May 8, 2025 • 19 mins
We explore Utah's Arches National Park, ranking the top 14 natural arches from most spectacular to merely impressive to help you prioritize your time in this geological wonderland🏜️
Read the full ranking:Â https://thebucketlistmermaid.com/best-arches-in-arches-national-park/
đź“‹Here are some examples:
• Double Arch stands as the most impressive formation, offering grandeur and accessibility with minimal hiking
• Landscape Arch impresses with its impossibly thin, delicate span – North America's longest natural arch
• Partition Arch provides breathtaking valley views, especially at sunrise when crowds are minimal
• Sand Dune Arch creates an Indiana Jones-like adventure through slot canyons to a natural sandbox
• The famous Delicate Arch ranks fifth due to overwhelming crowds despite its iconic status
• Devil's Garden Primitive Loop offers the best experience for hikers seeking multiple arches with fewer crowds
🎙️If you enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe on any podcasting platform or leave a review if it was helpful or inspired you!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 0 (00:00):
I got lost so many times.
It was a little embarrassing.
Get it together, alex.
Get it together.
Hello, my intrepid adventurers,and welcome to Ticket Before
you Kick it the podcast where wetalk about everything that
should be on your adventurebucket list.
And today we are going to beheaded to one of the most unique
national parks here in the US,and that is Arches National Park
.
Now, whether you are short ontime or you just want to
(00:21):
prioritize your time, it can bea little overwhelming because
there are a lot of well, as thename suggests, there are a lot
of arches there, and some ofthem kind of look the same.
Some of them are in completelydifferent places, Some of them
are grouped together.
So I'm going to be goingthrough and I'm going to be
ranking every single arch, orevery single notable arch in
Arches National Park, so thatyou can prioritize your time and
(00:43):
you can decide which ones tocheck off of your bucket list.
Let's get started Now.
Before we get started, let'sjust quick talk about Arches
National Park.
Now, this is a geologicalwonder located near Canyonlands
National Park and Moab, utah,and it offers over 2,000 arches.
Now, on this one, I'm not goingto be ranking 2,000 arches.
I'm just going to be rankingthe notable ones that everybody
(01:05):
likes to see and are the mostpopular.
Now let's start and let's goover the most well-known arches
in Arches National Park, if theyare worth it, if you have to go
, hike to them and we will rankthem right at the end.
So stick with me.
Now, number one, I have to sayis number one is obviously
Delicate Arch.
This is the most iconic arch inArches National Park and it
(01:27):
even is on some Utah licenseplates.
Odds are, if you've seen ArchesNational Park, it is kind of
the representation for arches.
Now I'm going to say somethinga little controversial and I'm
going to say that it was alittle underwhelming.
I had this big, hugeexpectations for Delicate Arch
and it was wonderful.
However, it is crowded.
It is popular for a reason it'sthe one that everybody always
(01:48):
recommends.
It's the one if, oh, what archdid I see at Arches National
Park?
Delicate Arch.
So that means that everybodyand their grandma is there as
well.
Now I saw it in two differentscenarios.
There was like a little parkinglot where you could park and
then you could kind of walk to alittle viewpoint and, no joke,
it was very tiny, very, verytiny.
The other option is you canhike to it.
(02:09):
It's a moderate hike, about 3.2miles, and not that bad of
elevation gain.
It can get hot and it iscrowded and it takes about two
to three hours to do this hike.
Now, the parking situation wasso stressful.
I actually tried to do thishike several times and couldn't
actually do it because I justflat out just couldn't find a
parking spot.
So that is why I have thecontroversial opinion that,
(02:31):
although Delicate Arch is verycool, I think you should also
give the other arches a chanceas well.
Now, if you do want to see itand you're like, please, I do
want to see the Delicate Arch, Iwould recommend going very
early in the morning so that youcan get a spot and see the
sunrise over it.
It is pretty cool, I'll give itthat.
It is cool for astrophotographyand it's also very cool just
like see the mountains all inthe back.
(02:52):
But you need to go duringsunrise.
You could try to go at sunset.
However, it is going to be morecrowded.
And next one landscape arch thisis in the Devil's Garden area.
Now, if you do want a fullthing on Devil's Garden, I wrote
like all the mistakes thatpeople make in Devil's Garden
for going through the entireprimitive loop.
There's a lot of arches in thisarea and I'm going to be honest
(03:14):
, it's probably my favoriteplace in the park, just because
it's adventurous, it's rugged.
You kind of feel like you'rejust in the middle of nowhere
when you're hiking the entireprimitive loop and there are
just so many arches here.
So if you are an adventurer andyou are a hiker, I would 100%
(03:35):
recommend going to Devil'sGarden and also checking out my
vlog of me getting lost, becauseI did get lost.
Now, the landscape arch doesnot lie on that primitive loop.
It's actually just like a 1.9quick out and back and the
trails are very well marked.
It's very easy to find.
It is a little popular, sodefinitely go during that like
sunset time, maybe in like fallor spring, just so you can avoid
the crowds.
However, this landscape arch isbeautiful and I mean that it's
(03:56):
just kind of different than anyother arch that I saw at Arches
National Park because it's so,so thin and long and I can't
believe that it's still there.
Fun fact, it's actually thelongest natural arch in North
America.
It is going to be popular, butit's going to be less popular
than Delicate Arch.
Now, number three on the mostpopular arches that you can see
(04:17):
at Arches National Park is theDouble Arch, not to be confused
with the double O that we willtalk about later.
No, I'm not going to lie.
Double arch is in like thewindows section, so a lot of
arches are placed here.
So if you don't have a lot oftime or you're just driving
through and you don't want tohike, I would actually recommend
coming here because you get themost bang for your buck.
(04:39):
However, so there's like theentire windows section, with the
north window and the southwindow and the turret arch.
We'll talk about it.
But on the opposite sidethere's this thing called the
double arch and I'm not going tolie, it's just grand, unique
and just so cool.
The hike is really not that bad.
It's like less than a half amile all flat.
You will not get fatigued onthis hike.
(04:59):
Going to see double arch and,honestly, it's just beautiful.
Please just go.
Look at the photos, I'll linkthem on the show notes and it's
just beautiful, absolutelystunning.
Honestly, don't care howcrowded this arch is, I would
see it every single time.
So moving right across theparking lot of the double arch
is the north and south windows.
These are very beautiful.
(05:19):
I must admit they were a littleunderwhelming just compared to
the other arches that I wasseeing in the area, especially,
you know, compared to the doublearch.
They were a little crowded.
It does require some hiking, soplease keep that in mind.
It's about a mile out and back,so it's really not that bad.
However, I went midday and itwas so hot Like I was literally
(05:40):
sweating and I was like I cansee why people in summer really
struggle with this trail,because there's just no shade
whatsoever.
Now, if you are at the northwindow, just a little bonus tip
here If you are into photography, there are some pretty epic
shots that you can get of theturret arch, which is right
across from it, and you canactually frame the turret arch
within the north window.
(06:01):
If you see any postcards of theturret arch, most likely it has
been photographed through thatnorth window.
If you see any postcards of theturret arch, most likely it has
been photographed through thatnorth window and then you can go
to the south arch, which ispretty cool.
As I said, it's a littleunderwhelming because I didn't
really think it was super unique.
However, if you're in the areaanyway, I would see it Then you
go to the turret arch, and theturret arch looks like something
from a Mars movie.
(06:22):
Seriously, like I was, like Idon't even think I'm on Earth at
this point.
So definitely go to the tour atArch.
That one is so recommended, socool, and it's right there.
So the next Arch that we'regoing to focus on is actually
down the road a bit, and this isthe Sand Dune Arch.
Now, sometimes this getsoverlooked a little bit by, like
the double arch and the windowsection and all of the delicate
(06:43):
arches and everything.
However, I really really likedit.
I felt like I was in an IndianaJones movie.
It was an easy hike, but youcan actually go around and see
another arch, so there is somehiking options here.
However, you like go throughthis really thin thing of walls
and then there's just like sandeverywhere and then you go in
and what I like about it is it'snormally shaded because it's
(07:04):
kind of like a slot canyon, soyou have these towering sewn
walls going up on either side ofyou and, funny story, I
actually went here and I missedthe arch the first time.
So you actually have to keepgoing because I was like, oh,
this is so cool, this is so fun,and then I just left.
So but I went back.
I actually went to the sand dunearch.
I got a really epic mermaidpicture here.
(07:24):
It's not as like open as theother arches, like double arches
is just huge and it's open andit's beautiful, but this one is
a little bit more secluded.
I did read on the pamphlet thatit's really popular with
families because it's basicallya giant sandbox.
So would 100% recommend goingto that one, just because it's
unique and it's different fromall the other arches, and it's
(07:46):
only like 0.4 miles.
Probably take you like 15 to 30minutes to go see the full
thing.
So those I felt were the mostpopular ones.
You know, like the ones wherethe parking lots are a little
bit bigger, there's more space,there's more crowds.
Now let's go into the hidden gemarches, the ones that probably
you've never even heard of andprobably a lot of people don't
(08:06):
even hear of, but they aredeserved to talk about
nonetheless.
Now one of my favorites is theDouble O.
Now, this is not Double Arch.
Double Arch is very accessible,not a lot of hiking.
It's right there in that mainparking lot area.
Double O takes a little bitmore effort to get to, and that
is because it is on theprimitive loop of the Devil's
Garden Trail.
(08:36):
Now, really quickly, devil'sGarden because we're going to be
talking about it a lot, becausethere's a lot of hidden arches
on this hike.
Basically, it's like a giantloop which is a very
well-maintained up to, basicallyabout landscape arch.
Once you get to landscape archand you keep going all the way
to the other arches, it does geta little iffy.
The route is not marked well.
As I said, if you do want to gowatch my vlog where I got lost,
definitely go check that out.
I also made an entire guide forall the mistakes that people
(08:57):
make in Devil's Garden becauseit is an adventurous trail.
It's not just a simple youclimb up a mountain on a
well-maintained trail and thenyou climb back down.
It is adventurous, it is fun.
You might have to do somenavigating skills, but it is so
worth it Because, since it'sharder, not a lot of people do
it.
There's some pretty steepdrop-offs, some places where I
(09:21):
actually had to get in the waterand sand.
So just keep this in mind thatthis is an adventure trail, but
it was, hands down, my favoriteplace in Arches National Park
and that brings me to double O.
So if you go to that landscapearch and then you keep going to
that more adventurous side, youwill hit double O.
Now, this is a beautiful arch.
It was a little tricky gettingdown there so I actually
photographed it from above andthen below, but it's basically
these two arches stacked on topof each other and it's so, so
(09:44):
cool.
If you were just to go todouble arch, the entire hike out
and then you turned around backwould be around 4.2 miles and
it is considered strenuous.
I would recommend it forexperienced hikers and it would
probably take you from about twoto four hours.
Now, on the way to Double O, inbetween Double O and landscape,
if we're, you know, thinkingabout this logically.
(10:06):
So you have got landscape andthen you keep going Trail gets a
little iffy.
There are two arches that youcan actually see in between 00
and landscape, and those arePartition and Navajo.
Now the Partition.
If you were to just go to thePartition and back, it would be
about 2.9 miles and about two tothree hours.
Now this one I would actuallyrecommend.
I was the only one here.
(10:26):
I had like two hiking buddiesthat I had met along the way,
but there was no one here.
I could literally look throughthe partition arch and see the
entire thing of Arches NationalPark and the entire valley being
illuminated by the sun comingup.
It was absolutely stunning.
If you are on the Devil'sGarden Loop, go during sunrise,
you will not regret it.
It's beautiful, it's lesscrowded, it's more of a hidden
(10:47):
gem.
And I jaw just dropped to thefloor.
Truly, now, if you were to keepGoing on the little spur,
because both the partition andthe Navajo, you do have to
detour a little bit off of themain Devil's Garden Loop.
You can also go to the Navajoarch and I did like this one
because it's very easy to walkunderneath of it.
Again, not very crowded, not alot of people there, and it was
(11:08):
just interesting.
It was like wide and then youcould walk to the other side of
it.
So, again, just a very uniqueone that I would go to if you
are in the area anyway.
So, now that you've gone tothose little spurs, maybe you do
go to 00.
Now, after 00, that's where itgets extra saucy, and that is
because that's when theprimitive trail starts.
So the primitive trail startsright after 00 and then you
(11:30):
basically go and you have tonavigate through all of these
like sandstone fins.
There's hardly any root markers.
It is considered very strenuous, very difficult hiking.
People have gotten lost, it'svery hard to know where you're
going.
I wouldn't really say that it'slike cardio strenuous, but you
definitely have to be verypurposeful with where you put
your feet.
(11:50):
And all of this is not meant toscare you away, because this is
stunning and because it isborderline, backcountry and a
little difficult.
Not a lot of people are there,and by that I mean I think I saw
like three other hikers andthat was it.
So one of the arches that youcan get to on the primitive
trail is called the private arch, and man, it is private for a
(12:12):
reason, I mean, compared to likedelicate arch or landscape arch
or double.
This was amazing.
I literally sat here for about45 minutes and did not see
another person ever Like I was.
Just, it was just me alone inthe middle of nowhere Arches
National Park just eating somebeef jerky at this private arch.
10 out of 10 recommend.
(12:33):
So, so fun.
Now, once you have navigatedyour way through these sandstone
fins and you are back on themain trail.
There are two other arches thatyou can see that are on that
well-maintained paved trail byLandscape Arch, and that is the
Pine Tree Arch, which is reallyreally cool and I really liked
it because if you look throughthe arch you can actually see
(12:54):
the rest of the primitive trailand you can see those sandstone
fins through the arch, which isreally really, really cool.
So I liked that one better thanthe Tunnel Arch, which is the
other one.
Tunnel Arch looked like an archwas really cool, but if you're
looking at arches all day it iskind of underwhelming.
However, if you're right there,it's a very short detour, very
short spur off of the main trailto Landscape Arch.
(13:16):
Now, going out of the Devil'sGarden area, the entire scenic
road of Arches National Parkactually ends at Devil's Garden.
So, as you are coming back,there is a little pull-off.
Now it's very easy to miss ifthere's nobody there.
The first time that I wentthere was nobody there and
there's not really a definedtrail.
However, if you do get a map,there's this thing called the
Skyline Arch, which is prettyfun to go to, especially if
(13:39):
there is no one there.
You basically would just go offinto that pull-off and you will
see it right away.
It is very distinctive and canbe a nice little one on your
buckle.
As I said, compared to like 00and ones that are more unique,
it might be a littleunderwhelming.
However, if you're drivingthrough, it's really not that
far of a hike.
It's more of like just a strollup some rocks and then you see
(13:59):
it and then you're good.
And last but not least, theTower Arch is another one for
people who are looking to hike,are looking to get more into,
like, the nitty gritty of ArchesNational Park and maybe avoid
some crowds.
This is a strenuous, about twoand a half mile hike.
This is recommended for hikerswho do want to go off the beaten
path and want a more serene andpeaceful Arches experience.
(14:21):
Okay, that was a lot ofinformation.
However, those are the mostnotable arches in Arches
National Park, so now let's gothrough and rank them.
Obviously, this is going to bea subjective list, but I spent a
lot of time in Arches NationalPark and even more time writing
about Arches National Parkbecause it's so cool and the
point of all of this is to maybegive you some insight on what
(14:42):
to prioritize.
Maybe we'll go look at somepictures, go see which one
you're like.
Oh, that one I could probablyskip if I don't have time, but
that one I'm definitely going tohit.
So here are all the 14 archesthat I have just mentioned, all
ranked for your bucket list.
Number one I'm sorry I have togo with double arch.
I love it.
It's accessible, it's easy toget to, it's just beautiful,
(15:03):
it's grand, it's big.
Love it.
Number two Landscape Arch.
Oh my gosh, it's just wonderful.
They do have a very good trailgoing to it, so it's pretty
accessible, but you still get agood hike in there.
I don't know, I just feel likeit's going to fall and you just
need to see it before thathappens.
I think that one should havebeen named Delicate Arch.
That one looks way moredelicate than actual delicate
(15:24):
arch.
It's like so pencil thin.
Number three partition arch,specifically at sunrise.
You need to go at sunrise.
It is off the beaten path, it'sbeautiful.
There's not as many crowds asthe more popular ones.
Number four the sand dune arch.
That has to go with that one,just because it's so unique and
(15:45):
the surrounding area around thearch is cool too.
I literally felt like LauraCroft and that's why it gets a
higher ranking on this list.
Absolutely love it.
It's all about the experience,not just the arch.
Number five Delicate Arch.
I have to put it a littlehigher on this list just because
it is the most popular Gonna behonest.
It was not my favorite one, butyou can tell me is my saltiness
towards Delicate Arch warranted.
(16:05):
Let me know in the comments ifyou thought it was like the most
amazing thing ever.
I do want to hear your opinionon Delicate Arch.
Number six Turret Arch.
It's like something out ofanother planet and you really
can't beat that.
Number seven Double O.
It is very beautiful.
It is a little harder to get toand the arch itself, I think,
is vaguely overshadowed by thedouble arch as far as grandness.
(16:26):
However, it is still beautifulnonetheless.
Now number eight the north andsouth window.
It's accessible to get to, itis beautiful, but it is a little
crowded.
Number nine the tower arch.
It is beautiful, it is secluded, it is off the beaten path.
The only thing that is a littleannoying is that you have to go
through this whole hike and youbasically just get to see one
arch where if you were to go toDevil's Garden and do the entire
(16:51):
like eight mile loop.
You'd get to see so so manyarches.
Now number 10, private arch.
I really did like the privatearch because it was private.
However, the arch itself is alittle underwhelming compared to
the others and it's also alittle hard getting there.
I actually ended up going thewrong way and then having to
like scramble on a rock and thenlike slide down.
It was a whole ordeal.
I got lost so many times.
It was a little embarrassing.
(17:12):
Get it together, alex.
Get it together.
Now number 11, the Navajo Arch.
I really did like how you couldwalk underneath of the Navajo
Arch and I think it was reallycool.
It just was not as like grandand huge and otherworldly than
other arches in the park.
Now 12 at the Pine Tree Arch, Idid like how you could see the
fins in the background, likethrough the arch is really cool.
(17:33):
But the arch itself it can geta little crowded because it is
on that well maintained trailright by Landscape Arch and as
it is cool, it's just like theother ones are just more unique
and grand.
Now 13, the Skyline Arch.
Overall it's a pretty standardarch.
I really liked it.
However, it can get a littlestressful when there is no
parking because it's just theside off.
I said I went once and therewas nobody, and I went the
(17:55):
second time and everybody wasthere, so that did make it a wee
bit stressful.
I would do that for the DoubleArch, but I don't know if I'd do
that for the skyline arch.
And then number 14, the tunnelarch.
As I said, it's beautiful.
If it were anywhere else itwould just be stunning and you'd
be like in awe.
However, just after looking atall of these gorgeous and unique
(18:15):
arches, it just is a littleunderwhelming.
It's like the middle child ofthe arches, sorry.
So what arches to see?
If you only have one day Now,if you aren't a super big hiker
and you don't want to goexploring in the wilderness of
Arches National Park, I wouldrecommend doing the Delicate
Arch in the very, very morningand I mean like be the first one
(18:37):
there very, very morning andthen, after the Double Arch,
maybe going over to the windowsection, go see the North and
South Windows, see the TurretArch and then go see double arch
.
Now if you are into hiking, Iwould recommend just doing that
entire devil's garden loop.
You will not be disappointedand that is like the most bang
for your buck that you can getfor arches.
If you can do all of that andsomehow manage to like hike and
(18:59):
get like a full day, maybe dothat.
However, those are myrecommendations.
What do you think Now?
If you are looking for a morespecific itinerary and like more
in depth than what I just did,I do have an entire blog post
where I do rank all of these.
You can see all of them ranked,you can see pictures of all of
them and that is on my blog post, which I will link.
(19:19):
Definitely, go check it out toget more itinerary
recommendations and choose whicharches you want to go check off
your bucket list On that blogpost.
I also talk about things thataren't arches that you can go
see, that are equally as cool asthe arches themselves.
So if you are going to ArchesNational Park I've written
literally so many articles aboutthis I should be a ranger at
this point, just really into thearches.
(19:41):
So that is all for this episodeof Take it Before you Kick it.
If you did enjoy this podcast,I would really appreciate it if
you just subscribed on anypodcasting platform or even
maybe left in a review if it washelpful or inspired you.
Until next time, stayadventurous.
I got lost so many times.
It was a little embarrassing.
Get it together, alex.
Get it together.
Hello, my intrepid adventurers,and welcome to Ticket Before
you Kick it the podcast where wetalk about everything that
should be on your adventurebucket list.
And today we are going to beheaded to one of the most unique
national parks here in the US,and that is Arches National Park
.
Now, whether you are short ontime or you just want to
(00:21):
prioritize your time, it can bea little overwhelming because
there are a lot of well, as thename suggests, there are a lot
of arches there, and some ofthem kind of look the same.
Some of them are in completelydifferent places, Some of them
are grouped together.
So I'm going to be goingthrough and I'm going to be
ranking every single arch, orevery single notable arch in
Arches National Park, so thatyou can prioritize your time and
(00:43):
you can decide which ones tocheck off of your bucket list.
Let's get started Now.
Before we get started, let'sjust quick talk about Arches
National Park.
Now, this is a geologicalwonder located near Canyonlands
National Park and Moab, utah,and it offers over 2,000 arches.
Now, on this one, I'm not goingto be ranking 2,000 arches.
I'm just going to be rankingthe notable ones that everybody
(01:05):
likes to see and are the mostpopular.
Now let's start and let's goover the most well-known arches
in Arches National Park, if theyare worth it, if you have to go
, hike to them and we will rankthem right at the end.
So stick with me.
Now, number one, I have to sayis number one is obviously
Delicate Arch.
This is the most iconic arch inArches National Park and it
(01:27):
even is on some Utah licenseplates.
Odds are, if you've seen ArchesNational Park, it is kind of
the representation for arches.
Now I'm going to say somethinga little controversial and I'm
going to say that it was alittle underwhelming.
I had this big, hugeexpectations for Delicate Arch
and it was wonderful.
However, it is crowded.
It is popular for a reason it'sthe one that everybody always
(01:48):
recommends.
It's the one if, oh, what archdid I see at Arches National
Park?
Delicate Arch.
So that means that everybodyand their grandma is there as
well.
Now I saw it in two differentscenarios.
There was like a little parkinglot where you could park and
then you could kind of walk to alittle viewpoint and, no joke,
it was very tiny, very, verytiny.
The other option is you canhike to it.
(02:09):
It's a moderate hike, about 3.2miles, and not that bad of
elevation gain.
It can get hot and it iscrowded and it takes about two
to three hours to do this hike.
Now, the parking situation wasso stressful.
I actually tried to do thishike several times and couldn't
actually do it because I justflat out just couldn't find a
parking spot.
So that is why I have thecontroversial opinion that,
(02:31):
although Delicate Arch is verycool, I think you should also
give the other arches a chanceas well.
Now, if you do want to see itand you're like, please, I do
want to see the Delicate Arch, Iwould recommend going very
early in the morning so that youcan get a spot and see the
sunrise over it.
It is pretty cool, I'll give itthat.
It is cool for astrophotographyand it's also very cool just
like see the mountains all inthe back.
(02:52):
But you need to go duringsunrise.
You could try to go at sunset.
However, it is going to be morecrowded.
And next one landscape arch thisis in the Devil's Garden area.
Now, if you do want a fullthing on Devil's Garden, I wrote
like all the mistakes thatpeople make in Devil's Garden
for going through the entireprimitive loop.
There's a lot of arches in thisarea and I'm going to be honest
(03:14):
, it's probably my favoriteplace in the park, just because
it's adventurous, it's rugged.
You kind of feel like you'rejust in the middle of nowhere
when you're hiking the entireprimitive loop and there are
just so many arches here.
So if you are an adventurer andyou are a hiker, I would 100%
(03:35):
recommend going to Devil'sGarden and also checking out my
vlog of me getting lost, becauseI did get lost.
Now, the landscape arch doesnot lie on that primitive loop.
It's actually just like a 1.9quick out and back and the
trails are very well marked.
It's very easy to find.
It is a little popular, sodefinitely go during that like
sunset time, maybe in like fallor spring, just so you can avoid
the crowds.
However, this landscape arch isbeautiful and I mean that it's
(03:56):
just kind of different than anyother arch that I saw at Arches
National Park because it's so,so thin and long and I can't
believe that it's still there.
Fun fact, it's actually thelongest natural arch in North
America.
It is going to be popular, butit's going to be less popular
than Delicate Arch.
Now, number three on the mostpopular arches that you can see
(04:17):
at Arches National Park is theDouble Arch, not to be confused
with the double O that we willtalk about later.
No, I'm not going to lie.
Double arch is in like thewindows section, so a lot of
arches are placed here.
So if you don't have a lot oftime or you're just driving
through and you don't want tohike, I would actually recommend
coming here because you get themost bang for your buck.
(04:39):
However, so there's like theentire windows section, with the
north window and the southwindow and the turret arch.
We'll talk about it.
But on the opposite sidethere's this thing called the
double arch and I'm not going tolie, it's just grand, unique
and just so cool.
The hike is really not that bad.
It's like less than a half amile all flat.
You will not get fatigued onthis hike.
(04:59):
Going to see double arch and,honestly, it's just beautiful.
Please just go.
Look at the photos, I'll linkthem on the show notes and it's
just beautiful, absolutelystunning.
Honestly, don't care howcrowded this arch is, I would
see it every single time.
So moving right across theparking lot of the double arch
is the north and south windows.
These are very beautiful.
(05:19):
I must admit they were a littleunderwhelming just compared to
the other arches that I wasseeing in the area, especially,
you know, compared to the doublearch.
They were a little crowded.
It does require some hiking, soplease keep that in mind.
It's about a mile out and back,so it's really not that bad.
However, I went midday and itwas so hot Like I was literally
(05:40):
sweating and I was like I cansee why people in summer really
struggle with this trail,because there's just no shade
whatsoever.
Now, if you are at the northwindow, just a little bonus tip
here If you are into photography, there are some pretty epic
shots that you can get of theturret arch, which is right
across from it, and you canactually frame the turret arch
within the north window.
(06:01):
If you see any postcards of theturret arch, most likely it has
been photographed through thatnorth window.
If you see any postcards of theturret arch, most likely it has
been photographed through thatnorth window and then you can go
to the south arch, which ispretty cool.
As I said, it's a littleunderwhelming because I didn't
really think it was super unique.
However, if you're in the areaanyway, I would see it Then you
go to the turret arch, and theturret arch looks like something
from a Mars movie.
(06:22):
Seriously, like I was, like Idon't even think I'm on Earth at
this point.
So definitely go to the tour atArch.
That one is so recommended, socool, and it's right there.
So the next Arch that we'regoing to focus on is actually
down the road a bit, and this isthe Sand Dune Arch.
Now, sometimes this getsoverlooked a little bit by, like
the double arch and the windowsection and all of the delicate
(06:43):
arches and everything.
However, I really really likedit.
I felt like I was in an IndianaJones movie.
It was an easy hike, but youcan actually go around and see
another arch, so there is somehiking options here.
However, you like go throughthis really thin thing of walls
and then there's just like sandeverywhere and then you go in
and what I like about it is it'snormally shaded because it's
(07:04):
kind of like a slot canyon, soyou have these towering sewn
walls going up on either side ofyou and, funny story, I
actually went here and I missedthe arch the first time.
So you actually have to keepgoing because I was like, oh,
this is so cool, this is so fun,and then I just left.
So but I went back.
I actually went to the sand dunearch.
I got a really epic mermaidpicture here.
(07:24):
It's not as like open as theother arches, like double arches
is just huge and it's open andit's beautiful, but this one is
a little bit more secluded.
I did read on the pamphlet thatit's really popular with
families because it's basicallya giant sandbox.
So would 100% recommend goingto that one, just because it's
unique and it's different fromall the other arches, and it's
(07:46):
only like 0.4 miles.
Probably take you like 15 to 30minutes to go see the full
thing.
So those I felt were the mostpopular ones.
You know, like the ones wherethe parking lots are a little
bit bigger, there's more space,there's more crowds.
Now let's go into the hidden gemarches, the ones that probably
you've never even heard of andprobably a lot of people don't
(08:06):
even hear of, but they aredeserved to talk about
nonetheless.
Now one of my favorites is theDouble O.
Now, this is not Double Arch.
Double Arch is very accessible,not a lot of hiking.
It's right there in that mainparking lot area.
Double O takes a little bitmore effort to get to, and that
is because it is on theprimitive loop of the Devil's
Garden Trail.
(08:36):
Now, really quickly, devil'sGarden because we're going to be
talking about it a lot, becausethere's a lot of hidden arches
on this hike.
Basically, it's like a giantloop which is a very
well-maintained up to, basicallyabout landscape arch.
Once you get to landscape archand you keep going all the way
to the other arches, it does geta little iffy.
The route is not marked well.
As I said, if you do want to gowatch my vlog where I got lost,
definitely go check that out.
I also made an entire guide forall the mistakes that people
(08:57):
make in Devil's Garden becauseit is an adventurous trail.
It's not just a simple youclimb up a mountain on a
well-maintained trail and thenyou climb back down.
It is adventurous, it is fun.
You might have to do somenavigating skills, but it is so
worth it Because, since it'sharder, not a lot of people do
it.
There's some pretty steepdrop-offs, some places where I
(09:21):
actually had to get in the waterand sand.
So just keep this in mind thatthis is an adventure trail, but
it was, hands down, my favoriteplace in Arches National Park
and that brings me to double O.
So if you go to that landscapearch and then you keep going to
that more adventurous side, youwill hit double O.
Now, this is a beautiful arch.
It was a little tricky gettingdown there so I actually
photographed it from above andthen below, but it's basically
these two arches stacked on topof each other and it's so, so
(09:44):
cool.
If you were just to go todouble arch, the entire hike out
and then you turned around backwould be around 4.2 miles and
it is considered strenuous.
I would recommend it forexperienced hikers and it would
probably take you from about twoto four hours.
Now, on the way to Double O, inbetween Double O and landscape,
if we're, you know, thinkingabout this logically.
(10:06):
So you have got landscape andthen you keep going Trail gets a
little iffy.
There are two arches that youcan actually see in between 00
and landscape, and those arePartition and Navajo.
Now the Partition.
If you were to just go to thePartition and back, it would be
about 2.9 miles and about two tothree hours.
Now this one I would actuallyrecommend.
I was the only one here.
(10:26):
I had like two hiking buddiesthat I had met along the way,
but there was no one here.
I could literally look throughthe partition arch and see the
entire thing of Arches NationalPark and the entire valley being
illuminated by the sun comingup.
It was absolutely stunning.
If you are on the Devil'sGarden Loop, go during sunrise,
you will not regret it.
It's beautiful, it's lesscrowded, it's more of a hidden
(10:47):
gem.
And I jaw just dropped to thefloor.
Truly, now, if you were to keepGoing on the little spur,
because both the partition andthe Navajo, you do have to
detour a little bit off of themain Devil's Garden Loop.
You can also go to the Navajoarch and I did like this one
because it's very easy to walkunderneath of it.
Again, not very crowded, not alot of people there, and it was
(11:08):
just interesting.
It was like wide and then youcould walk to the other side of
it.
So, again, just a very uniqueone that I would go to if you
are in the area anyway.
So, now that you've gone tothose little spurs, maybe you do
go to 00.
Now, after 00, that's where itgets extra saucy, and that is
because that's when theprimitive trail starts.
So the primitive trail startsright after 00 and then you
(11:30):
basically go and you have tonavigate through all of these
like sandstone fins.
There's hardly any root markers.
It is considered very strenuous, very difficult hiking.
People have gotten lost, it'svery hard to know where you're
going.
I wouldn't really say that it'slike cardio strenuous, but you
definitely have to be verypurposeful with where you put
your feet.
(11:50):
And all of this is not meant toscare you away, because this is
stunning and because it isborderline, backcountry and a
little difficult.
Not a lot of people are there,and by that I mean I think I saw
like three other hikers andthat was it.
So one of the arches that youcan get to on the primitive
trail is called the private arch, and man, it is private for a
(12:12):
reason, I mean, compared to likedelicate arch or landscape arch
or double.
This was amazing.
I literally sat here for about45 minutes and did not see
another person ever Like I was.
Just, it was just me alone inthe middle of nowhere Arches
National Park just eating somebeef jerky at this private arch.
10 out of 10 recommend.
(12:33):
So, so fun.
Now, once you have navigatedyour way through these sandstone
fins and you are back on themain trail.
There are two other arches thatyou can see that are on that
well-maintained paved trail byLandscape Arch, and that is the
Pine Tree Arch, which is reallyreally cool and I really liked
it because if you look throughthe arch you can actually see
(12:54):
the rest of the primitive trailand you can see those sandstone
fins through the arch, which isreally really, really cool.
So I liked that one better thanthe Tunnel Arch, which is the
other one.
Tunnel Arch looked like an archwas really cool, but if you're
looking at arches all day it iskind of underwhelming.
However, if you're right there,it's a very short detour, very
short spur off of the main trailto Landscape Arch.
(13:16):
Now, going out of the Devil'sGarden area, the entire scenic
road of Arches National Parkactually ends at Devil's Garden.
So, as you are coming back,there is a little pull-off.
Now it's very easy to miss ifthere's nobody there.
The first time that I wentthere was nobody there and
there's not really a definedtrail.
However, if you do get a map,there's this thing called the
Skyline Arch, which is prettyfun to go to, especially if
(13:39):
there is no one there.
You basically would just go offinto that pull-off and you will
see it right away.
It is very distinctive and canbe a nice little one on your
buckle.
As I said, compared to like 00and ones that are more unique,
it might be a littleunderwhelming.
However, if you're drivingthrough, it's really not that
far of a hike.
It's more of like just a strollup some rocks and then you see
(13:59):
it and then you're good.
And last but not least, theTower Arch is another one for
people who are looking to hike,are looking to get more into,
like, the nitty gritty of ArchesNational Park and maybe avoid
some crowds.
This is a strenuous, about twoand a half mile hike.
This is recommended for hikerswho do want to go off the beaten
path and want a more serene andpeaceful Arches experience.
(14:21):
Okay, that was a lot ofinformation.
However, those are the mostnotable arches in Arches
National Park, so now let's gothrough and rank them.
Obviously, this is going to bea subjective list, but I spent a
lot of time in Arches NationalPark and even more time writing
about Arches National Parkbecause it's so cool and the
point of all of this is to maybegive you some insight on what
(14:42):
to prioritize.
Maybe we'll go look at somepictures, go see which one
you're like.
Oh, that one I could probablyskip if I don't have time, but
that one I'm definitely going tohit.
So here are all the 14 archesthat I have just mentioned, all
ranked for your bucket list.
Number one I'm sorry I have togo with double arch.
I love it.
It's accessible, it's easy toget to, it's just beautiful,
(15:03):
it's grand, it's big.
Love it.
Number two Landscape Arch.
Oh my gosh, it's just wonderful.
They do have a very good trailgoing to it, so it's pretty
accessible, but you still get agood hike in there.
I don't know, I just feel likeit's going to fall and you just
need to see it before thathappens.
I think that one should havebeen named Delicate Arch.
That one looks way moredelicate than actual delicate
(15:24):
arch.
It's like so pencil thin.
Number three partition arch,specifically at sunrise.
You need to go at sunrise.
It is off the beaten path, it'sbeautiful.
There's not as many crowds asthe more popular ones.
Number four the sand dune arch.
That has to go with that one,just because it's so unique and
(15:45):
the surrounding area around thearch is cool too.
I literally felt like LauraCroft and that's why it gets a
higher ranking on this list.
Absolutely love it.
It's all about the experience,not just the arch.
Number five Delicate Arch.
I have to put it a littlehigher on this list just because
it is the most popular Gonna behonest.
It was not my favorite one, butyou can tell me is my saltiness
towards Delicate Arch warranted.
(16:05):
Let me know in the comments ifyou thought it was like the most
amazing thing ever.
I do want to hear your opinionon Delicate Arch.
Number six Turret Arch.
It's like something out ofanother planet and you really
can't beat that.
Number seven Double O.
It is very beautiful.
It is a little harder to get toand the arch itself, I think,
is vaguely overshadowed by thedouble arch as far as grandness.
(16:26):
However, it is still beautifulnonetheless.
Now number eight the north andsouth window.
It's accessible to get to, itis beautiful, but it is a little
crowded.
Number nine the tower arch.
It is beautiful, it is secluded, it is off the beaten path.
The only thing that is a littleannoying is that you have to go
through this whole hike and youbasically just get to see one
arch where if you were to go toDevil's Garden and do the entire
(16:51):
like eight mile loop.
You'd get to see so so manyarches.
Now number 10, private arch.
I really did like the privatearch because it was private.
However, the arch itself is alittle underwhelming compared to
the others and it's also alittle hard getting there.
I actually ended up going thewrong way and then having to
like scramble on a rock and thenlike slide down.
It was a whole ordeal.
I got lost so many times.
It was a little embarrassing.
(17:12):
Get it together, alex.
Get it together.
Now number 11, the Navajo Arch.
I really did like how you couldwalk underneath of the Navajo
Arch and I think it was reallycool.
It just was not as like grandand huge and otherworldly than
other arches in the park.
Now 12 at the Pine Tree Arch, Idid like how you could see the
fins in the background, likethrough the arch is really cool.
(17:33):
But the arch itself it can geta little crowded because it is
on that well maintained trailright by Landscape Arch and as
it is cool, it's just like theother ones are just more unique
and grand.
Now 13, the Skyline Arch.
Overall it's a pretty standardarch.
I really liked it.
However, it can get a littlestressful when there is no
parking because it's just theside off.
I said I went once and therewas nobody, and I went the
(17:55):
second time and everybody wasthere, so that did make it a wee
bit stressful.
I would do that for the DoubleArch, but I don't know if I'd do
that for the skyline arch.
And then number 14, the tunnelarch.
As I said, it's beautiful.
If it were anywhere else itwould just be stunning and you'd
be like in awe.
However, just after looking atall of these gorgeous and unique
(18:15):
arches, it just is a littleunderwhelming.
It's like the middle child ofthe arches, sorry.
So what arches to see?
If you only have one day Now,if you aren't a super big hiker
and you don't want to goexploring in the wilderness of
Arches National Park, I wouldrecommend doing the Delicate
Arch in the very, very morningand I mean like be the first one
(18:37):
there very, very morning andthen, after the Double Arch,
maybe going over to the windowsection, go see the North and
South Windows, see the TurretArch and then go see double arch
.
Now if you are into hiking, Iwould recommend just doing that
entire devil's garden loop.
You will not be disappointedand that is like the most bang
for your buck that you can getfor arches.
If you can do all of that andsomehow manage to like hike and
(18:59):
get like a full day, maybe dothat.
However, those are myrecommendations.
What do you think Now?
If you are looking for a morespecific itinerary and like more
in depth than what I just did,I do have an entire blog post
where I do rank all of these.
You can see all of them ranked,you can see pictures of all of
them and that is on my blog post, which I will link.
(19:19):
Definitely, go check it out toget more itinerary
recommendations and choose whicharches you want to go check off
your bucket list On that blogpost.
I also talk about things thataren't arches that you can go
see, that are equally as cool asthe arches themselves.
So if you are going to ArchesNational Park I've written
literally so many articles aboutthis I should be a ranger at
this point, just really into thearches.
(19:41):
So that is all for this episodeof Take it Before you Kick it.
If you did enjoy this podcast,I would really appreciate it if
you just subscribed on anypodcasting platform or even
maybe left in a review if it washelpful or inspired you.
Until next time, stayadventurous.
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