Information
Landmark: Landscape ArchCity: Moab
Country: USA Utah
Continent: North America
Landscape Arch, Moab, USA Utah, North America
Overview
In the Devils Garden of Arches National Park near Moab, Utah, Landscape Arch stretches impossibly thin across the sky, making it one of the Southwest’s most remarkable rock formations.The span is impossibly slender, sweeping across the desert sky with a quiet elegance, like a silver thread glinting in the sun, yet it somehow carries its immense weight with ease.Stretching 306 feet (93 meters) from end to end, it towers as the longest natural arch in North America and ranks among the longest anywhere on Earth.Deep in the Devils Garden, the arch rises among red sandstone fins, narrow ridges, and tufts of dry desert grass, a place that’s at once rugged and peaceful.The trail twists through soft sand, past low junipers whispering in the breeze, and then opens into a broad natural amphitheater where Landscape Arch stretches across the sky.That first sight of its delicate curve catches visitors off guard-it looks almost too slender to hold, stretched like a silver ribbon between the cliffs.At dawn, a cool blue light slips across the arch, sharpening its slender outline; by sunset, its edges burn in fiery orange and crimson, framed by the deep, charcoal shadows below.Most of the time, the place is silent, broken only by the soft hiss of wind through the desert and the crisp crunch of sand beneath your shoes, a quiet that feels almost like breathing.Carved from warm, rust-colored Entrada Sandstone, the arch took shape over millions of years as wind, rain, and shifting temperatures wore away the softer rock beneath a tougher layer.It stretches 306 feet across and rises 77 feet high, yet in the middle, it’s barely 11 feet thick-thin enough to make its fragility almost startling.In the early ’90s, several massive rock slabs broke loose from the underside of the arch, altering its shape and forcing officials to close the trail beneath it for safety, where dust still hung in the air after the fall.Even with these changes, the arch still stands, its rough sandstone warm under the sun, though geologists say it’s unstable.The trail winds past rugged sandstone fins and spires, with arches like Pine Tree, Tunnel, and Partition rising against the sky along the way.The hike to Landscape Arch is among the most beloved in Arches National Park, winding about 1.6 miles round-trip from the Devils Garden Trailhead past red sandstone fins and open desert sky.It’s an easy-to-moderate trek over sandy, uneven ground, with barely any climb-just the crunch of grit under your boots.You’ll wind between towering stone fins and patches of dry, sage-scented desert before the trail opens into a wide natural amphitheater, where Landscape Arch stretches gracefully across the sky.Keep going if you’re feeling bold-longer paths wind toward Double O Arch, pass under the cool shade of Navajo Arch, and eventually join the rugged Primitive Loop Trail.The best times to go are sunrise, when the sky glows soft gold, and late afternoon, when the light turns warm and rich; cooler days in spring and autumn make the hikes easy and pleasant.Standing before Landscape Arch, you can’t help feeling both wonder and a flicker of unease-the immense span of sandstone seems poised to fall with the next gust, yet it’s held its place for thousands of years.The arch is so impossibly thin it seems to float, like a blade of stone against the sky, and visitors often call it a miracle of balance and endurance.From its safe perch, the viewing area gives you a clear shot for photos and a calm spot to pause, with the wind carrying the scent of pine.Visitors often pause, quiet and still, as the arch glows warmer under the late-afternoon sun.On quiet evenings, the desert air drops to a crisp chill while the sandstone holds a soft, lingering heat, wrapping the whole place in a serene, almost eternal hush.Around the arch, yucca spikes, blackbrush shrubs, Indian ricegrass, and sturdy pinyon pines thrive, each built to withstand the dry bite of sandy desert soil.Now and then, a lizard darts across a sun-warmed rock, a raven glides overhead, or a desert cottontail hops through the scrub, breaking the desert’s quiet stillness.Come spring, yellow wildflowers and bursts of purple penstemon light up the trail, their colors sharp against the warm red rock.Facilities and accessibility are located in the Devils Garden area, about 18 miles north of the Arches National Park entrance, where red rock spires rise against the sky.At the trailhead, you’ll find a wide paved lot, clean restrooms, a few shady picnic tables, and signs that share the area’s story.Accessibility: The sandy ground makes it tough for wheelchairs, but the main trail’s clearly marked and manageable for most people with moderate fitness, even under the warm midday sun.For your safety, don’t walk under the arch-falling rocks can strike without warning.Stick to the marked trails instead.Landscape Arch leaves you awestruck-an unlikely sweep of stone, slender as a ribbon, yet holding itself in perfect, fragile balance.Long and impossibly thin, it looks like it shouldn’t stand at all, yet it endures-a quiet monument shaped by years of wind and the slow scrape of sand.Seeing this arch isn’t about chasing thrills-it’s about pausing, tilting your head back, and letting the sight of its fragile curve, glowing against the harsh stretch of desert, sink in.