Moab Utah – National Parks Blog

April 9, 2012April 6, 2012

Pine Tree Arch Devils Garden Arches National Park

Pine Tree Arch is an arch at the end of a side trail off the Devils Garden trail at Arches National Park. This side trail leads to both Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch. Pine Tree Arch is to the left where the side trail splits, and is around a bend so can’t be readily seen. It’s a relatively short and level walk to the arch from the split (the somewhat steep hill comes before the split) so it’s definitely worth going to if you have already made it to Tunnel Arch.

As would be expected, Pine Tree Arch has a pine tree in the middle of the arch as well as in various places around it. It’s a much larger arch than Tunnel Arch and you can walk under and through it unlike at Tunnel Arch:

pine tree arch devils garden Arches National Park

While it really doesn’t make sense not to visit both arches once you have visited one since they are so close together, I happen to think that Pine Tree Arch is the nicer of the two. Because of its size and location to the trail, it gives an opportunity for a wider variety of photos.

April 6, 2012April 6, 2012

Tunnel Arch Devils Garden Arches National Park

The Devils Garden trail at Arches National Park is a wonderful hike that is well worth taking. It can be made into a number of different hiking levels depending on how far you want to hike, and has a number of opportunities to wander off the main trail to see various named arches. The first of these side trails leads to Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch. When the side trail splits, it’s a right to Tunnel Arch or a left to Pine Tree Arch. Most people choose to go right first since Tunnel Arch can be seen from the trail at the split:

Since it’s a short hike off the main Devils Garden trail, it’s worthwhile to make the trip to both Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch. If, however, you are really pressed for time, these two arches aren’t quite as spectacular as several others on the trail that you certainly won’t want to miss. The viewing spot for Tunnel Arch also usually supports a crowd of people since it is the first arch on the trail and easily accessible for most (there is one slightly steep hill to reach it), so it can get overly full at times.

June 10, 2011October 26, 2014

The Arches of Arches National Park

Although I have been to a lot of National Parks in the west, one that I have not yet been to is Arches National Park. Hopefully that will no longer be the case by the end of this year. I am planning a trip this September that should allow me to spend a few days there, and while I was doing a bit of research on it, I came across this video showing many of the arches and landmarks to be seen there:

For anyone still not convinced that Arches National Park is worth a visit, take a look at this absolutely stunning set of Arches photos taken by james.gordon6108. Here is just one of them to wet your appetite:

I can’t even tell you how excited I am to see this National Park.