Nov. 4, 2025

The government is shut down right now so, there was no timed entry and free admission. That made the park very busy for late fall. There are cool rock formations as soon as you drive to the top of the mesa. We nicknamed a few rocks that do not have official names such as Skull rock and Penis rock. First stop was Balanced rock which will eventually fall. The Windows are a set of two arches that are better viewed from the trail to Turret Arch. Across the parking lot from the Windows is Double Arch, my favorite in the park. It is a nice large arch with another arch about 90 degrees with both visible together. The final hike was the famous Delicate Arch. After already hiking a lot today, my sore knee could not handle the steep 3.2 miles to be up close to the arch, so I went to the lower viewpoint. Last stop was at Fiery Furnace. The sad part of this park was with no park rangers present meant tourists were climbing areas they were not supposed to including edges of the arches and narrow canyons that normally require a ranger guide.