Читать книгу 50 Best Short Hikes in Utah's National Parks - Greg Witt - Страница 25

5 Delicate Arch

Trailhead Location: Wolfe Ranch parking area in the heart of the park

Trail Use: Walking, hiking

Distance & Configuration: 3.0-mile out-and-back

Elevation Range: 4,307' at the Delicate Arch parking area to 4,841’ at Delicate Arch

Facilities: Pit toilets at trailhead; no water

Highlights: The most iconic natural arch in the world

DESCRIPTION

If you have just one day in Arches National Park and time to hike just one trail, then a pilgrimage to Delicate Arch, the landmark symbol for Utah and the desert Southwest, is the must-do hike in the park. You’ll cross a desert wash, ascend an impressive span of slickrock, and enjoy commanding views along the way. But none of that can prepare you for the surprise that awaits you at the end of the trail as this freestanding geologic masterpiece suddenly appears in majestic splendor.

Delicate Arch with a dusting of snow

But don’t go unprepared—the shadeless route can be especially draining in the summer sun. Take at least a half-gallon of water per person, and allow ample time to enjoy the arch and return to the trailhead parking area before nightfall. Because this hike is especially popular in the late afternoon, you’ll want to check and see when the sun sets, so you can make it back safely. And because there’s no water at the trailhead, you’d be wise to fill a few jugs at the visitor center on your way into the park.

ROUTE

As you depart the trailhead parking area on a wide, groomed path heading south, the first attraction is Wolfe Ranch, on your left. The weathered timbers of the old cabin are still sturdy and stand as a tribute to the tenacity and a reminder of the hardship of those who scratched out an existence in this harsh desert climate. Wolfe Ranch, settled in 1888 and abandoned in 1910, was the only homestead ever established in what is now Arches National Park. As you cross a sturdy metal bridge over Salt Wash, which at this point is a perennial alkaline trickle near the cabin, you’ll wonder how or why anyone would have chosen a life in this remote outpost.

Crossing a stretch of greasewood desert, you’ll see a short spur trail on the left heading over to American Indian petroglyphs. These are relatively modern, about 200 years old, compared to the much older Fremont and ancestral Puebloan rock art in other national parks in Utah. The presence of riders on horseback in these petroglyphs easily identifies them as Ute; it wasn’t until contact with Spanish explorers in the late 18th century that Utah tribes acquired horses.

At 0.2 mile from the trailhead, your first major elevation gain begins with two switchbacks. The path brings you to the crest of a mound before dropping into a swale. In front of you is a band of Navajo Sandstone cliffs, as well as some arches in the making.

At the top of the steps you begin the longest ascending stretch of the hike across a steeply graded barren slickrock face. It’s a straightforward ascent, and you’ll certainly have company on the trail, so the lack of cairns shouldn’t be a concern.

Reaching the top of the slickrock incline at 1.1 miles from the trailhead, the trail bends to the left and enters a maze of fins, where the trail is marked by cairns and caped by junipers.

Emerging from the fin maze, the trail opens up a bit, but you must still follow the cairns. Note the sweeping lines of the bowl to your left, where the walls are pockmarked by erosion. The trail continues on and veers to the right.

Your final approach to Delicate Arch takes you onto a catwalk ledge with some steep drop-offs on the left. It’s safe and comfortable hiking on a bed of solid sandstone, but be sure to keep young children close at hand.

Instantly, at the end of the ledge trail and exactly 1.5 miles from the trailhead, the wall to your right drops and Delicate Arch comes into full view. It’s easy to spend an hour or more at the arch, which invites both contemplation and photographs. Although most people sit across the bowl from the arch and enjoy it at a distance, you’re certainly free to walk over to and directly under the arch and take photos from any angle you wish.

As you return the way you came, you can take the spur to the right and visit the petroglyphs. This short spur adds just a few minutes and less than 0.1 mile to your return.

TO THE TRAILHEAD

GPS Coordinates: N38º 44.140' W109º 35.230'

From the Arches National Park entrance station, drive 11.7 miles on Arches Scenic Drive to Wolfe Ranch–Delicate Arch Viewpoint Road. Turn right and drive 1.2 miles to the parking area on the left.

WOLFE RANCH

In 1888 John Wesley Wolfe, still nursing a leg injury from the Civil War, left Ohio in search of a drier climate that might provide some relief from his chronic pain. The desert of southeastern Utah seemed like a good choice. With his oldest son, Fred, he picked 100-plus acres along Salt Wash, where he would have a perennial, though limited, supply of water and grassland for a few cattle. They built a one-room cabin and corral, along with a small dam on Salt Wash. They lived alone at Wolfe Ranch for more than a decade. In 1906 John’s daughter Flora, along with her husband and children, moved to the ranch. Shocked at the primitive living conditions, Flora and her family constructed the cabin with a wood floor that you see today—an upgrade from the previous dirt floor. The family moved to Moab in 1908, selling the ranch in 1910. John returned to Ohio and died in 1913 at the age of 84.