Arches National Park

The start of my visit to Arches is not going well.  I received a note from Recreation.gov that said you need to be at the park between 1000 and 1200 as the park was crowded and would be closed to new visitors and even campers like me, would not be allowed in.  Well I got to the park at 0955 and I was shut out and told to come back in 3-5 hours and maybe I would be able to get into the park and my campsite.  Not a good start to this park.  I got into the park about 1430 today and started the drive to the campground. One good thing was while waiting in line to get into the park I could make some calls and talk to some friends.  

Sand Dunes Arch – there is a turn off for Dunes Arch on the road but I did not stop on the way to the campground.  Once at the campground I actually hiked there on a spur of the Broken Arch trail that started for me at the campground and ended at the campground.  The Dunes Arch is just that an arch that is between a few big rocks that has collected sand making a dune.  Going in was a bit hairy as the path was not very wide and I thought I may have to go sideways but was able to get through without the sideways walking.  It is worth the stop at the turnout or the hike if you are at the campground.

Broken Arch –  the path which I took started at the restroom of the campground and after a few hundred yards you came to a “T” which directed you to the Broken Arch some 830 yards away.  The path is very sandy, like the deep sand on the beach, but some spots was actually over solid rock.  The path was not hard to follow to the arch and it was cool to see the arch.  The downward side of the path, you go through the arch, is a bit steep and a nimble man could have made it down no issue but I made it down with the last few feet going very low.  The trail then starts up, so I guess you went down a bit and you come to another “T” and this one is to Dunes Arch or the campground.  As you recall, Dunes was for me and all good things that go out must come back.  I then took the campground loop up and it was a bit of a scramble up some rocks to get to the top.  The path was marked with stacked stones when on rocks and nothing that was too dangerous.  Then the downward happened and next thing you know I can see my van and made it back to the campsite.  Note: if you take the loop from the Dunes to the Broken Arch you can either turn around at the arch or if you take the entire look you have to go through the campground.  There are signs that say the trail head is located near the restrooms or near spot 51 but I can tell you people don’t read signs. 

Devils Garden Campground – The campground has maybe 55 spots and is a long loop.  There is NO shade at the campground but then again the park has no shade either so it is par for the course.  Sites are small and in fact one guy had to leave as his car and trailer would not fit into his site so he just left.  The sites are fairly close to each other which is not good.  The bathrooms are nice.  Camp hosts came by and said hello and validated my length of stay, a first for me.  The first night I was sitting outside the back doors with the doors open and screens open to cool off Dundee and when it got dark you could see and hear bats flying around.  You can walk from the campground to Devils Garden Trailhead and it is about 1 mile so I did so on the second day in the park.  Observation – my campsite had bats flying around both evening so the number of bugs was minimal.  I could see and also hear the bats flying and that was cool.

Devils Garden Trailhead – The trail is very very popular and parking is very hard to find so if you are going to want to park there get there early as when I got there about 0930 it was packed solid with no open spot.  Note to self good job in getting the campsite and ability to walk from campsite.  The trail head has multiple vault toilets and also a water bottle fill station at the trail head along with a few seats in the shade.  No shade is on the trail for the most part except from cliffs.  The trail will have an offshoot to the Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch after a short walk on a solid crushed rock surface.  The offshoot to the two arches is downhill and is still the crushed rock.  Tunnel Arch is very near the main tail and you can see the fencing for the viewing area once you start down the offshoot.  The Pine Tree Arch you have to take the offshoot to the left and travel 0.3 miles to the arch.  After going back to the main trail the next arch on this particular trail is Landscape Arch.  The Landscape Arch is also the point of the start of the Primitive trail.  Devils Garden Trail from the off shoot to the Landscape Arch has some minor elevation gains/losses and is the “highlight” trail for the park.

Primitive Trail – The loop trail starts and ends at the Landscape Arch and the Devils Garden Trail.  This particular trail is not for the faint of heart at all!  It is described by the NPS as “…challenging hike that involves narrow ledges, steep exposures, uneven surfaces, rock scrambling and few trail markers….”  It is also files long.  What about the previous description would say to me don’t do it besides all of it but I say throw caution to the wind and off I went.  I went in a counter clockwise path.  The start of this way was sandy and not really that bad until I got to one point where there was a rock face maybe five feet high that had water at the bottom.  Either get wet or walk sideways so sideways I went with my poles helping me along.  Ok that was tough but if I could do that then I could do the next one no problem.  The next issue was walking about 20 yards up the side of a rock face that was 5 feet at the start and 25 feet at the end.  The poles went onto the pack as I wanted to be close to the rock face and also low to the ground.  The poles stayed in the pack for the next bit of the hike.  I got over that hurdle and at the next was glad for all of the crab walking I had to do as a football player in high school as that is what I did over the rock to get to the top.  Boy was I thinking the hard stuff was over but little did I pay attention to the description.  Hiking was over rocks and it was not that bad until you get to the 1/2 was point or the offshoot for Private Arch.  This part had a bit of a gap in the rocks which you had to step over and I just went and did it and did not fall into the gap!  Since I was at the Private Arch I went out there.  Once back on the trail it was 2.3 miles back to the Devils Garden Trail and I thought that the hard stuff was over, WRONG again Jason.  The trail was sandy and uphill until you got to the Double O Arch.  Then the trail went up with the trail on the top of rock top for about 30 yards.  You were walking with your feet sideways hoping not to fall off the rock.  Again, I made it and once again I thought it could not get any worse.  After about 100 yards or so it got worse!  The 100 yards was on sand and then you had to go up onto another top of a rock.  This one had a very nice view if you were not worried about falling off and killing yourself while walking this part.  The trail had markers so you know when to get of the rock but also the rock was worn down from people walking on this and hopefully surviving, like I did.  You think that the worst is over and you come to an offshoot for Navajo Arch and Partition Arch so I took that trail to see the arches.  I thought WRONG once again that the hard part was over.  It was another walk on some rocks but I did not worry about falling off of them just walking sideways, either I stopped caring or I was getting better at this trail.  We that was until I came upon a part that when you looked down the trail it appears to have disappeared and was steep until the disappearing part.  Once again I stopped to get the courage up when the family (mom who was pregnant carrying a infant, dad carrying a toddler, and a 4 year old) came up.  I let them pass as I did not want the kids to see me fall to my death!  They all made it down no issue so I was like ok let’s go.  I started down with a wide stance and low center of gravity and about 3/4 of the way down this 15 yards I decided my butt would be the better way to go.  Down on my butt I went and I was able to make it to the bottom without falling to my death once again.  Now I had gotten through all the challenges of the trail and made it back on a sandy trail of Devils Garden Trail.  The trail was easy to follow as you could follow footsteps in the sand, or the stone trail markers or the warn path of the rocks you are walking on or trail markers showing the way.  The sign that says “campground permit require” is not the trail so please don’t take that route   Note:  I am glad that I did this trail as stretching my limits is good and it also allows me know that only I set my limits.  That being said I will NEVER and repeat NEVER go on this trail ever again!  If my friends want to do this trail I will be the “trail angel.” 

Private Arch – The offshoot of this from Primitive was an easy relatively speaking and the arch was cool.  It also allowed me to go to a rock to have a splendid view of the area.  The trail was rock walking, sandy and the trail was marked OK but if you keep the really big rock to your left out and right back you will have no issues.  Also look for small stacks of stone.

Partition Arch – The offshoot of this is from Primitive and you did some scrambling over rocks but nothing like the trail.  Keep the big rock to your left on the way out and right on the way back.  The trail is not marked well but look for all the footsteps except when you are on the rock but then you can see the warn area from people walking.  Also look for small stacks of stone.

Navajo Arch – The offshoot is the same from Primitive as Partition but this one is a much easier walk and if you keep the big rock on the left going out and right coming back you will have no problems.  The trail is not marked well but footprints and wear on the rocks help lead the way.  Also look for small stacks of stone.