After 2 weeks in Colorado, we left Grand Junction on a short drive to our next destination, Arches National Park. It was 131 miles (211 km), mostly on Interstate 70, though the actual straight line distance was 60 miles (96.5 km).
As we traveled west in Colorado several days earlier, the landscape had gradually changed from high mountain forest and tundra to high desert country, with quite a bit of farming in the Grand Valley of the Colorado River (once called the Grand River). Driving west into Utah, the landscape became more and more desolate with a stark and fascinating beauty.
This was our third visit to Arches National Park. The previous two were brief, but this time we had three nights reserved in the park at Devils Garden Campground.
Arches National Park is in eastern Utah. It has over 2000 natural sandstone arches and many other interesting geological formations, such as spires, balanced rocks and sandstone fins. It was designated a national monument in 1929 and became a national park in 1970.
Selected Information Resources:
Arches National Park.
