Corona Arch and sunburst, near Moab, Utah, March 18, 2025

 After participating in the 2025 Spring Arch Rally with the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, we hiked to Corona Arch out of Moab, Utah. The trailhead for this hike is off of the Potash Road. The hike to this arch crosses railroad tracks and involves scrambling with a handling and a ladder. It also passes by a pothole arch named Bowtie Arch.

This magnificent natural rock span is listed as having both a span and height of 110 feet and is a buttress type arch in Navajo sandstone. This view is from the side away from the direction we first approached it.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Parallel Double Arch, Klondike Bluffs, near Moab, Utah, March 14, 2025

 We attended the 2025 Spring Arch Rally by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society centered around Moab, Utah. The rally was held from Saturday, March 8th to Saturday, March 15th.

On our seventh day of hiking, our host Peter Jamieson took us to the Klondike Bluffs area north of Moab, Utah. One of the several natural rock spans that we saw on this hike was this one called Parallel Arch. This double arch was high on a cliff of sandstone.

The dimensions of these arches, according to the World Arch Database is, for the outer arch, 32 foot span, and the inner arch is 22 foot span.

We tried measuring the span and height of these two natural rock spans and came up with the following numbers:

Parallel Arch Outer

Span - 17.178 meters (56.36 feet)

Height - 12.617 meters (41.38 feet)

Parallel Arch Inner

Height - 9.067 meters (29.75 feet)

Span - 

Remember it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Big Sur southern coast, Kirk Creek Arch, Monterey County

 

We found out about an arch along the southern end of the Big Sur coast from a Facebook posting from an avid hiker we're following. She mentioned where she was and included several photos, including an arch in the Pacific Ocean. It was actually next to a campground we were already thinking about visiting, so her posting made us take the trip to see it sooner rather than later. We saw it first during a higher tide, with waves crashing under the arch. We came back about 6 hours later and the tide was low enough that we could stand under it. We took measurements with a laser measurer and reported our results to the Natural Arch and Bridge Society. It turned out that we were the first to report this arch to them.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Alabama Hills, the Eye of Alabama natural arch

 

Here is a close view of the second most famous feature in the Alabama Hills, the Eye of Alabama. We parked along the road and hiked up to this feature to get a closer image. There are over a hundred natural arches in this area. We visited during the Fall Arch Rally sponsored by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society in November 2024. We were part of a group of about 15 people on this day.

The Paiute name for this area is Payahuunadü, "land of flowing water."

Fuji GFX100S, ISO 100, f8, 1/220 sec., 100 mm (79mm equiv.)

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Mobius Arch and the Milky Way, Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, November 4, 2024

 We attended the 2024 Fall Arch Rally of the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, which was centered around the Alabama Hills for the first half of the rally. One night we hiked out to Mobius Arch to get some night shots of it, including this light painting of the arch with the Milky Way galaxy overhead.. Mobius Arch is the most noteworthy granite natural arch among many arches in the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Mobius Arch silhouette, Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, November 4, 2024

 We attended the 2024 Fall Arch Rally of the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, which was centered around the Alabama Hills for the first half of the rally. One night we hiked out to Mobius Arch to get some night shots of it, including this silhouette. Mobius Arch is the most noteworthy granite natural arch among many arches in the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Keyhole Arch during a cloudy sunset

We visited Pfeiffer Beach two evenings in a row to try photographing the sun through the arch. The first evening was overcast, but we wanted to look it over anyway, knowing we'd be trying again the next day. The clouds actually added an element we hadn't planned on photographing, but the texture was amazing. There was only about 4 photographers at the beach this evening.

Photo taken with Samsung a52 ISO 640, f2.2, 1/24 sec., 1.74 mm focal length

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Natural Bridge Falls and Boulder River panorama

Natural Bridge Falls is located in Montana as part of a National Forest Day Use Area. A natural bridge above the waterfall gave the area its name. The original bridge collapsed in 1988, but the stream flows through an underground passage that still qualifies as a natural bridge. It's just much less obvious.

This picture shows the Boulder River emerging from the passage below the brink of the falls and then continuing downstream in a wide meander. During high water, the river will flow over the falls and through the passage. 

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Horizon Arch double arch, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Escalante, Utah

 On Day 4 of the 2022 Fall Arch Rally, Bob decided to go on the trip to visit Horizon Arch.  South of the town of Escalante out of the Coal Bed and Mitchell Canyons, this double arch sits on a ridgeline not surprisingly given its name.  This rock outcrop also had a number of smaller arches carved into it.  The arch has a span of about 15 feet and a height of 10 feet.

The hike here was only about 2 and a half miles, but gained something like 1000 feet through loose rock, boulders, and pinyon-juniper type forest, so it was strenuous.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Metate Arch, Devils Garden Outstanding Natural Area, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

I, Bob, am attending the 2022 Fall Arch Rally by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society (NABS).  The second day trip was cancelled due to a forecast of afternoon thunderstorms.  The alternative was for our group to go to the Devils Garden Outstanding Natural Area instead, which was the object of the other trip scheduled for this day.  The Devils Garden consists of sandstone formations called hoodoos and are similar to the hoodoos that Bryce Canyon National Park is famous for.  The most impressive arch in the Devils Garden was this one called Metate Arch.   Its span is 16 feet with a height of 22 feet.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Broken Bow Arch, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

 I, Bob, am attending the 2022 Fall Arch Rally by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society (NABS) and hiked to this arch on the first day.  This is Broken Bow Arch in the Willow Gulch area of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah.  It has a span of 94 feet and a height of 100 feet.  This was near where our group first came around a curve in the canyon and saw it for the first time.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

The Eye of Alabama, in the Alabama Hills, west of Lone Pine, California

 

One of the bigger natural arches in the Alabama Hills is the Eye of Alabama (also labeled as the Eye of the Alabama). This arch looks to me like a left side of a face with a very large eye and the left end being the nose. But that's just me. When you're driving up to it, you might not see it, because it's not at the top of the ridge, but part way down. We got to this feature from a small pullout along the Movie Road and a short trail uphill, then off-trail. You can climb right onto it with a little scrambling. 

Photo details: Canon 70D, 55mm, ISO 200, f/11, 1/180 sec., with polarizer

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Trinity Arch, Muley Twist Canyon, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

 

This is Trinity Arch in Muley Twist Canyon, Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.  It apparently is called Trinity, because it is a triple arch.  The first two are obvious, but the third is a much smaller arch just visible in the rightmost lower corner of this photo.

Bob saw this and many other arches on the 5th day of the 2021 Arch Rally conducted by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society from September 18th to the 25th.  The trip on this day was to and through Muley Twist Canyon in the middle east portion of Capitol Reef National Park.  We saw more arches on this day than any other trip of the rally.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

All Seeing Eye Arch, Burr Trail, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah

 On his second day of the 2021 Arch Rally by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, Bob chose to go on the hike to Laminate Arch.  On the way, while driving the Burr Trail to the trailhead for Laminate Arch, the group got to see this bonus arch called the All Seeing Eye Arch.  The boulder in the opening appears to be the pupil of a giant eye.

This arch was within the boundaries of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Sheets Gulch Arch, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

 

Bob just attended an Arch Rally held by the Natural Arch and Bridge Society from September 18th to the 25th in and around Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.  He enjoyed eight days of going on drives and hikes to see arches and bridges.

This image is of Sheets Gulch Arch, which he hiked to on the fourth day of the rally.  The arch is on the east side of the park up against a canyon wall almost looking like it's just leaning against the top of the sandstone formation.  The group could see it from the canyon bottom, but several of the hikers, including Bob, scrambled up the slope to get a closer look and even walk through the opening of the arch.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Arch Rock along the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway, Sierra National Forest, California

 This is the rather generically named Arch Rock along the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway in the Sierra National Forest.  This byway is east of Oakhurst, California and south of Yosemite National Park.  Rick is crouched behind it in the first photo and we're both in front of the arch in the second to give you an idea of its size.  This arch is made of granodiorite and has a span of 28 feet, a height of 3-1/2 feet, a thickness of 17 inches, and a width of 26 inches.  It made us think of a big, exposed pipe or a big lathe.

We've produced a video about out visit to this arch.  You can see it on our YouTube Channel at:

https://youtu.be/tOcCNc-ZFwo

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Mobius Arch, Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California

This is Mobius Arch from the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, California.  Bob took this photo after sunset and Lone Pine Peak is the highest peak visible through the opening of the arch.  Bob hiked along the Arch Loop Trail to visit the arch, but didn't get to finish the loop since the sun was setting.  This was during a trip during the week of Thanksgiving 2020.  He'll just have to go back.

We've known about and seen photos of this arch for a long time, but for Bob to see it in the lithos, so to speak, was quite stunning.  We haven't found any specific details about its dimensions, but a couple of web sites indicated that the opening is about 6 and a half feet tall and spans 7 feet.  We'll have to double check that next time we're there.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Desert bighorn ram at Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

 During our recent visit to Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, we saw a small group of desert bighorn rams hanging out in the Beehives Area of the park.  This ram was lounging on top of one of the rock formations chewing his cud.  This photo caught him in mid-chew.  Three other rams were lying low near the base of this rock formation.  Eventually after their cud had been sufficiently masticated, they got up and headed out into the brush to graze on what grasses they could find.

After this ram went back out to graze, Bob examined this formation for arches and found a very unusual sliver of an arch, which you can see in the second photo.  The opening is barely a few inches high.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Hinkey Summit Arch, Nevada, looking down through the arch

 

This is a natural arch in Nevada that you're looking down through to the road below. This is Hinkey Summit. We were able to follow a short side road off of the main dirt road in order to get above the opening. Rick drove from the main road up the side road while Bob hiked up to the arch from the main road and met Rick after scrambling through the opening.

Here's Bob standing at the base of the arch looking up through it. Later on, he scrambled up through the opening and met Rick on the upper side.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Grotto Geyser erupting, Yellowstone National Park

Grotto Geyser always makes me think of a sea turtle.  If you imagine the rounded feature in the middle as the turtle's head, then the other two rounded features on either side look like flippers. Grotto Geyser is in the Upper Geyser Basin, which includes Old Faithful Geyser, in Yellowstone National Park.

Grotto may actually be a unique example of natural arch formation.  Scientists believe that the two "flippers" may have been formed by geyser mineral deposits over tree trunks which created two arches, since each flipper is an arc of rock over openings.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.