Arches National Park, one of the most popular in Utah, offers more than just spans of stone archways. Within the park are sweeping views, colorful buttes, and breathtaking landscape that becomes ALIVE in the late afternoon sun.


There's just something about the red rocks of Utah and a bright wide blue sky. If you add in some of that gorgeous late afternoon sunlight and you've got something special. Luckily for visitors, the national park service has offered up a list of destinations best views in the morning as well as late afternoon. Always game to see things as recommended, we set out to view these Arches National Park stops to see how they fared with our own eyes.

They didn't disappoint!

Park Avenue can either be a quick stop at the overlook or one can hike about a mile down a trail a bit deeper to get a great look at the towering walls above you. Monoliths stretch out in front of you and one feels absolutely enveloped by nature.

The La Sal Mountains always lurk on the horizon. In our case, a storm loomed over them clouding the peaks and making for some seriously moody views. A viewpoint here provides excellent opportunities to view Three Gossips, Sheep Rock, The Organ, and the Courthouse Towers.

Further up the road, is the Courthouse Towers viewpoint. Here visitors get closer views of The Organ and previous monoliths and buttes.

The Petrified Dunes are just that - rock-hard sand dunes! This area was once an immense desert that eventually became covered by other sediments that compressed the sand into what one sees today.

Finally, Balanced Rock, one of the most iconic non-arch features of the park, stands at 128 feet tall. The balanced rock is comprised of Entrada Sandstone, while the lower portion is comprised of a different layer - the Dewey Bridge mudstone - that is slowly eroding away.


VIDEO FILMED: 07/25/2022

▬▬ L O C A T I O N I N F O ▬▬
⚪ ARCHES NATIONAL PARK - https://www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm
⚪ Directions to ARCHES NATIONAL PARK - https://goo.gl/maps/xX1XTo1Q3b1MgAWY9

▬▬ T I M E S T A M P S ▬▬
00:00 Park Avenue
04:48 Driving Towards the Storm
05:53 La Sal Mountains Viewpoint
07:31 Driving Further North
09:04 Courthouse Towers Viewpoint
10:48 So Many Views!
14:45 Petrified Dunes
15:39 Balanced Rock

▬▬ L I N K S ▬▬
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Welcome to the Cactus Atlas! We are Glenn and Amy and invite you to join us as we visit all sorts of locations across the American West. We tour both natural and man-made attractions.

Our base of operations is in the Phoenix, AZ area. We do a lot of hiking and day trips as well as campground reviews and hope that we will be a great resource if you are planning a trip to the American West. We also hope to delight you with our exciting adventures!