Landscape Arch Trail

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Features Views

The trail to Landscape Arch is rightfully popular (but the arch itself seems mis-named- it sure looks more thin and delicate than Delicate Arch). How often do you get to see the largest arch on the planet? At 306 feet long, it beats Zion's Kolob arch by only 3 feet. Landscape is about 11 feet thick at its center.

To reach this amazing place, take the Devils Garden Trail to just where the Primitive Loop starts. From here, take the left (west) fork. The easy Landscape Arch trail turns off the Primitive Trail to the west immediately after the fork. The old Landscape Arch trail used to go all the way under the arch, but now a fenced viewpoint area is as close as you can get because of well-founded safety concerns.

In 1991, a few pieces of Landscape Arch started to rain down, and then suddenly a 60 foot long chunk of rock fell from the underside of the arch's thinnest section. The thin section is now about 5 feet narrower than it used to be. Some of the large boulders under the arch are the results of this event. Some folks think that this recent breakage bodes ill for Landscape Arch and that it will soon collapse completely. Others believe that the arch may have just increased its longevity by shedding some weight and that the new, more balanced arch will persist. Take your guess, but you best admire this fragile feat of nature while it still exists!

Early morning is thought to be the best time to photograph Landscape Arch for the best color.