Created 2-Dec-10
Modified 2-Dec-10
Devils Garden (Arches National Park)
Day begins with light showers and Canyonlands Island in the sky was just that… right up in the clouds. My plan had been to spend the day there and possibly backcountry camp. What’s with this weather?? Summer of 2010 haunting me. Apparently the area received ten times the normal amount of rainfall this year so it wasn’t just Alberta that had a wet year. Down in Moab the info center suggested Arches as it is lower and at least wouldn’t be in cloud. I had that planned for later in the trip, oh well, so much for planning!
Arches is a ‘driving park’ in that most of the major features are easily accessible off the main roads at pullouts or spur roads. Devil’s Garden is at the end of the road and is about a half day hike. I didn’t expect to have any troubles with it, major attraction good trails etc. Shortly after Landscape Arch I’m expecting to see Wall Arch and this is where things went a bit sideways. I now know that Wall arch collapsed in August 2008 but it is still on the maps etc so I’m looking for it, missed a cairn and made a wrong turn on the slick-rock. I was following a narrow trail thinking there is no way the trail suddenly becomes this narrow… then finally as I descend between two fins it is clear I’m off trail. Fine, I figure I’ll pick up the back of the loop, work my way thru the back features and then loop around and redo the bit I missed. Somewhat annoyed with myself I follow a wash, pick up a trail and soon I’m back at Landscape Arch. Still confused that there is no Wall Arch (pile of rubble … I wonder…) now back on track.
Anyway, totally worthwhile loop taking in Partition Arch, Navajo Arch, Double O Arch and then out the spur trail to Dark Angel. Just off the beaten track near there my guidebook gives directions to some rock art on the cliffs below. They don’t promote them to reduce the impact of visitors. Completing the loop including Private Arch completed the visit and by the time I was done I was getting the hang of following the cairns thru the maze and climbing the sometimes quite steep (but sticky) sandstone ledges and pour-offs. One the final leg of the primitive trail it started to rain quite hard. I had a raincoat (unlike many other visitors) and it was very cool to see the sandstone formations suddenly turn into streams and waterfalls including the trails.
© Clayton Ditzler