In my opinion some of the most amazing national parks in the United States are found in the state of Utah. Utah is a western state that is well populated in the norther section of the state, but mostly desert, forest, and amazing rock structures in the southern part of the state where there is less population. Today I have some more information for you about one of American’s 58 national parks that is found in Utah.
Arches National Park is a relatively small national park in the United States at only 76,679 acres (31,031 hectares), but its small size does not prevent over a million people from visiting the park every year. To understand what makes Arches National Parks such an attraction you have to know what an arch is. An arch is a curved structure that spans an opening, for example a bridge is kind of arch. The arches found in Arches National Park are not man made bridges, but nature-made stone bridges, like in the picture above. There are over 2000 of these natural sandstone arches and bridges in this national park. These arches are have been formed over millions of years by erosion from wind and rain.
Humans have also been living in this very hot dry beautiful landscape for over 10,000 years. These humans have left their mark in the area as well, in the form of petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are carvings of pictures in rocks (see picture below). Petroglyphs can be seen in Arches National Park as well as many of the other rock cliffs in the area. These petroglyphs tell stories of hunting and life in this area. Today the people who live near Arches National Park mostly live in the town of Moab, which is a tourist town only a few miles away from the park. In Arches National Park you can find unbelievable beauty, especially watching the sunrises and sunsets on the arches, and in the nearby town of Moab you can find all the modern convinces you are looking for as well as tourist information to help you better explore the area.
Tomorrow I have a video to show you from a hike I took in Arches National Park this year. In the video you will see the desert landscape and rock structures that Arches National Park is famous for as well as learn some vocabulary related to this area.
