Explore Arches National Park

Land of Arches and Balanced Rocks

Arches National Park, located in southern Utah near the town of Moab, is home to the world's greatest concentration of natural arches, including the famous Delicate Arch that was seen all over the world during the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. The extraordinary features of the park, including balanced rocks, fins and pinnacles, are highlighted by a striking environment of contrasting colors, landforms and textures.

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History

In 1923 Alexander Ringhoffer, a prospector, wrote to Rio Grande Western Railroad in an effort to publicize the area and gain support for creating a national park. Ringhoffer led railroad executives interested in attracting more rail passengers into the formations; they were impressed, and the campaign began. President Herbert Hoover signed legislation creating Arches National Monument in 1929 in order to protect the arches, spires, balanced rocks, and other sandstone formations. Recognizing more than 10,000 years of cultural history that flourished in this now-famous landscape of sandstone arches and canyons, Congress upgraded the status of Arches to a National Park in 1971.

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Landscape

The most outstanding natural features of Arches are the park's geologic formations. More than 2,000 catalogued arches range in size from a three-foot opening (the minimum considered to be an arch), to Landscape Arch which measures 306 feet from base to base. Towering spires, fins and balanced rocks complement the arches, creating a remarkable assortment of landforms in a relatively small area.

Two unusual natural features common in Arches intrigue both scientists and visitors: cryptobiotic soil and potholes. Cryptobiotic soil is a living groundcover that forms the foundation of high desert plant life.

Potholes are naturally occurring basins or pools in sandstone that collect rainwater and wind-blown sediment. These potholes harbor organisms that are able to survive long periods of dehydration, and also serve as a breeding ground for many desert amphibians and insects. Both of these communities are very vulnerable to human impacts.

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Arches N P Video

Videographers's notes: "Our first Utah adventure was to visit Arches National Park. Arches has more sandstone formations than any other place in the world. The colors of the rocks contrasted against the vegetation and the blue sky is a sight to be seen. The topography is truly breathtaking and in all my travels I have never seen anything that compares to the uniqueness of this park.

Taking advantage of the day we hiked through the Devils Garden, a trail that passes several of Arches' more notable rock formations."

Video Courtesy YouTube.com

Flora and fauna

The plants and animals in Arches have many adaptations that enable them to survive the climatic extremes. Some species are found only in this area. The diversity of organisms reflects the variety of available habitat, which includes lush riparian areas, ephemeral pools, dry arroyos, mixed grasslands and large expanses of bare rock. Read more about Arches wildlife here.

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Climate

Arches is located in a "high desert," with elevations ranging from 4,085 to 5,653 feet above sea level. The climate is one of very hot summers, cold winters and very little rainfall. Even on a daily basis, temperatures may fluctuate as much as 50 degrees. See our Arches weather page for climate history, current conditions, forecasts, satellite and radar links.

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