In Utah, near the city of Moab, there is a national park named after the arches - Arches National Park. Here is the fifth longest natural arch in the world - that is, a stone bridge created by nature itself.
It would seem that only the fifth - but the first four are in China and have a slightly different nature. The largest arch in the world, for example - "Fairy Bridge" - is cut by the Buliu River through a limestone mountain. But it is believed that nothing threatens the Chinese giant arches, but the arches in Utah are gradually collapsing - over the past 50 years, more than such 40 arches have collapsed. So tourists try to catch a glimpse of what may soon become history.
Fairy Bridge.
And in any case, this "Landscape Arch" (it is also called - Landscape Arch), 290 feet long, that is, a little more than 88 meters, is the largest on the American continent and, in general, is considered a world attraction. Like the entire Arches National Park, which contains only about 2 thousand of these arches. The park itself occupies about 310 square kilometers and is very loved by tourists - but the whole park, of course, is difficult to walk at a time.
Arches National Park - rocks, rocks, rocks …
The park administration publishes special guidebooks describing the main places to visit. In the first place is usually the so-called "Delicate Arch", which in a sense is even a symbol of the state of Utah. It is also called "Cowboy Pants" or "Pantaloons of the Old Maid" - such are the associations that the shape of this geological monument evokes in Americans.
Delicate Arch.
But the record-holder arch is located in the Devils Garden - this place is considered the main one for viewing. Here you can see arches, spiers and a large accumulation of narrow stones called “fins.” These “fins,” like arches, are the result of erosion, which is formed when rainwater erodes rocks vertically from bottom to top.
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Fins.
By the way, not only “Fins” and arches are bright local “monuments”. One of the places included in all the guidebooks is the so-called Balanced Rock. This "sculpture" is 39 meters high! Previously, another "brother" of this stone stood nearby, a little smaller - but in the winter of 1976 it collapsed. This place itself is located not far from the center of the park, and most importantly, it is a good vantage point, so people often climb here as an observation deck.
Balanced Rock - before 1976 and after.
Landscape Arch itself is the most accessible here. But it can be the first to collapse. You can already see how thin it has become - and the stones under it show how sad the process is. In 1991, a huge piece of about 20 square meters fell down under the arch where the trail ran. In 1995, several smaller pieces fell - about 10 meters. As a result, the trail was closed for passage and the arch can only be observed from the side.
Landscape Arch.
Here - although getting to it is already more difficult - is the so-called Double O Arch. This is not one, but two arches at once, moreover, both of them have a rounded shape, reminiscent of the letter O, hence such a literal name. In the photo of tourists, it is often the upper, large arch that is presented, but at the bottom there is another, smaller one.
Double O Arch.
Only at Devils Garden can you spend an entire day exploring the arches and cliffs, as well as capturing the beautiful views from above. True, to walk in the Arok Park, you need good physical fitness, since you constantly have to go up and down - the terrain here obviously cannot be called even, although the park administration has clearly made some efforts to make tourists comfortable.