Arches National Park
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Devils Garden Primitive Loop Arches National Park |
April 24, 2014
When I hiked here three years ago, I declined the primitive-loop option due
to some problem with a foot. I have no such issue today, however; in fact,
I am ready with my new Garmont sticky-rubber boots for the occasion.
But first I must drive through the park to the end of the paved road, which doing
always is a great pleasure.
The Three Gossips and Courthouse Towers
Baby Arch
The trailhead kiosk offers a lot of useful information.
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Getting started
Although I know exactly what to expect on the first lap of my journey, I am determined to savor it anyway, for there is no knowing whether I might tread this particular path again.
Landscape Arch is still there
The span has been measured more accurately at 290 feet ⇔
Three natural bridges and an arch in China all have been measured at 300 feet or more (as of 2019); this is the longest known span outside that country.
This being arguably the most delicate formation of them all, how long
will it last? ⇔⇔
The great majority of visitors walk no farther, and that's fine with me. Crowds are unwanted. It is a shame, though, that all those people will miss so much; for here, the fun is just beginning.
Sandals go home
The real hiking starts here
Just past the first section of tricky trail is a short spur over to a couple of arches:
Partition Arch is a double
This one is a personal favorite:
Navajo Arch, inside and out
Back on the main route, the adventure continues. Anytime a trail marker points up a rock slab, you know you're having fun.
I'll be over there later
Up onto the fin
There is a cairn up here, bolted down, to let hikers know this is indeed the way.
This is exciting
The man-made stairstep is important
That cutout in the boulder is just like one the Angels Landing Trail in Zion, but over there a handrail is provided. After climbing off the fin there is an overlook to points east.
Black Arch is down there
By Park Service standards, an opening must be at least three feet in one direction in order to qualify as one of the 2,200+ arches in the park. I support no such restriction myself, but the little guy at my feet measures up in any case:
Arch #6
Eastward view. Do you see the "tiny" arch at the center of the photo?
Around the next corner is a unique attraction:
Double-O Arch ⇔⇔
This unusual formation is no less interesting from the other side:
One crawls through the little opening to get back here
⇔⇔ CLICK ME
A woman sitting on the high boulder is peacefully reading something as I arrive, but her reverie soon is interrupted by the swarm that follows.
Not a quiet spot anymore
It is time to weed out the crowd even more. The solution is some new trail.
Dark Angel
An even more difficult trail awaits me
I'll pass on the extra mile for a closer look at Dark Angel, expecting to have plenty enough to do as it is.
Top Story Arch — the 'tiny' one I had spotted from the overlook
I am watching for another spur route. A sign points the way.
Northwest Indian Paintbrush
Side trail south
Private Arch
I need some distance to get far enough away for a more detailed perspective. Climbing a handy nearby slab serves the purpose.
Up the slab
Arch overview
This arch is so "private" that it wasn't even discovered until about 1980.
The trail continues up, down, around, and over the jungle of formations.
Arch #10
One could indeed become lost in here
Ahead is minor challenge necessitating a shinny down the slab, using the helpful log as a handhold.
This one is easier in the other direction
I happen to glance back, spotting a good-sized ground-level arch of which I inexplicably had no prior knowledge. Somehow I talk myself out of going back over there.
Box Arch is totally unexpected
Aha! The crux of the mission is at hand — a scary piece of sloped
slickrock, on which a slip could result in a 20-foot fall. Relying
upon my sticky-rubber soles to do their thing, I inch my way downward with
my left arm braced against the rock. At the bottom, a little
sit-and-slide sees me to level footing. Mission accomplished.
Don't be in a hurry here, and don't try it without good boot soles
A family foursome is approaching from below. The little boy cannot even get started without a lift, and all except Dad have some problems; but they all make it up okay.
From down here it looks less scary
Another guy coming down is not so happy either
Well, that's done; now I can relax. In truth, my feet did not slip even
a little bit; my Garmont slickrock-specials did their job. I would
have been happier, however, to have tackled that rock in the uphill direction.
Dead end
It should be a cakewalk from here
A woman approaching me asks about the trail ahead, confessing that the first slickrock slope past Landscape Arch was too scary for her, and that she had left her husband over there to try her luck here. I must inform her, of course, that her forward progress will be halted just around the corner.
Soon another couple approaches, asking whether "I have found her". I cleverly divine that they are referring to the husbandless woman, and tell them to expect to see her returning at any moment.
The La Sal Mountains are peeking up
Landscape Arch reappears
Back on the main trail
Naturally, I must stop and chat with a guy riding a Segway.
This is the first one I have seen close-up.
Stewart from Klamath Falls is happy to pose ⇔⇔
Of course, wheeled vehicles are illegal on this and other park trails. I do hope, though, that the ranger is looking the other way on this occasion. Or perhaps Stewart and his partner Linda have obtained a dispensation of some sort.
From here, a short spur trail heads to the left for views of two more arches.
Tunnel Arch ⇔⇔
This actually is a double arch, the third one encountered on this loop; but getting a good photo of it is problematical.
No sky can be viewed through the opening from ground-level
The spur trail continues a couple hundred yards farther, to this photogenic formation:
Pine Tree Arch ⇔⇔
Back at the trailhead zoo, cars are lined up awaiting my parking space even this late in the afternoon. On the way out of the park, I pause for photos of another pair of prominent features:
Skyline Arch
Broken Arch
§: This is the world's ultimate arch-viewing route: eleven on the
loop, and three more seen directly from the main park road. Getting up
to Double O Arch should not pose a problem for anyone with a reasonable
sense of balance, whereas the Primitive Loop requires slickrock-friendly
boots. Sneakers are a bad choice; sticky rubber or Vibram-class
soles are needed for safety.
I highly recommend that the loop be done counter-clockwise (with advance
warning such as from the photos I just published, I would have done so myself).
That way, the scary section will be more easily accommodated by climbing up
instead of down, and the best scenery will be saved for last —
in particular, the most fragile arch on the planet.
| Scenery |  |
| Difficulty |  |
| Personality |  |
| Solitude |  |
Note: Wall Arch no longer exists
