After a few days of mountain biking in Moab, it was time to switch gears and do some hiking. Neither of us had been up to Morning Glory Arch so it quickly made our short list. Easy hike, not much elevation gain, and the sixth largest rock span in the world. Definitely worth seeing. The hike starts at the mouth of Negro Bill Canyon on the Colorado river. I know, such a name would never pass as politically correct jargon now. It's only a little over two miles to the arch, but the trail winds along a clear stream, crossing it often (we kept our feet dry, barely) and under the shadow of some mighty sandstone cliffs.
The arch itself hides until near the end of the hike, as it is up against the hillside (or should I say cliffside). It's only when we were directly under the arch that the 243 foot span of rock separated itself from the cliff with a thin strip of sky. My photos, even the panoramic ones, don't do it justice.
What I didn't love about the hike were the scratchy plants scraping my legs as we pushed through them, and the abundance of poison ivy plants near the water. We didn't want any surprises from THAT plant, and scrubbed our legs judiciously when we got home.
The hike was partly in shade even at midday, which was nice, and the flowing water kept the canyon cool. Especially peaceful was the area right under the arch, where the trail ended in a box canyon with cool, shady sand everywhere. Flowing from a 1 inch crack (?) was the stream, which gushed out from the rock face and flowed away down to the Colorado river.
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| The only way to capture the span (two photos above) is with a panoramic shot |
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| Morning Glory Arch blends in against the cliff |
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