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| Tower Arch Looking from INSIDE OUT. |
Tower Arch
Arches National Park, Utah in 360 Degrees
Nature has a wonderful power of boosting your positive feel goods in your body especially when there is an awe moment of feeling wonder and amazement of how this cool formation was possibly created. So grab your VR Headset, and join me for a moment of awe and wonder to boost your feel goods at Tower Arch in Arches National Park.
The first time I went to Tower Arch, it was early in the morning and the wind had swept away most traces of the trail in many places. I was grateful for my hiking Tools @Gaia that helped me quickly get back on the trail.
The second time I went to Tower Arch, the trail was so well traveled that It felt much easier, and I was grateful for people who blazed the trail before me to make my path so much simpler.
Similarly, I am grateful in life for the Tools of uplifting talks, podcasts, and books by people whose works in life inspire me to be a better, kinder, more loving person. I am also grateful for people that are great examples to me that their works inspire me to rise to be the best version of myself.
In the tower arch area, I had one source describe the land formations being formed by the fault rotating the layers of rock 90 degrees and the fins are the layers of the earth. I had another source describe the process as the earth's sandstone has been squished together like a rug being bunched together into lots of wrinkles or bumps, and then through erosion has created lots of fin shaped rocks where this amazing arch was created. This area has had much pressure and chipping away by erosion to make the gorgeous area it is now. This can be just like us. If we use the pressure and problems and maybe even falling down as opportunities to let the man above mold us, He will help us become just as beautiful as this amazing area.
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| Panorama of Tower Arch |
YouTubeVR VR360 Version
To be transported here, just grab a VR Headset, and you can join me here virtually using the video below.
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| Hubby Hero Shot! :) |
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| Fun Slot like Canyon in front of Arch |
I am not quite sure if Tower Arch got its name from the awesome Egyptian Pyramid like tower you can view from inside the arch looking out, or the grand tower that stands tall on the top of Tower Arch (below) , or if it is just from grand size (92' x 42' x 50'), but whatever the case maybe it is an arch that is definitely worth checking out. The hike is such a beautiful journey, but one that constantly keeps you on your toes for it requires vigilance in keeping track of Cairns even though you are distracted with the amazing scenery so you can stay on the trail. It is not in the main section of Arches, so it is less traveled. It is only 5.2 miles and 100 feet elevation gain, but you do go up and down often enough that it feels like a little more.
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| Front View of Tower Arch |
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| Side View of Tower Arch |
Vigilance Needed to Stay on Path
The hike is only difficult in that you really have to watch for the Cairns, especially at the very first. There are trails that people have made that are not following the path, and you think you are safe, but you are definitely not. If you haven’t seen a Cairn in 10 feet, backup, and get your eye on the next Cairn before going any further. This reminds me of a wonderful comment made in a book called “I Dared To Call Him Father”. She talked about her determination to make sure she was following God’s path for her and trying to keep his spirit with her. She said that when she read from the scriptures and tried to connect to God she felt direction, but when mean thoughts or anger were crowding her brain, she knew she has lost the spirit and the clear directions was gone. However as soon as she realigned herself with prayer, the word of God, and Love, she could feel she was back on the correct path for her life and the direction she should go became clear again. What a great challenge to live life with constant focus of trying to feel the spirit for direction in our life with the same intense vigilance I put into locating those Cairns. I think BOTH are critical to help me stay safe and to help me make it to my final destination. |
| Another arch on the right side of Tower Arch |
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| Tiny Planet Image under Arch |
In hiking, I find that my external GPS, and Gaia GPS app are an extremely powerful combo tools to get me back on the path. If I notice I am not seeing a Cairn and can’t see one close by, I just pull up this awesome app with my external GPS connected, and it will show me where I am at, and where the trail is. I find I can be back on the correct path in a jiffy. I wish it was so easy in life! If you don’t have these tools in your backpack, you should definitely get them in there now! I have owed both the above GPS units and they both are great. Of course, it doesn’t work as well if you don’t plan ahead and download the map ahead of time, but on this trail, I lost the Cairns twice, and this combo had me back on the correct trail fast.
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| Tower Arch from Side |
AMP Web Story for Tower Arch
AMP Web Story for VR Nature Vacation to Tower Arch
AMP Web Story for VR 360 Tower Arch
360 Degree Street View trail to Arch.
Crossing a Fin at the End of the Hike just before reaching Tower Arch.
Just before you get to the Arch there is this cool section of the hike where you get to cross over on one of the rock fins. They are so unique, for you are high in the air, and it drops off on both sides.
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| Walking the Fin to Tower Arch! |
Video at the End of the Fin and right before Tower Arch
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| A Steep Tricky Section of the Trail. It wasn't as scary as it looks, but it is super easy to miss this turn and head on a wrong path. |
A Steep Rock You Need to Hike Up, Both from the Top looking Down (Above) And and the Bottom heading up. (Below)
| Do you see how the trail looks like it disappears? That is because it is going straight up that rock! |
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| This is the Rock you Climb from the above picture. See the Cairn right in the middle? |
360 Trail with Mountain Men Monument in the distance.
Other Websites with Great Info About the Tower Arch Hike.
Utah.com link for Tower Arch
The Above has GPS Coordinates of Trailhead, and other good information to know.
Below is the Official Link for Arches National Park, and info on Devils Garden Loop. Tower Arch is just to the West of Devils Garden Loop on the map.
Link to nps.gov Plan Your Visit
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One of the Many Sections of Marching Men Monument
As you walk to Tower Arch, about half way into the hike (about a mile) you want to watch on the left hand side for this area is called the Marching Men Monument. It is a fin that has decade away to make it look like lots of Soldiers all marching into battle. There is multiple sections that if you look at them long enough you can visualize that army and can almost be spooked by the idea of them coming to life and you being in the middle of a crazy unreal battle.
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| One Section of Marching Men Monument Arches National Park, Utah |
DIRECTIONS TO TRAIL HEAD for TOWER ARCH
To Get there you turn on Klondike bluffs road. If you head in from the main I-70, it is a long drive on Salt Valley Road with a tiresome amount of washboards. If you head in from Arches, there is a dirt road turn off between Skyline Arch and the campground where you head WEST. You drive on that road for about 15-30 minutes about 16 miles. There are 2 trails to this Arch. The first turn off is a rough ATV 4 wheel drive road that gets brutal pretty fast. If you are using Google maps it will tell you to turn onto that road. If you are not in a really high clearance vehicle with great tires and 4 wheel drive, this is not the road you want. You want to turn at the next turnoff called Klondike bluff road. This is a nice easy gravel road to a parking lot with a toilet and the trail head.
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| Trail Head Map |
Above is the Google Map and you can see the 2 Roads to Tower Arch, and you want to make sure you take that top shorter road unless you have great clearance, and 4 Wheel Drive All terrain Vehicle. The below left is my Gaia map with my arrow showing my location as I am driving down the better road. The Bottom right is an All Trails photo of the trail map.
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| Map of the Tower Arch Trail |
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| Map of the Tower Arch Trail |
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| Sign showing the 2 trails to get out of Tower arch back to your correct parking lot. |
SEE MORE OF THIS AREA IN GOOGLE EARTH
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SIMILAR HIKES YOU WILL ALSO ENJOY
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Also You Should Check out Arches hike in Bryce Canyon, for it is another hike with cool arches, and a hike where you can get right up close to the Arch.
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Another Hike in the Moab Area with an amazing Arch is Corona Arch and BowTie Arch. FABULOUS hike. Trail was made easy to follow by them painting green rectangles on the ground in places where it could get tricky, so just like Dorothy in the Wizard of oz, you just "Follow the GREEN brick road."
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I also LOVE Grand Staff Canyon Trail. It is one of those delightful trails that constantly crosses a cute river, but you are enjoying it in the most amazing canyon with HUGE vertical cliffs on both sides. Of course there is an amazing reward at the end of a beautiful Arch.
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DOUBLE O ARCH - Devils Garden Primitive Loop is an Epic Safe Adventure.
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I know I have given you a ton of recommendations, but being in MOAB, I just can't stop until I mention my favorite hike in Moab area, FISHER TOWERS. Unbelievable hike that will have your jaw dropping at how incredible this hike it. The towers are just enormous and you will just have to go to see just how tall they really are.
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