The sun was at about the worst position in the sky for photographing this rock, but it was way too hot to hang around and wait for better lighting. Unfortunately our pictures just didn’t turn out. However, as you probably guessed, it was worth it Frankly, this made for a very miserable trek to the arch and back. That meant I wasn’t only feeling heat from the sun above, but also feeling heat radiate UP at me from the hot sand below. Not only was the sand difficult to walk on, requiring more energy, it was incredibly hot. Add to that the challenge of hiking on sand. We had already been hiking in extremely hot, cloudless, August, desert weather for most of the day so I was quite fatigued (and sunburned, despite wearing sunscreen). The hike is about 2 miles out and back and is considered easy, but I found this hike to be a challenge. To even view at a short distance, however, you need to use your legs. Now hikers can only view the arch from a short distance. Hikers used to be able to walk under Landscape Arch, but as this thin strip of rock continues to erode, slabs are falling from the span. This long, very thin arch measures around 300 ft wide and is shorter only to four arches in China. This arch, a natural geologic feature created mostly by various types of water erosion, is the longest arch in North America. This was Utah park #5 and my 52 Hike Challenge Hike #29 to Landscape Arch. Although it was kind of miserable, we managed to get a hike in at Arches National Park. We did it! We hit The Mighty 5 in our time in Utah! I know this isn’t an actual accomplishment but…it felt like one to me.

Landscape arch trail bottom