"Utah's National Parks" by Ron Adkinson and published by Wilderness Press

Trip 10 - Delicate Arch Trail

Distance:                 3.0 miles round trip

Elevation Change:    4280/4840 feet

Suited For:               Dayhike

Difficulty:                Moderate

Hazards:                  No water or shade; steep drop-offs

Introduction:    Park visitors with time enough to hike only one or two short trails should put the trail to Delicate arch at the top of their itineraries.  This trip is arguably the most scenic of all of the hike sin the park, since it climbs slickrock slopes, passes hanging gardens thriving in hidden alcoves, and ends at a dramatic overlook of the Park's most famous rock span, a lone, arching ribbon of stone aptly named Delicate Arch.

Vistas enroute are superb, ranging from vast expanses of slickrock to wooded mesas and sheer cliffs and the lofty La Sal mountains, which form an impressive backdrop of alpine peaks approaching 13,000 feet in elevation.

Trip 11 - Delicate Arch Viewpoint

Distance:                 1.4 miles round trip

Elevation Change:    350/4600 feet

Suited For:               Walk

Difficulty:                Moderately Easy

Hazards:                  Slickrock scrambling; steep drop-offs

Introduction:    Park visitors without the time or energy to hike to Delicate Arch can nevertheless enjoy a fine view of that beautiful span from an unusual perspective by following the short trail from the delicate Arch Viewpoint parking area in Cache Valley.

June 3, 2003

These two trails marked the end of the first day at Arches National park. One part of the trail to the arch climbs a 35 degree angle up for about a mile on rock seems to be perfectly angled to absorb the suns heat and fully expose you to the sun's unrelenting rays.  This part in particular kicked my ass and I was glad to find some shade behind the arch where I could read and recover from the trip up.  I particularly enjoyed the "hanging gardens thriving in hidden alcoves" along the trail that proved the tenacity of organics to thrive in the harshest conditions.

Here's the pics (Click on the picture to see full size):

These are low res pictures.  I can send you higher quality pictures if you want them