Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch is a free-standing sandstone arch about 16 metres (52 feet) high, standing alone on the rim of a slickrock bowl in Arches National Park in eastern Utah. It is the most recognized landmark of the park and of the state: it appears on Utah licence plates and on the stamp issued for the centenary of Utah's statehood. What makes it unforgettable is its setting. There is no canyon wall behind it, only open air, the bowl dropping away below, and the desert stretching to the horizon.

Like the other arches of the park, it is carved from Entrada Sandstone. A narrow fin of rock was worn down by weathering and erosion until only a slender span remained on two tapering legs. Local cowboys, noting its shape, called it the Chaps or the Schoolmarm's Bloomers; the present name was given by Frank Beckwith, who led a scientific expedition into the area in the winter of 1933–1934. The arch was not part of the original Arches National Monument of 1929 and was only included when the boundaries were extended in 1938.

Its fragility has shaped how it is treated. In the 1950s the Park Service considered coating it in clear plastic to slow erosion, and rejected the idea. After a high-profile free-solo ascent in 2006, climbing on any named arch in the park was banned. In summer, white-throated swifts nest near its top.

The approach is part of the experience. The trail climbs steadily across open slickrock, then follows a narrow ledge for the last couple of hundred metres before the arch appears suddenly at its end. Sunset, when the low light warms the sandstone, is the classic time to arrive.

Getting there

The entrance to Arches National Park is about 8 km (5 miles) north of Moab on US 191. The Delicate Arch trailhead at Wolfe Ranch is about 21 km (13.2 miles) inside the park; the trail is 4.8 km (3 miles) round trip with about 146 m of climb. The nearest airport is Canyonlands Regional (CNY), about 22 km from the arch; Grand Junction, the nearest larger city, is about 90 km away by straight line.