Delicate Arch Viewpoint: the viewpoint and the ridge Photo Gallery by Dave Beedon at pbase.com

Delicate Arch Viewpoint: the viewpoint and the ridge | Delicate Arch Viewpoint: Off-Trail Hike | Delicate Arch Viewpoint: Circumnavigation

Delicate Arch Viewpoint: the viewpoint and the ridge

It is not enough for me to visit an official viewpoint: I must go farther. The more views, the better.
At the Delicate Arch Viewpoint I felt this way and was rewarded with amazing views that
most visitors never see. That's their loss. My guess is that most visitors to the
viewpoint hike to the end of the trail, see the arch, and return to the parking lot.

The official trail to the viewpoint ends near the amphitheater's precipice, but for this
topography nut, that is just the start of viewing possibilities. An easy walk up the
gently-tilted slab of the viewpoint yields better and better views as walk progresses.
It also gets the hiker away from the people at the viewpoint. This gallery covers the
trail hike and an exploration to the top of the tilted "slab."

The greatest thrill of this hike was seeing the amphitheater that lies
between the viewpoint and Delicate Arch. That fascinating terrain called
to me and in 2006 I explored it during a circumnavigation of Delicate Arch.

The viewpoint is at the center of this WikiMapia aerial view.

.

Parking lot at trailhead of Delicate Arch Viewpoint	Interpretive viewing area at the start of trail to Delicate Arch Viewpoint	Trail to Delicate Arch Viewpoint	Attractive trail steps made with local materials	Looking down at the trail
View from the viewpoint	People descending from the upper precipice	Precipice formation	Arch view from the dirt road	People near and far
Coming and going	Overview: tower	Overview: amphitheater	Panorama #2: powerful tower (but not Tower of Power)	Detail #3: base of tower
The top of the ridge calls to me...	High point of the hike	As far as one can go atop the ridge	Park road in the distance	Local valley color
Highest view of Delicate Arch	Descending the "valley" to the pebbly bowl	Holy sandstone, Batman!	Pebbly bowl	Winter Camp Wash amphitheater
Winter Camp Wash panorama	20081015_1583...Starry Delicate Arch calls to me (what else is new?)	20091017_0961...Contorted sandstone east of Delicate Arch Viewpoint	20091017_0160...My backpack "leaked"

comment |

exzim		20-Oct-2009 20:22
Another superb gallery Dave, as they always are when you trip to Moab.

longbachnguyen		14-Feb-2009 06:51
Dave As usual you have a way to tell a story through your pictures...It's wonderful to travel with you and your lovely sense of humor to the story. keep it up.

Dave Beedon		01-Jul-2006 23:03
Lee, the temperature was in the high 90s. When I returned to the car in late afternoon, the thermometer in my car said 116 F. Outside the car it was 100 F. Even though the humidity was very low, the heat was oppressive. Maybe that's why so few people walked to the top of the tilted slab. My April trip this year was much more comfortable in that regard: temperatures in the 70s and 80s.

LeeG		01-Jul-2006 17:14
Now thats a visual I'm glad I missed dan dunn. Great pics, how hot was it? Looks like you had lots o people on some of those trails.

dan dunn		01-Jul-2006 07:20
An excellent visual diary! (I've been close in my shots:, visual diahrea)

1moremile		01-Jul-2006 00:44
Nice entertaining gallery.

click on thumbnails for full image