Arches National Park - The La Sal Viewpoint and the Beginning of Grand Vistas.

Now while you can walk the Park Avenue Trail, see the backside of Courthouse Towers and come out in the general area of the Towers, I prefer getting back in the car and doing the drive to the La Sal Mountains Viewpoint. Walking out onto the slickrock to the informational display, be careful of not tripping over your own feet; you'll be so busy looking at the view to care about footing. As you slowly begin to turn to see towards the direction of the Courthouse Towers, you'll notice a small formation in the desert.  It is not named on the display, but this sandstone covered in red mud resembles a castle; well that is what my imagination pictures it as.

 

 

Now for those of you who love Harrison Ford and the "Indiana Jones" movies, you should recognize this grand vista of the Courthouse Towers area; how it leads the eye down into a valley of giants.  In the opening of the third movie, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", a young Indy is attempting to elude the bad guys through a valley of reddish sandstone towers.  That's correct, it was filmed in Arches National Park in the Courthouse Towers area.

 

 

 

How about I introduce you to some of these silent and stoic stars of Arches?  To the left is Courthouse Towers and standing nearby are The Three Gossips; you know there always has to be someone whispering about the trials going on at the courthouse.

   Downwind from the Gossips is Sheep Rock.

 

 

Looking to the right side of the valley view, The Tower of Babel stands next to The Organ.  There is a parking area nearby; get out and walk around and you'll come to the realization that next to these ancient sandstone giants, you are a puny nothing.  They have existed for centuries, and will continue to exist for centuries more after you become as simple dust.









 

Now that you have been humbled, or maybe not; anyway, time to do a little traveling along the paved roadway.  You'll be passing by the Petrified Dunes and in the distance will see Balanced Rock and the rock lineage of The Garden of Eden and the Windows.   After visiting Balanced Rock, take the roadway around it and this will lead to the Garden, Windows and the Cove of Caves. If you continue straight on the road though, you'll find another secondary road leading to Delicate Arch. Choices, choices, and what you see and do all depends on how much time you want to devote to discovery.

 

 

 

Mary Cokenour 

Arches National Park - Walking the Park Avenue Trail.

Nine miles north of Moab is the entrance to Arches National Park; traveling to the entrance booth is easy travel on a flat road, but entering the park itself is a whole other story.  After you visit or pass by the Visitors Center, you then begin your journey upward into the park itself.  No shoulder to pull off on, no guard rails; you just go higher and higher until you can stop at a small pull in point to look south over Moab, or further north on Route 191   Coming back down to exit will be just as fun as you practically hug the reddish walls of sandstone; no shoulder and no pull in points either.  The main road throughout Arches is paved, so don't be worried about a bumpy ride; just enjoy the sites and worry about your head spinning off your neck from trying to see them all at one time.

Park Avenue
 

The first major stop you're going to want to make is Park Avenue; it's a one mile trail behind Courthouse Towers.  There is an opening at the parking area there too, so you have a couple of hiking options: park at either parking area (Park Avenue or Courthouse Towers), walk the trail and have someone meet you at the other area with the vehicle, or just walk the one mile one way and back again.  It is a beautiful walk over sand and smooth stone; you'll be highly tempted to keep going off the trail to explore this and that.  Make sure to wear a hat, sunscreen, have plenty of water and watch out for mountain lions.  Yes, I said mountain lions; you're on their home turf.  There is a sign at the top of the stone stairs leading down to the canyon floor which will tell you the same information I just wrote.

The walls of Park Avenue are stunning; no photo can truly do them justice, you just have to experience it all up close and personal.   The right hand photo is of me walking the trail; my husband was at the top of the stone steps and not using a zoom setting on the camera.  The exhilaration and adrenaline rush I get from these hikes are indescribable.










Here's another example of why you need a whole day to devote to Arches National Park, and you still won't experience it all.  This walk over the Park Avenue canyon floor will get you so pumped up with excitement, you'll want to do it again!  Then again, getting back into your vehicle at the Park Avenue lot means you get to see what's waiting around the corner.

Mary Cokenour