Desert hiking in Arches National Park

• three hour hike in the scorching heat of Devils Garden
• Evening hike to the magnificent Delicate Arch in Arches National Park

When we get up around 9 a.m., the sun is already high in the sky. The night was unusually mild, we could even sleep without a sleeping bag. Today we visit Arches National Park, the world's largest collection of rock arches, for a full day. We start with the same viewpoints as yesterday afternoon. The small but subtle difference is that the weather is now the best.

At the back of the spur road into the park is the Devils Garden. A maze of red sandstone rocks. We each pack a bottle of water and set off. The first highlight on the route is the wide and extremely thin Landscape Arch. We decide to extend the hike and go to the more distant Double O-Arch. This hiking trail will be a real challenge. The path is steep, leads over difficult terrain and is sometimes not for the faint of heart. We can always enjoy the breathtaking view. But the Double-O-Arch is well worth the effort. It consists of a large archway above with a view of the landscape and a smaller arch below. On the way back we make a detour to the two less impressive Navajo and Partition Arch. After a good three hours we are back at the starting point and our water bottles are empty. After the picnic stop and with filled batteries, we tackle the next hike.

We hike to Delicate Arch, the highlight of the park. We saved this hike to be able to see the rock arch in the late afternoon, when the lower sun provides more intense colors. This path is tough too, almost without exception it leads uphill for almost an hour. Once at the top, all the hardships are blown away as if at once. This view of the rock arch and in the best light of the day is amazing. We take countless photos and wait over an hour. Unfortunately, clouds are slowly coming up and the Delicate Arch is rarely in the light. We make our way back to the parking lot and from there to the campsite. After a little something for dinner, we go to bed.