Arches National Park is a small park (especially in comparison to Canyonlands across the highway) that protects the highest concentration of natural arches in the world, some 2000 or so. Located atop a 300 million year old salt bed, the area was distorted by the depositing of ancient sediments, creating dramatic salt dome uplifts of the resultant sandstone. Erosion of these uplifts led to the creation of sandstone fins, which in turn gradually collapse from its weakest areas, eventually forming otherworldly formations including arches. The park has many dramatic natural arch formations, including 93m long Landscape Arch- the 5th longest in the world but only 5.5m thick at its narrowest- and Double Arch where two arches share an end. Most famous however is Delicate Arch.

A symbol of Arches National Park, Utah, and the American West in general, Delicate Arch is a dramatic 16m arch of Entrada Sandstone freestanding over a large circular panhole at the edge of a cliff. It is accessible by way of a 2.4km one way hike up exposed sandstone. The route is extremely popular, and the morning I visited there was a long line of people waiting around the panhole for their turn to get up to the rock. Still, hiding from the 35C sun under a small shadying overhang of sandstone while sitting along the natural ampitheater, I found the location to be absolutely majestic and beautiful.

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Lord Huron - Ends of the Earth

From  TheRoguez!