What Is Delicate Arch And Where Is It?
Chances are you’ve seen Delicate Arch if you’ve ever seen promotional material for Utah tourism. It might be considered the official arch or even landmark of Utah. That honor could also go to sunrise views of Mesa Arch over at Canyonlands National Park. It is a stunning sight and a marvel of natural engineering or wind and water erosion over many years.
The arch is located at Arches National Park in Utah. There is a smallish parking lot at the trailhead. The hike there is about 3.2 miles round trip and involves a vertical climb of about 630 feet. It’s moderate hike that can be brutal in mid summer heat and treacherous when icy in the winter months. The often snow capped La Sal Mountains can be seen in the background from lots of views and perspectives around Delicate Arch.
It is one of the most popular hikes at Arches National Park. The trail is often quite crowded. Visitors often like to stand under the arch for photos. It is very popular sunset photo spot. As sunset approaches it is not uncommon to hear the line of sunset photographers yelling in languages that span the globe as tourists walk out under the arch for selfies at sunset.
What Is It Like To Travel To Arches National Park And Photograph Delicate Arch At Sunset?
If you’re heading over to Arches National Park, chances are Delicate Arch is near the top of “must sees” you’ve got planned. The closest town to Arches National Park is the town of Moab so there is a good chance you’ll be staying there. From Moab, the drive to the Delicate Arch parking lot is about a 30 minute, 18 mile drive. Add in some traffic, a potential line at the entrance gate and a wait to find parking and it will probably take much longer than that to drive from Moab to the Delicate Arch parking area.
Once you get to the Delicate Arch parking area, you’ve got about a 1.6 miles hike up to Delicate Arch that will involve climbing about 630 feet on slick rock sandstone. The hike isn’t particular difficult but it can be brutal in the summer heat and treacherous when icy in the winter. If you’ll be hiking in the summer, be sure to take plenty of water. If you’ll hike it in the winter, dress warm and at least bring some Yak Trax or something similar with you. If you’ll be hiking it at sunset be sure to bring a flashlight with you as well.
If you hike to Delicate Arch at sunset, the main viewpoint will be crowded. Really crowded most days. There will be two main groups of people up there. One group will be up thee to photograph Delicate Arch at sunset from the main viewpoint. The other group will be up there to get selfies of themselves under the arch. The latter will be in the way of the photographer crowd. The photographer crowd will probably start yelling at the selfie crowd under the arch to get out of the way of sunset photos.
Assuming the selfie crowd does clear out at least a little while before sunset, you’ll be able to get some nice shots of Delicate Arch glowing at sunset assuming the cloud cover isn’t too thick as the sun sets.
What Does It Take To Get A Wall Art Quality Sunset Photo At Delicate Arch?
If you want a wall art quality photo of Delicate Arch, the best time to go is generally at sunset. Under the right conditions, the arch will take on a beautiful glow. Sometimes other formations around the arch will also glow. If you’re really lucky the skies may turn fiery or at least become somewhat colorful as the sun sets.
As mentioned earlier, you’ll have to hope the selfie crowd clears out from under the arch before sunset. Most of the time there is enough pressure from the photographer crowd in the form of yelling that sometimes includes profanity in a bunch of different languages. Sometimes even that doesn’t work and there is nothing you can do about it. Just brush up on your Photoshop skills. If you want to try to go when there are less people there ten go in the dead of winter. Just be prepared for frigid icy conditions.
There is on big ledge where most people stand to photograph Delicate Arch. You can’t miss it when you hike up there. Under the arch is a big sandstone bowl of sorts. You can hike down into it and around the edge of it to get different perspectives of Delicate Arch. If you want something different than the standard perspective there are plenty of opportunities, just be careful when hiking around trying to get them.
What Is The Best Gear For Photographing Sunset At Delicate Arch?
Since the light will be fading when you photograph Delicate Arch at sunset, chances are you’ll want to have a tripod. That will help keep the camera steady and result in sharper photos. A cable release will also help keep the camera steady.
A DSLR or mirrorless camera will be your best bet for a nice wall art quality print. You’ll probably want a lens that goes somewhere between 17mm and 105mm depending on the amount of the landscape you want to capture.
A panoramic camera or panoramic setup may come in handy in the area of Delicate Arch but isn’t something that will prove to be particularly useful for simply photographing Delicate Arch itself. The arch fit perfectly in a standard size photograph.
What Is The Story Behind This Delicate Arch Sunset Photo Print?
During the winter of 2015-2016 I spent most of my time on the road and much of that time was spent at the Lazy Lizard Hostel in the town of Moab. I first discovered the Lazy Lizard back in 2010 on my first trip to Moab that also happened to be my first trip to any national park anywhere. Instead of paying $100 or so for a hotel room, I could get a bunch in a room with other people and spend $10 to stay there. Unlike a hotel room, there was a kitchen and a common area with wifi and a TV. Anytime I go to the national parks, the goal is to spend at little time in the hotel, lodge, cabin or tent and as much time as possible outside exploring the area.
Winter is the slow season in Moab and the nearby national parks including Canyonlands and Arches. I rented a private room by the week that winter in Moab and stayed for somewhere around $20/night or less. The room wasn’t that great but it was private. It had a bed and a heater and the wifi reached the room. That was all I needed. The primary photo goals on during that time were sunrise at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands, some good shots of Turret Arch through Window Arch at Arches National Park, Corona Arch sunrise and whatever else I could find.
I’d been up to Delicate Arch numerous times. It’s quite a sight to see and might be the official symbol of Utah but photos of it generally all look the same. With that much time to spend in Moab, naturally Delicate Arch would be on the list of sights to revisit. I did head up a a number of times.
During the winter months, Moab and the nearby national parks get cold, really cold. There were some mornings up at Mesa Arch that dropped down around 20 below zero. That of course meant the nights got cold and sunset hikes could get pretty chilly. The area doesn’t get much snow or precipitation during the winter but it doesn’t take much to make things slippery. In addition to making some hiking trails slick, a bit of snow on the red rocks can make for amazing photos.
Under normal circumstances the hike up to Delicate Arch is moderate and a bit strenuous if you are trying to rush up there for sunset. In the winter when after some snow and freeze thaw cycles, the hike up the slickrock to Delicate Arch can be a bit treacherous. That was the case on the evening this photo was taken. I got a bit of a late start and had to haul ass up to the Delicate Arch viewpoint for sunset.
This night looked like it would be partly cloudy. If you want to get unique or somewhat unique photos of Delicate Arch you’ll want to go up when there is some cloud cover. Photos of Delicate Arch under clear skies all look exactly the same. Since it was cold, winter and the slickrock sandstone around Delicate Arch was a bit icy, it was the perfect night to go up and try for sunset photos.
With some ice on the ground, the selfie takers tend to stay away from the arch so as not to slip and fall down into the canyon below it. Anyway, I high tailed it up to Delicate Arch after a late start, brought the Canon DSLR and Induro Tripod, picked a spot to shoot and waited for the sunset show to start. The setting sun did cast a moderate glow on the arch. The darker clouds did show off a little bit of color and created a fairly dark background to help the glowing arch stand out.
As soon as the sun dropped below the horizon, I packed up the camera gear, made sure the Yak Trax were in place and headed back down the slickrock to the car as I tried to avoid slipping on any of the icy patches on the way back down. Upon arrival at the parking lot and the car I headed back to the room at the Lazy Lizard and started going through the Delicate Arch photos from the day.
What Formats Is This Delicate Arch Sunset Wall Art Print Available?
This photo print is available in sizes up to 40×60 inches and comes on a variety of materials. If you’ll be hanging it in an area with lots of bright natural o artificial light you’ll probably want to go with something that has a matte finish. Matte paper or canvas will be the best choices.
If you’ll be hanging the print in an area with more diffused lighting than a print with a shinier or more reflective finish will likely be a good choice. This would include metal and acrylic prints as well as canvas and paper prints with a glossy or metallic finish.
If you would prefer something more along the lines of home decor, a Sherpa fleece blanket, a shower curtain, towels or throw pillows would make nice choices.
If you would prefer to show off the print when you are out an about, a variety of apparel is available including t-shirts and sweat shirts. Canvas tote bags make excellent replacements for the plastic shopping bags that are vanishing from grocery and other stores. Likewise, phone cases make a great fashion statement and do a great job of protecting your phone.
If you prefer a brain teaser, this Delicate Arch Sunset photo is available on 500 or 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzles as well.
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