Touring Tuesday: Arches National Park Pics #6

We toured Arches National Park on our motor coach on June 22, 2017. Most of the arches and formations were easily seen from our Motor Coach which was good since the coach was too big to park on the side of the road. I 'borrowed' a little information from the Arches website.

Arches National Park

Website

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National park in Grand County, Utah

Arches National Park lies north of Moab in the state of Utah. Bordered by the Colorado River in the southeast, it’s known as the site of more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, such as the massive, red-hued Delicate Arch in the east. Long, thin Landscape Arch stands in Devils Garden to the north. Other geological formations include Balanced Rock, towering over the desert landscape in the middle of the park.

Address: Utah

Area: 119.8 mi²

Hours: 

Open today · Open 24 hours

Established: April 12, 1929

Visitors: 1,585,718 (in 2016)

Did you know: In 1929, President Herbert Hoover signed the legislation creating Arches National Monument, to protect the arches, spires, balanced rocks, and other sandstone formations. 

No one knows for sure how many arches are there; however,  over 2,000 have been recorded. Some may have fallen and new arches may yet be forming. Most of the sandstones in the park contain iron oxide. It takes as little as 1-3% iron to color the rocks red.

Delicate Arch was way out in the middle of a huge field.  I could not get a picture with my camera due to the moving coach.

The light opening beneath Delicate Arch is 46 feet (14 m) high. The entire rock span is around 60 feet (18 m) tall.

Balanced Rock was the most amazing of all we saw in Arches

A Teetering Giant

Balanced Rock, one of the most iconic features in the park, stands a staggering 128 feet (39m) tall. While this formation may appear to be an epic balancing act, it’s actually not balanced at all. The slick rock boulder of Entrada Sandstone sits attached to its eroding pedestal of Dewey Bridge mudstone. The exposure of these two rock strata layers are ideal for the formation of arches and balanced rocks.

Balanced Rock defies gravity but this won’t always be the case. Eventually, the 3,600 ton (over 4 million kg) boulder will come tumbling down as the erosional process continues to shape the landscape. In the winter of 1975-76, Balanced Rock’s smaller sibling “Chip-Off-the-Old-Block” collapsed (view Then and Now), proving that there is no better time than the present to see this awe-inspiring giant.Unlike many of the other named features in the park, Balanced Rock can be seen from the park road. It is located 9.2 miles (14.8km) from the Arches Visitor Center. Although parking is limited, many visitors stop to complete the short hike (0.3mi / 0.5km roundtrip) around the rock’s base for unusual and up-close perspectives.