ARCHES PARK Around 8 kilometres north of the small town of Moab in the State of Utah, is the entrance to one of the most famous national parks in the United States, Arches Park, a national park that owes its remarkable pop... more »ularity to its gigantic sandstone arches of which there are approximately 2000. Covering 300 square kilometres, the park is relatively small but it is one of the USA's most popular nature reservations. From Courthouse Towers with its outstanding rock formations there's a 38 kilometre panoramic route known as Scenic Drive that takes in the rocky sand dunes of Petrified Dunes which are evidence that the park owes much of its geological phenomena to its famous stone arches. Balanced Rock is one of the park's main attractions. Weighing around 3,600 tons, the sandstone rock balances precipitously at a height of 22 metres supported on a fragile looking foundation. Close to Cache Valley is the massive, isolated stone structure of Delicate Arch. Although it appears to be fragile it has been proudly standing close to the nearby valley since prehistoric times. The Devil's Garden Trailhead leads to a large collection of the most beautiful stone arches. With the passage of time, ice forced apart the softer layers of stone and countless years of relentless erosion created these natural arches along with all the other bizarre rock formations of the plateau. Created by the two elements of water and air that have cut deep into the sandstone, Tunnel Arch is the first arch that can be seen when walking through "Devil's Garden". This natural stone arch is so smooth that it could easily be compared with a modern Man-made tunnel. A few metres away there's another small opening in the rock wall, Tunnel Arch, where the surrounding vegetation creates a romantic 'Wild West' atmosphere. In this incredible land of sandstone arches, the fascinating rock formations and unique beauty of Arches Park is surely one of the most spectacular sights in the natural world.« less
