A little more than an hour away, depending on how many miles per hour that you are willing to speed, lies the town of Moab, or more famously: the town by the Arches National Park. The Arches National Park is a host to several unique rock formations that awe the mind and also show up on Utah license plates, so if it is good enough to be on cars, it is good enough for me.
The park offers numerous activities for all the tourists to partake in. From rock climbing to biking, there are enough outdoor activities to keep even the most avid explorer occupied for hours.
There is also a road that winds through the park, taking rights and lefts, going through wide open spaces and squeezing right next to humungous rocks that make stops by all the main attractions. One scenic stop features a rock that seems to be held upright through some magical spell only the likes of Hermione Granger could pull off, and is creatively called the Balanced Rock.
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It is so precarious, in fact, that it has gone under a specific watch where geologists and park rangers are constantly checking the rock to ensure it isn’t going to topple over onto some six-year-old that isn’t lucky enough to be attached to a leash backpack. Beyond the Balanced Rock are the various “window” arches.
These rock formations, you guessed it, look like windows made of red stone. Now don’t let the names paint the whole picture, for, despite their obvious names, they hold a beauty that is only understood through experiencing them first hand. The windows let tourists view nature through nature, which is cool both in the sense of beauty and meta.
Now, these are all perfect places to visit on a tour around the Arches National Park; however, there is one arch that takes the cake and is constantly in the spotlight. The Delicate Arch is the centerpiece of the park, and it flaunts this beauty with every chance that it gets.
The Delicate Arch is the most popular attraction at the park, and despite all of the people, there is still an obvious appeal to visiting the arch amongst all the other tourists. The arch is just as cleverly named as the other attractions; however, it does ring true.
It sits out on a plateau of sorts, making it a distinct formation from all of the other rocks that are littered around it. The hike up to it is an easy one and makes for a nice way to stretch the legs after a long drive.
The trail snakes its way all the way to the arch and even leads underneath it, making it possible to become framed within Mother Nature herself for a picture that will surely make all of your Instagram followers jealous.
The arch is accessible year-round, at least I assume so since there are pictures of it covered in snow, so it is easy to find some time to visit the park and divulge in a little bit of sightseeing.
The only problem with the Delicate Arch is the people. With so much traffic, there is almost always someone playing Where’s Waldo in my pictures, so timing is essential in order to get the best shot. You may also end up being kind of a jerk and force your way past children and the elderly, but those sweet, sweet likes will make up for making a four-year-old cry, I promise.
The Arches National Park, right next to some town called Moab, is a trip well worth the time and effort if the outdoors are calling. Especially since it is relatively close to Colorado Mesa University, this is an ideal adventure to go on with family and friends.