I woke up around 8am and the sun was already out, as is usually the case in the desert. I took a trail that was maybe 50 yards away from my campsite that lead to the “Broken Arch”. It was about a mile long, round trip and meandered through small brush and sandy paths, carefully marked so as to not disturb the wildlife. It was already hot outside. The thermometer in my car read 67F but in the sun it felt more like 90.
I was having some breakfast back at my tent when the rangers came by on a golf cart and said that check-out is 10am. It was already 10:25. I thought that was an unusually early check-out time, at least compared to everywhere I’ve stayed so far, but rules are rules, so I quickly packed up and was on my way again.
There is one main entrance into Arches National Park. My recently purchased Annual National Parks Pass got me in without a fee. I was able to see some great sandstone formations as I was coming in the night before as the sun was setting on my way to the campground. Today was going to be the day for exploring. I pulled my car over at several little hiking trails along the way, no more than a mile each, but my favorite and probably the most popular hike was to the famous “Delicate Arch”. The trail was a 3 mile round trip hike to a 52ft freestanding natural arch surrounded by an amphitheater setting. Delicate Arch is the most widely recognized landmark in Arches National Park and is depicted on the Utah license plates, at least the ones that don't say "Greatest Snow on Earth".
I spent a good part of the day driving and hiking Arches. The sights were amazing. Arches National Park was designated a national monument in 1929 and was re-designated a national park in 1971. It is home to more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches and covers 119 square miles. No, I didn't see it all. The park lies on top of a huge salt bed, thousands of feet thick in some places, which set the stage for the rise of the arches, fins, spires, etc. 
The salt layers were left from an evaporated sea that flowed through the area some 300 million years ago. Over millions of years later, sedimentary debris was deposited over the sand beds. The enormous weight of the top layers caused the salt below to liquefy and thrust up layers of rock into salt domes. Time, wind and water have gradually eroded and shaped these domes into what is visible today. I highly recommend visiting Arches National Park.
My next leg of the trip is either going to be Canyonlands National Park (~30 miles south) or Little Wild Horse and Goblin Valley (100 miles north). I was tired from hiking in the sun all day and I needed gas for the car. Not sure if there would be any gas stations where I was headed, I went back to Moab to refuel. I ate dinner at the Moab Diner. I was brought in by a sign stating “Best Green Chili in Utah”. I had a bowl of that and a side of Sweetwater potatoes (thick potato cuts with bacon, diced green onion, bell peppers and smothered in cheese). Fantastic!
It was already getting late so I figured I would stay the night in Moab and then decide where to go in the morning.
More pictures of Arches National Park
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