After visiting the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, and Capital Reef National Parks, our next stop was Arches National Park.
Arches was one of our top favorites and one of the busiest. We arrived last May, right before the summer vacations, and we only had one location where parking was a challenge. We postponed that stop until later in the day.
Funny story: Because we do not do much hiking at home (we do walk a lot), we kept most of our trails to the easy and moderate levels. Our trek up to Delicate Arch was unplanned. We thought we were heading up the Delicate Arch Viewpoint path. After some time, we asked a group that had paused to rest if we were on the right path. We discovered we were on the path to Delicate Arch. At that point we decided to go for it, and with no regrets. It is listed as “difficult” on the park map, and it certainly was not easy. But we discovered that we could handle more than we thought. And the efforts were worth it! Fortunately, we had our backpack with plenty of water with us.
Make sure to plan ahead. We were smart and brought along healthy snack bars, apples, and lots of water. The park also has two filtered water stations. One at the visitor’s center and one at the top, by Landscape Arch. In May the temperature was heating up, so water, food and sunblock is a must.
They also have a good number of very well-maintained restrooms. We noticed that they asked us to round up our purchases in the gift shop. I found out those donations helped fund the recently updated restrooms. Money well spent!
We were there one full day, and part of the next. We did not visit at sunrise or sunset. Part of me wishes we had. However, we put good efforts into our hiking activities and simply chose to rest. 😊 Should we ever return, I would hope to witness the sun rise or set through one of the beautiful arches.
Below are a few of my favorite photos:
Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine.
~ Anthony J. D’Angelo
Over every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley.
~ Theodore Roethke
peace of life today 
What an amazing place Lisa, with so much of God’s artistry, beautiful and magnificent !
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Thank you! It was amazing and awesome. Unfortunately, photos don’t do it justice. But we do have great memories!
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Stunning pics, Lisa. I love that part of the country. The red rock is so magnificent, as is the hiking! Wonderful post, my dear friend.
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Thank you, Jeff! When it’s all said and done, our best memories are of some of the unexpected paths we found ourselves on! Although not our typical vacation, it will go down as one amazing adventure 😊
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You’re most welcome, Lisa. Always! Indeed, and agreed. Long lasting memories. That’s great. ☺️
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So many wonderful photos! The one of Windows Arch is especially striking 🙂 You make me want to go back to this area with my much better camera!
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To clarify, better than the camera I had when we visited decades ago (not better than yours 😆 )
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😊
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Thank you, Sarah! It was fun experimenting with my camera. I hope each time I go somewhere I get a little bit better. But it really is about just having fun and building memories 😊
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Beautiful! Especially love the deep blue sky contrasted with the red rock. I hope to get there someday!
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Thank you, Collette! It was quite amazing, and a good time of the year to go. Hope you make it one day!
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Utah is wonderful and that “delicate arch” is wonderful
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Thank you! Yes, Delicate Arch was worth the hike. We just had to stop and rest for a few minutes several times 😊
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I bet some tests were needed – hikes like this are not easy – ha
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Looks like a wonderful place to visit – your photos are beautiful
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Thank you, Nora! The bigness of it all was so awe inspiring.
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Fantastic collection. Good on you for getting out to Delicate Arch. I loved the photo of tunnel Arch. It is such an amazing gift to see all these things in one place. Donna
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Thank you Donna! Oh, we were SO glad we did the Delicate Arch hike. We had regret for one we skipped in Bryce Canyon. We are a little tougher that we give ourselves credit for 😊
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lol. I am sure you are. So much more to see thought when you get in to it.
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These are beautiful photos.
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Thank you! 😊
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So beautiful! Thanks for sharing your adventure!
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Thank you! And thanks for the feedback 😊
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One of the most amazing parks in the US👍
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We agree! …I also fell in love with Bryce Canyon!
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Bryce canyon is amazing, agree!
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Majestic adventures. Photos so glorious it’s like being in another Planet. Hope get to see these wonders one day. Thanks for the feel good post, it’s amazing. Happy weekend.
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Thank you! …and you are welcome! 😊
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Great photos! It’s been years since I’ve visited Arches, and the Navajo lands. Your pictures bring back some wonderful memories. Thanks!
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Thank you so much! Photos are really wonderful. They allow us to relive awesome moments over and over again. I love looking at my own photos, but I also enjoy seeing posts and photos from others, of places I’ve been. New perspectives!
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Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you so much! It was an amazing adventure 😊
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Wow, looks like an incredibly beautiful place!
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It was!! Thank you 😊
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