This involved lots of Class 2-3 scrambling and is the most difficult portion of the loop. Shadows At Private ArchДЄfter returning from Private Arch, we began working our way through Fin Canyon-named for the hundreds of narrow sandstone fins. The final notable feature on our loop was Private Arch, a large window reached by a crude spur trail. Eileen & Brooke Hiking Toward Dark Angel Dark Angel In Devils Garden This pinnacle has the appearance of a standing angel with folded wings and is visible from many areas within the park.

Next, a ВЅ-mile-long spur trail took us out to Dark Angel, a jaw-dropping pinnacle of dark, oxide-stained sandstone. In another mile, we came to the crowd-pleasing Double вЂњOвЂќ Arch, which comprises a medium-size arch window over a smaller porthole. Partition Arch In Devils Garden Navajo Arch In Devils Garden Two separate spur trails led us uphill for a hands-on look at Partition Arch and Navajo Arch. Whaleback Point & Titanic Rock In Devils Garden Brooke & Eileen On Whaleback Point An adjacent buttress here resembles the prow of a sinking Titanic. Brooke & Eileen At Tunnel Arch Viewpoint Eileen At Pine Tree Arch Landscape Arch & Fallen RocksД«eyond Landscape Arch, the trail becomes more primitive and crosses over a sandstone whaleback.

The latter formation is particularly famous for being incomprehensibly slender and-with a span of 290 feet-the fifth longest natural arch in the world.

In the first mile of manicured trail, we ogled three arches: Tunnel Arch, Pine Tree Arch, and Landscape Arch. Devils Garden Trailhead MapД®ileen, Brooke, and I completed the loop in a clockwise direction on a cool, partly cloudy day. The total 8-mile trek dishes up seven remarkable arches, one stunning pinnacle, and a host of other impressive sandstone formations. The basic loop has the shape of a lollipop and covers a distance of about 5 miles along the way, there are several out-and-back spur trails that add another 3 miles. The signature hike in Arches National Park is the DevilвЂ™s Garden Loop, an established route that combines wide, manicured trail segments, primitive bootpath segments, and marked scrambling segments.

Dark angel arches