Devil’s Garden

 

Partition Arch along the Devil’s Garden Trail in Arches National Park.

Arches National Park in south-eastern Utah is one of my favorite National Parks in the country. We decided to take a long weekend and revisit for my birthday in May 2019.

The blog post for our first trip to Arches can be seen here: https://paulnationalparks.blogspot.com/2017/08/arches-national-park_14.html 

On our first trip, we hiked the Delicate Arch Trail (which leads to the famous landmark), but we we’re short on time so we did just a small portion of the Devil’s Garden Trail (about a mile to the first major landmark - Landscape Arch). We’d been itching to explore more of this area on a subsequent visit.

On our second visit to the Park, Tara and I tackled the Devil’s Garden Trail. This trail is over 7 miles long (if you do the full loop and all spurs off the main trail) and passes by several arches: Landscape Arch, Navajo Arch, Partition Arch, Double O Arch, and Dark Angel (this is not an arch but a towering rock column). You can also see Private Arch from an overlook along the main trail, and get closer to it by taking the north-portion of the loop trail (which is much more undeveloped and primitive than the main trail). We decided to do an out-and-back to Double O Arch (from there, you can see Dark Angel, but we didn’t hike all the way to the base of that tower).

The trail starts out relatively flat and easy, and after about a mile you come to Landscape Arch. This is the longest arch (in terms of span) in the entire park. Most people will at least hike to this point because it is relatively short and easy to get to this spot. If you are short on time, I would recommend taking the Devil’s Garden Trail to at least this first major landmark.

After Landscape Arch, the trail becomes much more difficult - but it’s not too bad. You start to climb up an exposed fin. It’s quite steep, and the rock can be slick so make sure you have sturdy shoes with good traction. At the top, take the spur off-shoot to the left to hit Partition Arch and Navajo Arch.

Navajo Arch is secluded and quite beautiful.

Partition Arch is one of the most scenic arches in the park, and provides a stunning vista of the high desert below you. The Arch acts as a window to a marvelous view.

Once you’ve taken in the views, head back to the main trail and continue north (to the left). At this point, the trail gets quite a bit undeveloped, use the rock cairns to guide your way. You’ll start to see a maze of sandstone fins off to your right.

You’ll start to climb some of these fins yourself...but nothing near as precarious as the ones pictured above. There’s nothing too crazy here, but be prepared for a little bit of a climb. If it’s rainy, it’d probably be wise not to do this hike, the sandstone can become rather slick. Thankfully, we had great weather, and the hike is very adventurous and fun.

You’ll start to climb down one of these fins, and then off to the right you’ll come to Double O Arch. Double O Arch is a very unique arch formation in the park. As the name implies, this complex formation consists of two “O’s” - one on top of the other. The top arch is much bigger than the one on the bottom. This is a great spot to rest and eat and admire the views.

From this vantage point, you can see the Dark Angel (tower, not an arch) in the distance. If you wish, you can hike to the base of it. We decided not to - but did take a picture (it’s in the background - right above Tara’s head)

Now, you can also head back to the trailhead by way of the primitive portion of the Devil’s Garden Trail (thus making a loop back to the parking lot). Bear in mind, that this portion of the trail is very sandy, does not have an established path, and is quite precarious and has some steep climbs over sandstone fins. We decided to just head back the way we came. There is one arch along this primitive portion (Private Arch) - but it can be seen from an overlook along the main trail.

Devil’s Garden is a great hike - we thoroughly enjoyed it.

We also visited other parts of Arches - The Windows Area: this consists of North and South Window, Turret Arch, and my favorite, Double Arch. Also stopped by Balanced Rock along the main road and Park Avenue near the park entrance.

We love Arches and can’t wait to go back! Next time we go, we want to do the Fiery Furnace Trail (this is only available with a permit or through a guided tour offered by the Park - you have to reserve quite a bit in advance because it fills up quickly).

BONUS: we went over to Dead Horse Point State Park to check out some fantastic views of the Colorado River and the dramatic surroundings. This State Park is near the Island in the Sky region of Canyonlands National Park.

Fort Davis National Historic Site

 

Visited: Feb 2018

Nearby town: Ft. Davis, TX

Way out in West Texas, you’ll find one of the best examples of a 19th century U.S. Army fort in the southwestern United States.

Nestled at the foot of the Davis Mountains, Fort Davis was an active fort from 1854-1891. It was inactive for a brief period during the Civil War, and the present layout of the buildings are from when the fort re-opened in 1867. 

The primary purpose of the fort was to protect emigrants heading to California, mail coaches, and freight wagons traveling along the San Antonio-El Paso Road and the Chihuahua Trail. It was established in 1854 and named after then-current Secretary of War Jefferson Davis (who would later become the President of the Confederacy). Early in the outbreak of the Civil War, the U.S. Army evacuated the fort and it was occupied by a small division of about 20 Confederate troops for about a year. In 1862, the Confederate troops abandoned the fort, and it sat empty until 1867, when the U.S. Army reclaimed it. The fort was rebuilt in 1867 and manned by all-black infantry and cavalry regiments (known as “Buffalo Soldiers”). Lt. Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point, was stationed here. The Buffalo Soldiers scouted for hostile Indians, surveyed land, built roads, and installed telegraph lines in the area. The fort was deactivated in 1891.

 Fort Davis National Historic Site was established as an NPS unit in 1961. The NPS has restored 24 buildings and preserved over 100 ruins and foundations. The buildings have been refurbished to their 1880s appearance. Check out the Visitor’s Center to see the film and learn about the history and way of life for the soldiers stationed here.

Take a walk around the grounds and tour the buildings. This is a harsh beauty out here in the West Texas desert. This is a great stop for an hour or two on your way out to Big Bend National Park.

The hospital was really neat...and kind of spooky. 😀

Row of officers homes.

Some of the original foundations.

This is a cool fort. It’s quite remote, but if you happen to be driving down to Big Bend NP from Balmorhea, this is worth a quick stop. More info here: https://www.nps.gov/foda/index.htm

BONUS: The tiny city of Fort Davis (pop. 1,201) is a pretty cool, historic town. It serves as the county seat of Jeff Davis County, and like most counties in Texas, has an impressive courthouse.