August 31, 2026
For the last day of our long weekend of hiking, Chris and I did a few short hikes around Arches National Park, much like the last time he was in the US. We started out by hiking about two miles while searching for a rumored granary, checking some ledges and overhangs that had looked promising in Google Earth. Shortly after leaving the truck we saw some (what I assume is) coyote scat full of prickly pear fruit. Rain in the previous days had left many shallow pools and I took advantage of them, trying to make some interesting photos. All we found was a rock below a small overhang that looked like it might have been used briefly as a grinding stone. By eliminating all the spots we checked in this area, it gives me a better idea where I need to look for the granary next time.
Driving deeper into the park, we stopped for another hike of about 1.5 miles. Chris was just ahead of me when he spotted a rattlesnake slithering away from him and into some bushes as it rattled. We visited some large abraded horse glyphs that we’d actually looked for on our last trip, but this time I’d done more research and knew exactly where to find them. As we explored the cliffs for more rock art we saw another tiny rattlesnake coiled up at the base of a boulder. It never moved as we took a few photos and then let it be.
Lastly, we did another hike just over 1.5 miles long to see Ruin Arch. I’ve long been curious about the name, and whether there was really any sort of ruin in the alcove below the arch. This was the most “peopley” hike, as part of it was on an official park trail. We saw some ding-dongs rolling small boulders down a hill near Tapestry Arch. We also found some unexpected petroglyphs. A doe and fawn were hanging out in a wash along our hiking route and we got quite close before even noticing them, but they didn’t seem concerned about our presence at all. We skirted wide around them and they continued grazing on some shrubs.
In the canyon near Ruin Arch, Chris stayed high to check out the cliffs on one side while I stayed down low in the watercourse that ran against the opposite canyon wall. He found another rattlesnake that he probably wouldn’t have noticed if it hadn’t rattled and alerted him. Inside Ruin Arch I didn’t see any sort of ruin. There were some parallel lines grooved into one horizontal surface but no other signs of prehistoric occupation that I noticed. We continued to the head of the canyon and then each climbed out our respective side and walked along the top of the ridges back down the canyon. My route took me back past Ruin Arch where I could see down into the crack that forms the arch above the alcove.
After that hike we drove back to Price, and then Chris continued to northern Utah and flew back to Italy later in the week. It had been a fairly unremarkable four days of hiking but hopefully next time he’s in the US our plans will work out better than this time.
Photo Gallery: Hobbling Around Arches