanic activity ever renew the area with fire and lava? Or will there be new sets of mountains, forests, waterfalls, canyons, and deserts? What kinds Wall Arch (after) of bizarre creatures and ecosystems might arise? know it today has to crumble away eternal cycle of birth and death that Wall Arch reminds us that, for these first. T hough shrouded in memory characterizes not only our planet, but questions to be answered, for future and mystery, the arch’s fate stands our entire universe. Courthouse Towers wonders to unfold, the park as we as an invitation to reflect upon the

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 Be Safe Start: Devils Garden trail­­head Length: 1.6 miles (2.6 km) round trip Each year, park rangers respond to dozens of Balanced Rock Time: 30 to 60 minutes search or rescue incidents in the park, many of which involve heat exhaustion and/or Easy Trails A relatively flat, gravel-surfaced trail (usu- dehydration or improper footwear. Always ally heavily populated with hikers) leads to carry (and drink) water! Even the shortest Balanced Rock t a spectacular ribbon of rock, whose span is stroll will make you thirsty on a 100°F (38°C) Start: Balanced Rock parking area more than a football field in length. Short day. One gallon (4 liters) per person per day Length: 0.3 mile (0.5 km) round trip side trips to Tunnel and Pine Tree Arches. is recommended for longer hikes. Water is Time: 15 to 30 minutes Trail guide available at trailhead. available only at the visitor center and at A loop trail at the base of fragile, picturesque Devils Garden. rock formation. Delicate Arch • Wear sturdy shoes with enough tread to give you good traction. Do not hike in The Windows leather-soled shoes or boots. Some trails Start: Windows parking area Delicate Arch cover uneven terrain and follow rock Length: 1 mile (1.6 km) round trip Start: Wolfe Ranch parking area ledges. Time: 30 to 60 minutes Length: 3 miles (4.8 km) round trip A gentle climb up a gravel loop trail leads to Time: 2 to 3 hours • Protect your skin with a hat, long-sleeved three massive arches (North and South Win- Elevation change: 480 feet (146 m) shirt, and sunscreen. There is little shade in dows and Turret Arch). An alternate return, Take at least 2 quarts (2 liters) of water per the desert. The sun is intense year round slightly longer, is by way of the primitive loop Park Avenue person! Open slickrock with some exposure and can easily burn your skin, especially in around the back of the two Windows. The the summer. to heights and no shade. The first half-mile primitive loop trail starts at the South Win- moderate Trails is a well-defined trail.U pon reaching the • Slickrock invites adventure. When you dow viewpoint. slickrock, follow the rock cairns. The trail Park Avenue climb or scramble, be sure you can climbs gradually and levels out toward the Start: Park Avenue parking area retrace your steps, and remember that it Double Arch top of this rock face. Just before you get to End: Courthouse Towers parking area is often easier to go up than down. Start: Double Arch parking area Delicate Arch, the trail traverses a rock ledge Length: 1 mile (1.6 km) one way Length: 0.8 mile (1.2 km) round trip for about 200 yards (183 m). Time: 30 to 60 minutes • Sudden thunderstorms with deadly Time: 15 to 30 minutes Elevation change: 320 feet (98 meters) lightning do ­occur here. The distance of A relatively flat, sandy trail leads to the base Devils Garden (includes primitive loop) lightning can be calculated by counting From Park Avenue parking area, the trail de- of two giant arch spans which are joined at Start: Devils Garden Trailhead the time interval between a lightning flash scends steeply into a spectacular canyon and one end. Length: 7.2 miles (11.6 km) round trip, in- and the subsequent thunderclap. Sound continues down the wash to Courthouse Tow- cluding all spur trails to points of interest travels about a mile in five seconds, so ers. If you have a shuttle driver, you can begin Delicate Arch Viewpoint t if the interval is fifteen seconds (or three at one point and be picked up at the other. For Time: 3 to 5 hours Start: Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trailhead miles) or less, you should seek shelter round-trip hiking, retrace your steps along the Longest of the maintained trails in the park, Length: 100 yards (91 meters) round trip immediately. One of the safest places trail rather than walk along the park road. Devils Garden Trail leads to eight awe- to be during a thunderstorm is in your Time: 10 to 15 minutes inspiring arches. Expect narrow ledges with vehicle with the windows completely In addition to the short accessible trail, rocky surface hiking and scrambling on slick- closed. If you are unable to reach your another (moderately strenuous) hiking trail rock. Not recommended when rock is wet vehicle, go to a low-lying area. Stay away climbs 0.5 mile (0.8 km) toward Delicate Arch or snowy. Trail guide available at trailhead. from open areas, high spots or tall objects and ends at the rim of a steep canyon that (such as Delicate Arch), and solitary trees. separates the viewpoint from the arch. This is Double O Arch If your skin tingles or your hair stands on not the popular trail to Delicate Arch, which Start: Devils Garden Trailhead end (signs that a charge is building up), starts at the Wolfe Ranch parking area. Length: 4.2 miles (6.8 km) round trip crouch down and place both feet together Time: 2 to 3 hours firmly on the ground. Sand Dune Arch Beyond Landscape Arch, the trail becomes Start: Sand Dune Arch parking area more challenging as it climbs over sandstone Length: 0.3 mile (0.5 km) round trip slabs; footing is rocky; there are narrow Hiking Etiquette Rock cairn Time: 15 to 30 minutes ledges with exposure to heights. Spur trails Trail leads through deep sand to a secluded lead to Partition and Navajo Arches. Dark • Stay on established trails and/or solid arch among sandstone fins.Do not climb or Strenuous Trails rock: follow the rock cairns. Help protect Angel is one-half mile (0.8 km) farther. Trail jump off the arch. guide available at trailhead. the fragile biological soil crust and other Tower Arch vegetation in our desert environment. Broken Arch Start: Klondike Bluffs parking area, via the Salt Valley road Fiery Furnace (Fee Area) Start: Sand Dune Arch parking area or Devils • Leave no trace: move like a shadow, and Length: 3.4 miles (5.5 km) round trip The Fiery Furnace is a mazelike labyrinth Garden campground across from campsite #40 please take out the trash, even if it isn’t Time: 2 to 3 hours of narrow sandstone canyons. To enter the Length: 1.3 miles (2.1 km) round trip; 2 miles yours. The trail climbs a steep, short rock wall, cuts Fiery Furnace, visitors must accompany a (3.2 km) including the loop across a valley and then meanders through ranger-guided hike (see page 2) or obtain a • Pets and bicycles are not permitted on Time: 30 to 60 minutes sandstone fins and sand dunes. An alternate, hiking permit at the visitor center. There is hiking trails. From the Sand Dune Arch parking area, the shorter trail (0.3 mile [0.5 km] one way), be- no trail, so visitors are encouraged to accom- trail crosses a large meadow to the arch and gins at the end of the four-wheel-drive road pany a ranger — both for their own safety continues to the campground. Trail leads on the west side of Tower Arch. This unpaved 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 9.0mi Fiery Furnace Viewpoint 1474m 14.5km Salt Valley Overlook Wolfe Ranch Upper Viewpoint Pit toilet 1.0mi 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

T

A

313 E

R Petrified Dunes

N

O G Viewpoint Y N A C E

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

De n G ver BI BE ND 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 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 e TOWERS k s

t

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

CA NY Parking is permitted only in ON designated spaces. If a particular 128

parking lot is full, please return 4.3mi 7.0km at a later time. Strictly enforced. 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 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 cross- ing 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 big- horns is tough and they face many challenges Sighting Sheep that have pushed them close to extinction. The sheep in Arches National Park provide Your best chance to catch a glimpse of big- hope that their resilience, combined with our horn sheep in Arches is the first three miles help, will keep them here for many genera- of the park road. Slow down and find a pull tions to come. off and watch for them. Another option is A bighorn ram near the Arches Visitor Center to travel the southeastern boundary of the Sheer cliffs, rugged slopes and deep canyons park by driving north along Highway 128 of good habitat, and deadly diseases transmitted by domestic sheep from its junction with Highway 191. Take are where bighorns prefer to live, but the rough terrain can work reduced the once abundant herds. Sheep disappeared completely along a pair of binoculars to look for sheep against them, too. Imagine the challenges they face while attempt- in some areas, including Arches National Park, by the early 1900’s. across the river. ing to outmaneuver a mountain lion or seeking a mate. Male sheep, In the mid-1980’s, a partnership between the state of Utah and the known as rams, commonly travel over 100 miles to find a mate National Park Service reintroduced 25 sheep to Arches from nearby Remember that “Looking for sheep is an through an environment where there is very little water, forage, or Canyonlands National Park. exercise in patience,” according to nature shelter from predators. essayist Peter Steinhart, and “it’s usually The current Arches herd is only 50 animals. Management and study rhymed with disappointment.” In spite of the harsh conditions, sheep thrived here for thousands of of the sheep here in Arches will continue in the hope that the big- years. Westward expansion in the mid-1800’s brought thousands of horns will endure, prosper among their human neighbors, and once Knowing they have a safe place here at settlers and new challenges for bighorns. Unregulated hunting, a loss again become a stable part of the Arches ecosystem. Arches National Park and that efforts are ongoing to help them survive just might have to satisfy us all for now.

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 occasion- through this land makes their ally leave a different kind of mark, leaves their tracks, or mark. Artifacts that tell the stakes their claim. These stories of the past are disap- marks create a link to the past pearing. Rock art and his- and allow modern explorers toric signatures are defaced to imagine how the area’s by new marks, like graffiti. 12,000 years of human history Pieces of the past are lost. has influenced the present. Fortunately, National Parks are places where this price- Groups of Native Americans less history is preserved and have traveled through and protected. lived in this area for over Do not feed wildlife! 10,000 years. They left behind For hundreds of years, hu- flakes of chert, which are rem- mans have left their indelible nants from stone tool-making. mark on this area. Now, Often wild animals become addicted to Esther and Ferol Stanley, part of John Wesley Wolfe’s extended family, at Wolfe’s Ranch human food. They start by eating handouts They inscribed on rock walls, humans take the stage as of crackers, potato chips, and cookies, creating pictographs (paintings on the rock) to pass through Arches National Park just preservers. The National Park Service pro- which eventually led them to eating food and petroglyphs (carvings in the rock). Early north of the Visitor Center. tects these places and shares their stories so wrappers, plastic bags, and plastic twine ancestral Puebloans wore sandals with raised that each of us can make a connection to our that smell like food. patterns that left marks on the ground while In the 1850’s, waves of settlers from the east past. How will your mark shape the future of later groups painted their ceramic pots with began adding their mark. Ranchers tamed this landscape? Autopsies have shown that ingested trash elaborate decorations. All of these marks may the harsh landscape to raise cattle and sheep. can clog stomachs, limiting the animals’ have helped to link families with the others that John Wesley Wolfe was one such homestead- Make your mark a positive one. National ability to process food, often causing slow would follow. Their stories and culture live on er who set down roots in the future park. His Parks protect the irreplaceable evidence of starvation and death. through their descendents. family joined him from Ohio in 1906, and the past. Wildlife that approaches you, your car, or they built a new cabin with a wooden floor, your picnic table is accustomed to being In 1765, Juan Maria Antonio de Rivera and complete with fine china ordered from the Be a caretaker: fed. YOU can help by discouraging begging his company left their mark by becoming the Sears Catalog. • Preserve your heritage. Do not enter, alter, animals. Do not let wildlife approach you. first Euro-Americans to cross theC olorado or deface historical sites. Leave artifacts Clap your hands. Chase them away. Keep River at what later became Moab. The efforts Later, others arrived seeking mineral riches, undisturbed. (It is illegal to remove them.) food stored properly in cars and coolers. of these Spanish explorers led to the lucrative especially valuable uranium. While the in- trade route that later became the “Old Span- hospitable desert took its claim on many of Explore Arches’ past: Help us keep our wildlife healthy. ish Trail”. Nick-named the longest, crooked- the prospectors, some struck it rich. Roads, • See rock art near the Delicate Arch trail- est, most ornery pack trail in the history of mine shafts, and tailings are the marks they head and lower Courthouse Wash. the United States, this part of Utah was one left behind. Other miners found different • Ask for information about the Old Spanish of the few places to get around impassable value in the landscape, like Alexander Ring- Trail at the Visitor Center. canyons. Only sections of the full 1,121 mile hoffer who helped create ArchesN ational • Visit the Wolfe family’s cabin near the trail can be retraced, but part of it is believed Monument in 1929. Delicate Arch trailhead

6 Arches Visitor Guide Nature’s Art Arches National Park is a vibrant, living form of biological soil crusts on the museum’s place. They also absorb water and increase museum where works of art are displayed, foundation. These living crusts are composed the nutrients that plants need to survive. preserved and protected. Some of the displays of cyanobacteria, lichens, mosses, microfungi, Intact biological soil crusts provide a strong you might find include tapestries, mosaics and bacteria and green algae. When they are foundation for the whole park’s ecosystem. 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 what catches your eye. ropes” and stay on the path.

Look closely at the towers At night, the overhead of rock in the park and lighting is turned off Want To Be a VIP? you will discover the and the vault is opened. beautiful “tapestries” that The prized jewels are Become a Volunteer in the Park (VIP) at Arches. adorn these walls. Like displayed in the sky in The park provides VIPs with orientation and tapestries in museums, the form of planets, stars training, uniforms and housing. nature’s tapestries and the Milky Way. It is a document historical constant struggle to keep Campground Hosts events. Surprisingly, the these valuables in Arches’ Hosts provide on-site coverage in the thread that holds much gallery because they are campground, the park provides a camp site of the park’s tapestry so fragile. Each decision with electrical, water and sewer hook ups. together is iron. The red the park and the local Park Guides & Docents “thread” visible in the rock community makes about Volunteers provide part-time or full-time help layers is due to “rusting” outdoor lighting affects in the naturalist program, housing is provided or oxidizing of iron. their future. It’s a big (usually a private room in shared apartment The night sky at Delicate Arch Whitish to yellowish-tan responsibility for each and or house). 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. Resource Management the iron and bleaching the rock. Ribbons been at work and new organisms join in, they Volunteers provide full-time help in the of turquoise-colored threads run through appear dark and bumpy and have an antiqued These are only a few of the awe-inspiring natural resource program. The park provides the tapestry at Wolfe Ranch. This unique appearance, reflective of their mature age up displays in Arches National Park. The park housing (usually a private room in a shared blue-green layer was created when volcanic to 600 years old. is a perfect gallery to house nature’s amazing apartment or house). ash settled into a large alkaline lake - an works of art. Long after your visit to the park, Apply online at www.nps.gov/volunteer, or environment with little oxygen. Time can The “tiles” of this mosaic are attractive when you can know that the treasures you enjoyed contact the Park Volunteer Coordinator at change the design and the story. viewed individually, but the real beauty lies are safeguarded - a lasting legacy for future 2282 SW Resource Blvd, Moab, UT 84532, or in the “big picture” they create. Working generations. email [email protected]. Please include your Look from the walls down to the floor, and together, these biological soil crusts stick to interests and availability. enjoy the covering of “mosaic tiles” in the grains of sand and literally hold the ground in Additional Arches volunteer positions are filled through the Student Conservation Association (SCA). SCA, a privately funded, A Shining Example non-profit organization, places volunteers (not necessarily students) around the country in parks, wildlife refuges, forests and other “In any land what is more glorious than sunlight! Even here in the desert, re source agency locations. They provide a where it falls fierce and hot as a rain of meteors, it is the one supreme uniform allowance, weekly subsistence, and beauty to which all things pay allegiance.” some transportation costs from your home Late 19th century author John C. Van Dyke to the park. To apply, contact them directly at Student Conservation Association, P.O. Box Visitors typically describe their Devils Garden Campground 550, Charlestown, NH 03603-0550 or visit experiences as “amazing”, “tremendous”, “spectacular” and www.theSCA.org. “incredible.” Fifty four campsites are nestled among distinct sandstone formations and desert vegetation—trademarks of Arches National Park. Encounters with wildlife, night skies flooded with stars and quiet campfire gatherings are among the everyday experiences that make the campground such a special place. Not long ago, in order to keep Food For Thought the place powered-up, the droning of diesel generators were a part of the camping experience, too. Consequently, our mission to preserve Most people know that littering is unlawful, “unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the but it does still occur. Small items like twist ties and cigarette butts are most commonly national park system” was being affected. What a quandary! Solar panels cover the roof of a comfort station at the Devils Garden Campground. found. Food is considered litter too since it does not biodegrade in the desert. Before 1995, more than $20,000.00 and lots of staff time each year Remember the Park Service Mission? It reminds us that as stewards Orange peels and apple cores will dry out were required to provide power for three campground comfort of America’s most special places our duties are never ending. We’ve and remain long after they have been left stations, two camp host residences, the amphitheatre, and a very deep taken advantage of new technologies to enhance our system, adding a behind. Please don’t litter! Be especially (1,160 feet) water well. The intrusion on tranquility created by the solar powered water pump for that deep well. It’s very efficient, and careful on windy days when things can fly generators was understandably a real concern for park visitors and provides visitors with plenty of water. away. the NPS, too. Equally disturbing was engine exhaust, a byproduct of generators running 24 hours each day. Currently, 95 percent of the campground electrical needs are Aluminum cans may be deposited for captured from the sun, operating costs are minimal, and required recycling through out the park, including In 1995 the NPS, in partnership with the state of Utah, installed maintenance is minor. Soon our generators will be just a novelty— the visitor center and Devils Garden campground. Clear and brown glass, a photovoltaic/diesel hybrid electrical generating system for our only necessary for emergency use. campground. What’s photovoltaic technology? Simply stated, it tin cans, plastics, corrugated cardboard and aluminum can be dropped off at the harvests clean energy from the sun—electricity! Designed to store Thanks to a productive partnership, wise decisions, effective Canyonlands Community Recycling Center electricity in batteries, the new power source reduced generator management and implementation of research and technology, on the way to the Slickrock Bike Trail in run-time to just four hours each day. Noise was reduced, air quality the constant whirring of diesel engines and their exhaust is almost Moab. Keep these items in use — please improved, and the yearly cost of providing power at the campground eliminated from the Arches camping experience. So breathe deep don’t send them to our landfill! was slashed by more than half. But that’s not the end of the story! and enjoy the serenity!

Arches Visitor Guide 7 Time flies!U se 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 Bluffs, hike the If You Like to Hike primitive trail to Tower Arch.

Time allocations are based on an average hiking speed of two miles If you have a whole day or more, combine the above hikes to fill 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 from If You Like to Tour by Car roadside pullouts between destinations. 1 If you have 1 ⁄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 • 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 and South Windows and Turret Arch. Then take the short trail or Double Arch.) between parking areas and hike up to Double Arch. Drive back to • Drive to the Delicate Arch Viewpoint and see the world’s most Balanced Rock and take the loop trail around its base. Consider its famous arch, a mile distant. Stop at Wolfe Ranch on your way Friends of precarious position as you walk beneath it. back and imagine what it would have been like to homestead this Arches and the

• Take the Delicate Arch Trail from Wolfe Ranch up the sloping relatively barren area in the late 1800s. Canyonlands Parks slickrock to stand under the best known arch in the world. (During hot months, do this hike early or late in the day.) If you have 3 hours: The Friends of Arches and the Do both drives listed above (or you can do one drive, spending ten • 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 minutes at each viewpoint along the way). Fund provides direct support to Arches thin span resist the forces of gravity? and Canyonlands National Parks and to 1 • Walk to Sand Dune Arch, across the grassy field and onward to If you have 4 ⁄2 hours: Natural Bridges and Hovenweep National Broken Arch. Continue around the loop, through the end of the You can drive all of the paved park roads, spending ten minutes at Monuments in order to enhance existing campground, and return. Enjoy the vista toward the distant Book each viewpoint, and take quick drives to the Windows Section, Wolfe projects in these spectacular areas to Cliffs,T apestry Arch and the sandstone fins. Ranch, and Delicate Arch Viewpoint. conserve the land and its cultural treasures for present and future generations to enjoy. In half a day, take one of these three hikes: Can’t decide? This mission honors the legendary work of • Hike the entire Devils Garden Trail, all the way out to the spire Well, forget the schedule and stay another day! Superintendent Bates Wilson, who came called Dark Angel. When you return, take the primitive loop. to Arches in 1949, inspiring and leading the • Take the moderately strenuous ranger-guided hike through the the effort that resulted in Canyonlands National Park being established in 1964. He is regarded by many as the “Father of Canyonlands.” Climate 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; and that 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 3015 South Highway 191 • 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, CO and Salt Lake City, UT. From Denver, a commuter airline serves Moab. Canyonlands Natural History Association Nationwide 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- 3015 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. $12.95 (800)840-8978 (toll free) backcountry roads in these parks. $16.95 For additional information on transportation Arches Self Guided Driving Tour (CD): (453)259-6003 arrangements, contact the Grand County Best Easy Day Hikes: Arches & Great audio commentary as you drive. $10.00 Travel Council, P.O. Box 550, Moab, UT www.cnha.org Canyonlands:A pocket-sized trail guide with Road Guide to Arches National Park: 84532; (800) 635-MOAB. descriptions and maps of 21 short hikes. $7.95 Well-illustrated, stop-by-stop guide. $3.95

8 Arches Visitor Guide