By Eilene Lyon
It’s been decades since I swore off of Arches National Park, though I drive through Moab regularly. Like Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and Yellowstone, it’s become one of those places being loved to death. Like “I want to go have a special wilderness experience…with 10,000 other people.” NOT.
Fortunately, the West is rich with public lands and scenic wonders not found in the National Parks. About six years ago, I picked up a brochure called “Aztec Arches: Gateway to Over 300 Sandstone Arches…and counting!” Aztec, New Mexico, is the nearest town to my home when driving south.
Last week I read that the Seniors Outdoors! club had someone leading a hike to some of the arches, so I quickly signed up. It does help to go with someone who’s been before. The accesses are via gas-well roads, and the hikes are not marked with any signage.
On Monday, I met the group of nine other hikers–all new to me, but a great bunch–at County Rd 2300 in San Juan County. From there we headed up Cox Canyon to visit several arches on a loop hike. We then drove to nearby Cedar Hill to visit the formations in Ditch Canyon. Here’s a reverse order tour:
This next image is from Arches National Park. It is the iconic Delicate Arch found on many Utah license plates.
Now compare that to Cox Arch:
Okay, 5 down, 295 to go!
Feature image: Cedar Hill Arch in Ditch Canyon (E. Lyon 2021)
Myricopia 
The grand parks are special, but yes – so many people. But yes – specialness is also found in many, many other public lands – especially in your west! Hope all is well.
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Thanks, Frank. Hope you are doing well, too. Getting ready to head to the beach?
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All is well. Beach time starts in a few months.
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Thankful you’ve got the energy to experience this!
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Yes, I’m quite glad I can get around so well.
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Been there in the 1970s. And yes, absolutely fantastic! No crowds back then because, I guess, everyone was working on their big hair and shoulder pads! Nic pics!
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I think once Edward Abbey’s books became popular, Arches NP really took off. There’s always a big line of cars going in.
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The stone formations out west are just amazing. There is nothing like it on the east coast. My first experience with them was at Kasha Katawe, and it moved me deeply walking among those stone cones. Thanks for sharing.
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I still need to get to Kasha Katawe and to Bandolier NP. I had thought this fall, but life had other plans.
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Life will do that…
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I would love to explore the “no crowds” arches! This is an area of the country I’ve never visited.
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Hiking around sandstone areas, known ironically as slickrock, is a real wonder. Endlessly fascinating to me. I hope you do find time to explore the southwest someday.
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I do, too! There is so much of this country I haven’t seen.
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Thanks for the photo tour. Amazing Eilene, and stunning
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There’s no end to great places to explore right in my backyard!
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I agree a lot of those parks are getting awfully crowded – we try to visit during quieter times. I couldn’t believe the crowd at Yellowstone when we went last year. A zoo! But it was still worth it, such a beautiful place. I love your pictures of the less-visited arches, especially Cox Arch!
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I never have figured out when those quieter times might be. I tried Yosemite in November – nope. Well, Yellowstone in winter is quiet, except for the snowmobiles we were driving! Glad you liked our New Mexican version of Arches.
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I think certain parks (like Yosemite) are never quiet because they’re so popular haha. We also went to Yosemite in November and that was a zoooooo.
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Then you do know what I mean!
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Looks like paradise!! I went to Arches a few years ago but we were there at sunrise every day and out before noon. We didn’t see very many people at all except at Delicate Arch where there were hoardes. However, the line to get in when we left each day was insane.
I live near the Hocking Hills State Park, another place being loved to death by sightseers. It’s perfectly miserable nearly all the time now and is becoming a place to avoid despite the convenience. I went after work last night and was shocked at how obnoxious and plentiful the people were that close to dusk. Sigh.
Anyway, thanks for taking us along on this trip! Looks fantastic!
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I camped at Hocking Hills in 2017. The hike I took from the campground was deserted, but the grotto area was indeed filled with noisy people, making it much less pleasant. Glad you found a way to see Arches without too much distraction.
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The more touristy areas in the park are literally just a line of noisy people walking through the woods on most days. The trail I hike for fitness isn’t especially interesting but it’s mostly quiet and I am grateful.
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Just being in the woods is good enough!
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Exactly!!
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Your pictures are stunning Eilene – up close and I feel like I am there. My boss went to Moab a few years ago and I’d really never heard about it before he took that trip and showed me photos, then seeing the photos in the Gabby Petito matter out West and oohing and aahing over the beauty and now yours … such a beautiful open and natural area where I hope it is never ruined by people. Thank you for sharing these photos and making us feel like we were there with you.
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We probably already have an unsustainable population out West, but there are plenty of places to find beauty and solitude. Glad you enjoyed the little arch tour.😊
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I did like it – I’ve not really been out West, though our family traveled Route 66 back in the mid-60s and we visited some sites when as we drove from Ontario to Oklahoma once and another time to California. I was too young to appreciate the trip at that time.
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Well then, Linda, maybe it’s time for a fresh road trip for you!
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I agree Eilene – it’s been way too many years. I did do a California coast tour back in 1980, but I’ve got a lot that I’d love to see, especially all the national parks.
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Once you start, you won’t want to stop.😊
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I meant to ask you – do people try to climb the arches, the stones yes, but the arches too. Would the stone hold up (hopefully) if people did that? I have a huge sandstone rock in my garden and notice that slowly it is disintegrating through the years.
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Our hike leader said he’d seen someone on Cox Arch, but that is definitely a no-no. Most people have more respect, although people have carved their graffiti in the sandstone, too.
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I would hope people wouldn’t try to deface or climb on such beautiful structures — it’s a shame if they have to put up signs and ruin the natural setting (not that it would necessarily help to thwart that happening).
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I prefer neither signs nor graffiti. Some people have no respect for anything not human (and sometimes not even other humans!)
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Sadly true – it sickens me. Even in the park where I walk every day, graffiti is everywhere, even sprayed on tree branches. And a life these days does not count for much in some people’s eyes and that’s very scary.
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I does make me wonder about their mental space.
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Agreed.
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I did not know about this place! Maybe someday I will visit. My family reunion is in Aztec, NM every couple of years so maybe I will check it out. I’ve never been to Arches National Park, either, and I would like to go there, too, even if there are a lot of people.
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Sounds like you will have the perfect opportunity to explore! Have fun.
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It’s amazing as to how many treasures exist under the radar as people gravitate to the IG friendly spots for their fix. Not surprised you went off the beaten path.
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My life is all about getting off the beaten path.😊
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Good on ya, 🙂
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😊
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Fascinating. I love your photos and admire your spunk to join a group and go hiking. I didn’t know about Delicate Arch and it’s connection to Utah’s license plates. Now I’ll be on the lookout for an Utah plate… just to verify it in the wild so to speak.
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Have fun license-plate hunting! It is good for me to get out hiking with others. I tend to just take the dog and go, but sharing the experience with people is satisfying in a different way.
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Brilliant photos, Eilene I enjoyed my virtual wander around those sandstone arches. Good on you for heading out with the hiking group. I would’ve done the same given the chance. Though we have nothing like the scale of that here in NZ. In a small town called Oamaru there’s sandstone buildings and tourism is built around that and Steampunk.
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I guess I don’t associate sandstone with NZ landscape. I understand there are some awesome long hikes there, though. My cousin has been on one.
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Plenty of tramping (hiking) paths here in NZ. The best ones are where the locals go 😁 I haven’t tramped for a few years though will do so next year once Les is much better.
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If I ever head that way, I’ll press you to reveal the secrets.😉
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Not a problem 🙂
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Wow, so much to see, such little crowd – perfect! Are the other 295 arches accessible?
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The brochure has directions to some, but I have no idea where they all are located. It would be fun to look for them, though!
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I like so much these arches. The nature has amazing thins to offer to us …
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It does, indeed, in so many varied ways. Thanks for stopping in and commenting.🙂
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Moab is a favorite with my family, both for the surrounding area and the quirky “semi-wild” aspect of the town (as wild as Utah allows, anyway). Your photos are lovely and bring back some happy memories. 🙂
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The sandstone is so characteristic of the Southwest. Doesn’t really matter where it is, it’s always like being on a different world. Moab has gotten so crowded anymore, though. Room rates are astronomical and camp sites non-existent.
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Duopus made me laugh. Personally, I can take or leave rock formations, but I strongly feel this would be Marcus’s kind of place.
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When the hike leader said The Octopus had lost a leg, I countered that it would have to be a septapus. Then he admitted it only had three to begin with!
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Oh wow, Eilene. This is so cool as we went last November there and even joked once we crossed Corona Arch that the Corona virus originated right there. To tell you the truth I thought I was on Mars, instead of Moab 🙂 but happy to visit it.
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Moab is really a beautiful place. There much more like that in the southwest, which is why I highlighted these New Mexico arches.
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Those are very cool! Would love to see them one day…if we ever travel again…
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Road trips are pretty safe…😊
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