Arches National Park, Utah, USA

Early in the morning we left the Red Cliffs Lodge to drive to Arches National Park near the town of Moab in Utah, USA. The road followed the Colorado river and we loved how the green vegetation reflected in the river.

Colorado river reflections while driving from the Red Cliffs Lodge towards Arches National Park near the town of Moab in Utah, USA. The giant boulders caught our attention so we stopped for a bit to admire them.

Driving along the Colorado River towards Arches National Park was a pleasant experience. We really like this small bridge crossing the Colorado river near the town of Moab in Utah, USA.

The Petrified Dunes are a series of rock formations located in Arches National Park in southeastern Utah, United States. The dunes can be found just off of the park road between the Courthouse Towers and the Windows Area. The formation was produced when ancient sand dunes hardened into stone under the overlying subsequent material, which later eroded away.

An awesome and very stony landscape at Arches National Park, Utah, USA. They are all part of the so-called Petrified Dunes which are worth a short stop.

The amazing Balanced Rock, part of the Garden of the Gods in Arches National Park, Utah, USA.

Balanced Rock, one of the most iconic features in the park, stands a staggering 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. It defies gravity but this won’t always be the case. Eventually, the 4 million kg boulder will come tumbling down as the erosional process continues to shape the landscape. So there is no better time than the present to see this awe-inspiring giant.

With just a short walk from the parking lot we went to see Balanced Rock up close. This rock is the main attraction in the area called Garden of the Gods in Arches National Park, Utah, USA.

Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, USA as seen from the Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint. From here it was not possible to actually walk over there but the view was great.

It is a pretty long hike towards Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. As we did not have time to do that I thought it would be easier to go up the Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint. That seemed easier than it looked as the climb up was strenyous to say the least. But I made it and got an excellent view of Delicate Arch.

Walking towards the Skyline Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. Nobody else here and a pretty easy walk to get close to the arch.

It is possible to come very close to some of the arches and rock formations in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. Here we are looking up to Skyline Arch high above us.

My wife thought it was too far so I went on my own, even though it was a pretty long hike. Here walking towards Landscape Arch, part of the Devil's Garden in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. Awesome vistas all around.

It took quite a long hike to get here, but I'm almost at Landscape Arch, part of the Devil's Garden in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. This view is already great but I went on a bit further to get the best possible view.

Another arch next to Landscape Arch while hiking in the Devil's Garden in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. Wherever you look there's always an arch or other spectacular rock formation to be seen.

All alone on the path to Landscape Arch, part of the Devil's Garden in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. Apparently not a lot of people found it worthwhile to go this way. Such a pity as it was definitely a rewarding hike.

Reached the best possible view of Landscape Arch, part of the Devil's Garden in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. It looks like it doesn't need much to come crumbling down. Very glad I took the long walk up to this point.

It's still weird to look at snowcapped mountains when you're standing in the heat on a hot day. The La Sal mountains looked really pretty beyond the Garden of Eden in Arches National Park, Utah, USA.

Almost at the Double Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. Be prepared for a relatively easy but still strenuous walk from the parking lot, especially on a hot day like the one we had. Definitely go there though as this is one of the most scenic arches in the park.

Great view of the Double Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. Hot and heavy to get up here but definitely worth it. Awesome to see what nature can do!

Climbing the rocks surroung the Double Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. Made it to the first arch and under one arch looking at the other. We were lucky that not many people were present.

Looking up at one arch shielding the sun at Double Arch, Arches National Park, Utah, USA. It was a pretty hot day to be exploring this part of the park, especially after the walk from the parking lot.

We really had so much fun spending time at the Double Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. The view is different every which way you look. Nature does funny things.

Looking at the Three Gossips in Arches National Park, Utah, USA. Three Gossips is a mid-sized sandstone tower (about 100 metres at its tallest wall) sitting atop a roundish pedestal within the Courthouse Towers "cluster". The name no doubt comes from a slight resemblance of the formation to three heads "gossiping" to each other.

Before exiting Arches National Park in Utah, USA we stopped at the Park Avenue viewpoint. Park Avenue is most aptly named for New York City’s famous street. Early travelers noticed a similarity between these sandstone spires and the famous skyscrapers along New York’s Park Avenue, and the name stuck. The main difference, of course, is that the “skyscrapers” of Arches National Park were sculpted by nature.