Delicate Arch – Colorado River Canyon Drive

Two days ago the road to Delicate Arch View Point was flooded and closed….today there was no sign of water whatsoever. That’s how it is here in arid, parched Moab….when it does rain, it does not take long for it all to disappear.   So we went back into Arches to get a another view of one of the most impressive arches there is.

From the view point you are a good mile away, and this gives you an impression of what it looks like to the naked eye.

This is what it looks like through the lens of a camera with a 24X magnification.  Here you can see two people, one sitting on a rock, which gives you a comparison as to how large it truly is.

If you were to walk up to the Arch, you park in the Arch Trail parking lot, which is also the Wolf Ranch parking lot.  You walk a mile and a half, come into the Arch area from the other side of this mountain/rock on the far left.

Here is a close-up of the same picture showing some people walking along the path.  The person at the far left is sitting down.  As one who has been there a few times I must say that it is such an impressive awesome sight….words cannot explain the feeling you have when you first see it.

As we were leaving the park we caught a picture of this, the last arch you see as you exit….

….never said it was natural….(yes, Marcia married a “Smart A—“

   

Most people who come to Moab either enter from south or north on highway 191.  However, the most scenic route in is from the east along highway 128, which follows the Colorado River through a canyon right into Moab.  When we first visited Moab back in 2011 on the way home from Utah to Arkansas we entered on highway 191 from I-70, and returned to I-70 along highway 128.  It has been such a nice drive each time I have driven it, and Marcia was so blown away with her first, short visit to Arches that she did not remember this canyon drive….so we drove down it again about 10 miles to see it again.

There are many views of the river along the way, and adequate turnouts to see the views.

   

And a number of side canyons too.

I lost count as to the number of BLM camping spots along the way, some limited to 24’ or under, some with 40’ access.  But they all included a view, such as this unoccupied spot.  Yes, not far from the road, but the road is not that busy, especially at night.

I had never seen an outhouse without a roof on it, but there were a number of these.  Guess it is better than nothing.

We did see a group of Kayakers on the river having a good paddle. 

But mostly we saw very few people, a number of campers in the campgrounds closest to Moab, but a lot of this….wonder scenes.

Tomorrow’s road will take us out of Utah, and on to Colorado.  Our next stop is for a week, at Mesa Verde where I expect things to be a bit greener, less red, and just as magnificent.  Besides Mesa Verde National Park, which I don’t think I have ever been to, and if I have, I was only a toddler, I have some great day trips planned.   Telluride Loop Scenic Route, and a day to the Four Corners area. Other ideas are appreciated to help us fill up at least two more days…