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Arches National Park is of course famous for the red arches of Entrada
sandstone that occur there in great profusion, and the visitor centre sells
a map showing the location of over 1,000, ranging in size from Landscape
Arch with an 89 metre span to small cavities 3 feet across, which is the
minimum dimension for an opening to be officially classified as an arch.
But there are also many other striking rock formations scattered over the
park's 73,000 scenic acres, and to see the whole area would take several
days. As with most other low lying regions in south Utah, temperatures in
Arches National Park may reach 110°F which restricts hiking activities,
although summer brings frequent cooling afternoon thunderstorms. The winter
weather is not too extreme, and any snowfall is usually quite light.
This vivid impression of the rugged, majestic Colorado Plateau by Ward Roylance,
who lived in and wrote about the area for most of his life, characterizes
a vast wilderness region of the western United States. The national parks
of the Colorado Plateau make up an immense area of land bordered on the
south by the Sonoran Desert and Painted Desert, on the west by the Great
Basin of Nevada, on the east by the Rocky Mountains, and on the north by
the Uinta Mountains of Utah.
A journey of approximately 900 miles allows you to visit what is called
the Grand Circle: the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon,
Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands national parks. Although originating
from essentially the same geologic raw materials and shaped by the same
forces of erosion, all are unique and magnificent in their own way.
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