Show ENORMOUS A R G C H IN DEVILS DEVIL'S GARDEN AREA By By Frank Beckwith Wednesday of last week eek Packer J JM JM M conducted George W NOl NOl- Not gard Jack YouVon and myself to the theDe De 11 s Garden area of the Arches Na- Na National Monument to find for us the major arches in interesting area Our force had worked at the Arches sector of the monument and were en- en enthusIastic enthusiastic with its scenic values we were very proud of Double Arch the Jug Handles Mass Massive e and Great Oval Al Arch eh and the one southeast called Turret Arch So it was with surprise and no little of a startle to find m in the I Devil s Garden area the largest span of any arch yet encountered within the monument boundaries I Double Arch the Jug Handles has hasi hasa hasa i a span of feet in the clear and is isI I feet hIgh ar is an arch of lib lib- liberal I eral dimensIons But we were surprised to find an arch In the DeVIl s Garden area which we call caU until better named Landscape Arch with a span of TWO HUNDRED AND ONE NINETY FEEL 1 This arch rises rices like a rainbow very hIgh convex not flat as are some of I the arches on top and so wide that a standard lens on a camera 11 could not include it aU all even though backing up to the rock wall on the theother theother other side of the hillside slope This is by far the largest arch we have yet encountered I The span r rises es in a great convex arch archI I of sandstone very delicate in appear appear- appearance appearance I ance and seemingly thin that is I seemingly so for with so vast a span the arch looks very slender To be photographed one must use either a small camera with consequent short I focus lens or a wide ide angle lens If I forced to back away aay by a lens of long angle but a small portion of the arch 1 rises above e the rock wall behind it so that the daylight area Is therefore soI I I Continued on last page I ARCU FOUND I Continued from first s page g limited But wIth a short focus lens or a wIde angle one one may get a good VIew WIth the major part of the huge rainbow rambow arch rising into the sky At the hour we were there the shad shad- shadow shadow ow cast by the arch fell upon the right hand abutment WhICh Itself was a abright abright bright and well lighted light buff color so that this black shadow across It gave a very pleasing contrast and should en- en enrich enrich I rich the photo This arch IS well worth the horseback ride nde to visit it and resIdents of Moab and vicinity should go there to know I fIrst hand that they have a scenic mar mar- marvel marvel vel ranking high m in scenic appeal Other Arches In DevIls DevIl's Garden Before reaching this big arch one passes Cedar Tree arch nearly in the center of which grows a fine cedar cedartree cedartree tree This is isery very ery pretty though small Up hIgher in the rocks and partly hidden hladen is HIdden Arch small and close by It a smaller arch more like a hole holem m in the rock The Big Arch follows follos next wind wind- windblown windblown blown sand rises behind it in a steep slope covered with cedars giving this arch somewhat the appearance of a landscape painted within a frame cut cutto cutto to an arch effect Maybe a better name will be given to It but RaInbow Arch is hardly fitting for the con con- confusIOn confusion fusIOn with the great Rainbow Arch far south on the Colorado river nver Close to the big arch is Pillar Arch in which a pillar Joins top and bottom of the arch span not having eroded away ThIS IS a fitting name for thIS arch and well denotes Its features Not far is White Cap Arch of which the arch itself is 15 in the usual buff sandstone but In this instance capped with ith white It is so close to the ad- ad adJacent adjacent Jacent rocks that our party could not photograph It Mr led the party past an- an another other othel quite large arch out in the open more than the rest rising from the sand ThIS is conspicuous and very pleasing It dominates the landscape at that point though it does not show daylIght through from a distance ow- ow owing mg ing to its situation lower down and apart from the rock walls on the comb of the outcropping In all the surveying party of the ex- ex expedition expedition report eleven arches in the area Some of our party even think that the Devil s Garden exceeds the Arches in beauty No doubt the mag mag- magnificence of the great span of nearly feet of the big arch favorably im- im impresses Impresses presses any beholder and this area if not surpassing the other will no doubt compete with it strongly in scenic appeal The matter of a road load past these splendors and on to the arches is of paramount importance as the tourist will not travel anywhere no nowadays if any dIscomfort attends the detour Those few who ho still enjoy horseback riding and more particularly a pack theman train are fast disappearing before the man who merely pushes the accelerator to get anywhere The erosion In the Devil s Garden differs from that of the Arches it be- be ing being vertical slab erosion which pre pre pre- presents to the eye narrow pinnacles if seen endwise like boards set in sand or thin domes humps and fantastic shapes it if seen sidewise Plenty ot of abound there which are the ruggedness ot of the forms cut Into all manner of shapes a riotous mass of pInnacles domes and half I domes denies lone towers all give a con con- constantly beauty to the scene t I tand J Jand and one s interest is 15 kept at hIgh pitch I by the changes At the present tune time there thele are t two o w ays m in which one may v isit the Devil Garden area a arrange for horses to meet the auto party at Willow Spring and rIde the five or six miles to toI toj I j the Dew Devils s Garden b drive the auto J up by Valley City and come back down Salt Valley past the oil all well now stand stand- standing mg ing there thele and leave the autos for horse horseback back trips the distance then is about I j two to two and a half miles or more according to how many arches the j party wishes to ViSIt For one to walk walkup J up from where the auto would have I J to be parked however far It would be driven up the hillsIde toward the 11 arches would be an hIll Up-hIll climb and unless one is clad and shod for it and andI I used to climbing mIght be too much I From the road which follows the bet bet- tom of the wash dOwn Salt Valley I bot-I and also from the run rim of Salt Valley toward WIllow Spring Fallen Rock Arch may be maybe seen this arch may also be seen II from the cabins at Yellow Cat then being seen from the other sIde from the northeast The arch lies exactly on the topmost rim of the outcropping of rocks thus being visible fortunately from both sides None of the other arches are thus so easIly seen but have to be ridden close to t |