Arches National Park - 2011

Landscape Arch (306' Long)

The park lies atop an underground salt bed that is responsible for the abundance of arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins, and eroded monoliths that exist. Thousands of feet thick in places, this salt bed was deposited across the Colorado Plateau 300 million years ago when a sea flowed into the region and eventually evaporated. As time passed, the residue from floods, winds, and the oceans blanket the salt bed. The debris was compressed as rock and at one time was possibly over a mile thick. Water, ice, extreme temperatures, and underground salt movement are responsible for over 2,000 sculptured arches in the park. Landscape Arch is the longest measuring 306’, base to base, and is only 6’ thick at its narrowest width. Delicate Arch, an isolated remnant of a by-gone fin, stands on the brink of a very deep canyon with the dramatic La Sal Mountains as a backdrop. This is the arch you will see on the Utah State vehicle license plate. Towering spires, pinnacles, and balanced rocks, perched atop seemingly inadequate bases, fill the park and are abundant scenic spectacles. Salt under pressure is unstable and is no match for the Entrada (salmon-colored) and Navajo (buff-colored) Sandstone. New arches continue to be formed and old ones destroyed. Erosion and weathering work slowly and relentlessly, as these dynamic landforms gradually change through time.

American Indians used this area for thousands of years. They searched the arid desert for animals, plant food, and stone for tools and weapons. They left behind evidence of their passing through petroglyphs, artifacts, and villages. The first non-Indian explorers came looking for wealth and mineral forms. Ranchers found fertile grasses and raised cattle and sheep. In the late 1800’s John Wesley Wolf, a disabled Civil War Veteran and his son Fred, settled in Cache Valley. A weathered log cabin, root cellar, and corral are still evidence of the primitive ranch they operated for over 20 years.

I have put together a movie presentation for your enjoyment. Turn your speakers on and click the full-screen icon in the lower left corner of the picture frame to get the full effect of the movie presentation. CLICK HERE to view the movie of Arches National Park.