Vacations Blog

Spectacular Double Arch, at Arches National Park

It’s a dream of mine to take my kids to every National Park in the United States.  Obviously, I’ll never be able to do that, as there are just too many of them and too little time.

But at least we can visit the parks close to us in the west, like Yellowstone, Glacier, Yosemite, Olympic, and Arches.  Last spring, we planned a family vcation to see that last one, Arches National Park, in Utah.  The place surprised me with its uniqueness, beauty, and kid-friendliness.

The best part of the park, especially for families with young children, is that most of the major features are in a relatively small area, and none of them are too far from the road.  That means short hikes that won’t wear anybody out.  The park contains over 2,000 arches, but you’ll probably only see a dozen or so unless you take longer hikes into the backcountry.  Highlights include Double Arch, which is an awesome place for the kids to climb on sandstone formations.  Yes, they let you climb just about everywhere except on top of the arches themselves.

Through sandstone fins to Sand Dune Arch.

Our hikes were mostly a half-mile to just under two miles, on trails that were easy to traverse and, in some cases, paved.  There was one exception, which I’ll get to in a minute.  There’s such a wide variety of arches and formations in the park that at no time are you going to hear, “Oh, it’s just another arch,” from your kids.  They were excited to get out of the car and explore at every stop.  One of my favorites was the half-mile trek through sandstone fins and deep sand to the isolated Sand Dune Arch.  It felt like we were in another world.

At the end of the main road through the park is one of the longest trails, The Devils Garden.  You’ll see ten impressive arches on this 7-mile loop.  Or, you can do like we did and walk as far as Landscape Arch, about a mile in.  Landscape Arch is the longest span in the park at more than a football field in length.  Parts of it collapsed in 1991, so you might want to hurry before the whole thing comes down.  In fact, another arch a few hundred yards down the trail collapsed completely last August.

Running to Delicate Arch

We didn’t walk the entire Devils Garden loop because we were saving our energy for what I think is the must-do hike in the entire park, the 3-mile round-trip trek to the iconic Delicate Arch.  This is the arch you see on Utah license plates.  It’s a free-standing sandstone arch that reminded my son of a giant pair of pants.  You can’t see the arch while you’re on the somewhat strenuous trail, which includes some steep sections of slickrock.  Because it’s out of view the whole way, it’s something of a treat to have it come into view as you round the final corner of the trail.  My tired kids found a burst of energy when they saw it and took off running to the other side of the “bowl” so they could walk underneath the arch.

It’s an absolutely stunning scene, with the La Sal Mountains in the background, and plunging cliffs on either side of the arch.  There are plenty of nooks and crannies along the cliffs above Delicate Arch where you can lay out a blanket and enjoy some snacks before heading back down.  It took us about three hours for the entire hike, so you’ll want to start it in the morning or early afternoon.  Of all the arches you see in the park, this is the one that you’ll remember best.

We stayed in nearby Moab, Utah, where there are plenty of inexpensive hotels to choose from.  If you’re looking for a great place to eat after a day of hiking, seek out some carbs at Pasta Jay’s, an Italian restaurant that made every member of my family happy.  Best Chicken Parmigiana I’ve ever had!

If you want to start visiting our incredible National Parks with your young kids, Arches is the perfect place to begin with them.  They’ll see and experience nature at its most weird and wonderful.

Winding trail through Park Avenue Canyon.

Arches National Park

Climbing near Double Arch

All photos by Phil Corless