The Delicate Arch trail is a classic hike enjoyed, every year, by people from all around the world. The elevation is a little over 4,000 feet which is about the same altitude of where I live, but that altitude can still cause problems for some people.. At that time, the area was a dry seabed spreading from horizon to horizon. Delicate Arch is formed of Entrada Sandstone. While this is a heavily trafficked trail, it is well worth the experience. A week long pass is required Difficulty: moderate; More Hikes in: Arches / Moab / Southeast Utah; Why Hike Delicate Arch. The light opening inside the arch is 46 feet high. Previous climbers may have top-roped the arch, leaving the existing rope scars. UT 128. NPS/Neal Herbert. This is a must do as it’s absolutely amazing. EASY 3.1 mi. If you haven’t stood atop an arch then it’s time to scratch that one off your bucket list. Take a right onto Delicate Arch Road and continue 1.2 miles until you get to the large parking area near Wolfe Ranch. Note this NOT the top of the arch, this is a point that is part of the overall rocky formation in the area, so calling it The Delicate Arch Formation. Difficulty: moderate; More Hikes in: Arches / Moab / Southeast Utah; Why Hike Delicate Arch. Delicate Arch is by far the most recognized and photographed arch in Arches National Park, a park with over 2,000 arches. Hike to Delicate Arch, one of the world's most famous and recognizable geological feature. You won’t have to contend with the blistering heat of summer, and it’s likely one of the few times you’ll be able to enjoy Delicate Arch without crowds. Elevation of Arches National Park, Utah, USA Location: United States > Utah > Moab > Longitude: -109.59251 Latitude: 38.733081 Elevation: 1428m / 4685feet Barometric Pressure: 85KPa . There are no really hard parts to this hike, just a steady effort the entire way up. Along this steadily uphill trail, you'll also pass the Wolfe Ranch cabin and a wall of Ute Indian petroglyphs. A strenuous (if it is really hot I wouldn’t recommend it) hike up the rock face mountain to get to the iconic Delicate Arch. ... Elevation gain: not much but lots of rock scrambling and some jumping needed. It’s one of the most famous geologic features in the world. Arches National Park. Delicate Arch is the busiest destination in the park. Elevation: 4,300-ft. at Trailhead Maximum elevation: 4,850-ft. Elevation Gain: 550-ft. For a less crowded experience, we’d recommend visiting the arch during sunrise, or after the sun has set. The Olympic torch relay for the 2002 Winter Olympics passed through the arch. The nearest weather station for both precipitation and temperature measurements is CASTLE VALLEY INSTIT which is approximately 8 miles away and has an elevation of 4,720 feet (114 feet higher than Delicate Arch). Seasonal Popularity. The creation and steadfastness of Delicate Arch seem improbably, but thank god it’s there. 2. Balanced Rock via Main Park Road. Arches National Park is about 100 miles from Grand Junction, Colorado. The Delicate Arch Hike. EASY 1.8 mi. EASY 1.9 mi. Elevation Gain: 610 feet; Delicate Arch hike difficulty: easy to moderate depending on how easy you hike uphill. It's hard to tell how large this arch is just from photos. 789 reviews of Arches National Park "Some of the most beautiful rock I have ever seen. The trail is moderately steep with an elevation gain of over 500 feet. When we hiked to the delicate arch in June of 2000, we left pretty late in the evening. Delicate Arch stands about 60 feet tall. I Just Turned Around. 4. For a less crowded experience, we’d recommend visiting the arch during sunrise, or after the sun has set. 5. Delicate Arch. Distance: The round trip distance of this hike is 3 miles / 4.8 km. Climbing Delicate Arch was not explicitly forbidden under the rules in force at the time which only stated that routes "may be closed" on any named arch; however, most climbers accepted that the named arch formations should not be climbed. Best Time to Avoid the Crowds. We hiked the trail in mid-December, and winter weather can change the conditions of the hike. Report inappropriate content. It’s also remarkably thin, measuring just 11 feet wide at its center. Towering eighty feet over hikers, Delicate Arch is one of the highlights of Arches National Park and is possibly the most beautiful arch in the world. Arches National Park sits about 5,600 feet above sea level in the middle of the desert. [11], View of the Delicate Arch at sunset, August 2005, U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Delicate Arch, Arches National Park: Geologic Resource Evaluation Report, "Olympic torch makes way into Utah for first time", "Arches National Park: Here are six fun facts about Utah's famed Delicate Arch", "National Briefing: Rockies: Utah: Sentence For Burning Arch", "Official Statement from Patagonia and Dean Potter on the Delicate Arch Climb", Beautiful Places episode of Delicate Arch, Panoramic View of Delicate Arch at Sunset, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Delicate_Arch&oldid=996500401, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 December 2020, at 23:59. [11] Potter did admit to using a counterweighted rope over the top of the arch, within a natural groove,[12] as well as four cams in a horizontal crack of harder rock at the summit. 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