Tourist First: Utah: Arches National Park

Sunday, May 1, 2022

Utah: Arches National Park

This view of Landscape Arch is the reward for hiking an easy three kilometers.

Our April 2022 driving trip from San Diego to Denver was primarily a trip to visit with family in Denver, but we took advantage of the drive to see three significant national parks: On the way to Denver, we stopped for three nights in Moab, Urah, to give outselves two days to explore Arches National Park; on a quick trip to Fort Collins, Colorado, friends there took us into Rocky Mountain National Park for a look at Bear Lake; and on the way home, we stopped for two nights in Bryce Canyon City, giving us an afternoon and a full day to explore Bryce Canyon National Park.

Arches is an iconic place, with soaring red monoliths, hoodoos, and, more than 2,000 natural arches, ranging from three-foot openings to the amazing Landscape Arch, which is 305 feet (more than a football field) from base to base. (Oddly, what would be called an "arch" at Arches is referred to as a "natural bridge" at Bryce.) What I found most striking at Arches is the extent to which natural stone formations resembled castles and forts, often with near-90-degree corners, battlements at the tops, and markings on otherwise smooth vertical stone walls that looked like faded hieroglyphics.

Much is visible from the park's paved roads and from the park's dozen-or-so trails, which range from 100 yards long to almost eight miles. Most are less than a mile and fairly easy.

Here are some photos.

Double Arch .

Skyline Arch.

Sand Dune Arch is hidden among gigantic sandstone formations,

Getting to Sand Dune Arch requires squeezing through some tight places.

Balanced Rock is a magnet for photographers. There are
similarly "balanced rocks" at other parks throughout
the Rocky Mountains.

The "Three Gossips" is among the many named formations in the Courthouse Towers area.

The Courthouse Towers area shows how erosion has shaped stone to resemble fortresses
and other manmade structures.

Delicate Arch.

We happened to be in Moab during a several-day Jeep
off-roading event and the streets were full of large four-wheel-drive
vehicles. Visitors can arrange off-road excusions through
companies in town. We saw a bevy of these vehicles on a ledge
halfway up a giant cliff above the Colorado River.

Before the Colorado River rushes through the bottom of the Grand Canyon,
it flows rather serenely along Utah Highway 279 just outside the
entrance to Arches National Park.

These roadside cliffs are popular with climbers.

This climber uses a line to scale the cliff above Highway 279.

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Argentine Patagonia

They are called what they look like: Mexican hats. They occur naturally in the highlands above the town of El Calafate. The water in the distance is glacier-fed Lago Argentino. An hour's drive east of El Calafate, near the headwaters of the lake, visitors can hike on the Perito Moreno glacier and take a boat ride among icebergs that have fallen off the several glaciers in the Parque Nacional des Glaciares. El Calafate is basically a summer (Nov. to Feb.) tourist town, and there are a number of hotels at all price points. We stayed at Esplendor El Calafate, a very stylish hotel with a full restaurant and bar. The South American picker-upper drink mate is available at breakfast. The hotel is an uphill walk from the commercial area, but that's not much of a drawback. Click on the photo to visit the Esplendor online.

Dominica

Probably the greenest island in the Caribbean, in terms of color and ecological awareness, is Dominica, just north of Martinique. It was named by Columbus, who sailed past it on a Sunday. The island nation is one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, but it is rich in friendly people and natural attractions, including a boiling lake, hot and cold waterfalls, a parrot jungle and hill after hill of dense green jungle. There is also a cable-car ride through the jungle canopy (http://www.natureisland.com/AerialTram.html). I wrote about Dominica years ago, and much of that article is still relevant: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/26/travel/winter-in-the-sun-an-island-where-less-is-more.html?scp=2&sq= Unfortunately, one of the hotels I mentioned, Petit Coulibri, has since closed. Fortunately, there's still a wonderful eco-resort called Papillote Wilderness Retreat http://www.papillote.dm/), four acres of lush gardens, hot-spring-heated soaking pools and modest cottage rooms.

Palm Springs

Palm Springs, Calif., is a great destination for nature lovers -- Mount San Jacinto State Park is a wonderful gondola ride (shown above -- click on it to visit its website) away, and Joshua Tree National Park is a short drive away. It's also a great destination for naturists; there are several major clothing optional resorts in the area -- and for fans of Mid-Century Modern architecture. For a dose of mid-century style, stay at the Orbit In (http://www.orbitin.com/), which does ask that you keep your clothes on.

Pompeii

If you're driving from Naples to the Amalfi Coast, and it's hard to imagine anyone who wouldn't want to visit the Amalfi Coast, you should plan to spend a night in the modern city of Pompei, adjacent to the ancient city of Pompeii. Above are the murals depicting an unknown ritual in what's called the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. If you can, devote most of a full day to exploring the site. Afterward, you'll want a good hotel. Click on the image for info about Hotel Amleto, a small and friendly hotel in the heart of the new town and an easy walk from the ruins.

St. Vincent

This is one of the "rooms" at Petit Byahaut, an isolated (access by boat only) eco-resort on St. Vincent, the largest island in the country of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Bequia, mentioned above in this column, is one of the Grenadines. The photo above is of the living deck and doesn't show a relatively enclosed area that had a real bed. Did you notice I said "had"? That's because the place has closed. To read about the property in its heyday, click on the image for a New York Times article I wrote. The article has a link to a slide show with more images of the resort.