A Delicate Evening

One of the most recognizable symbols of Utah's canyon country, Delicate Arch, in Arches National Park, rises from the surrounding sandstone slickrock defying logical explanation.

Arches was founded as a National Monument of 4500 acres in 1929 under the administration of Pres. Herbert Hoover. In 1971, it gained National Park status and now includes 76,680 acres or 120 square miles, including the Lost Spring section added in 1999.

After a warm winter's day exploring a technical canyon route in the "Fiery Furnace," we headed over to the Delicate Arch trail to see if we could obtain some evening photos. But we didn't want just the standard view that uses the arch to frame out a section of the distant LaSal Mountains. Instead, we explored around and found a position across a ravine on the west side of the arch that would provide a less seen angle. High, dark clouds were obscuring the evening sun, but we knew from experience that just before the sun set, it might break below the cloud deck and briefly illuminate the arch. As you can see, we were not disappointed and the result was this HDR image that gives the golden slickrock an almost liquid appearance, enhanced by the gray cloud background.

Photo taken January, 2015.