Wolfe Ranch

After Dan and I finished our hike in Devils Garden in Arches National Park, we drove back to the Courthouse Towers area. He jumped on his mountain bike and spent the remainder of the day riding in and around Moab. I drove to the Wolfe Ranch Trailhead to begin the hike to Delicate Arch. 

The Trail reaches the viewpoint overlooking Delicate Arch in 1 1/2 miles with 500 feet of elevation gain, primarily over slickrock. It was a pretty hike with lots of company of just about every nationality. The Trail initially passed an old homestead built in 1906. There was a pretty stream still flowing nearby.

A short distance from the cabin was some petroglyphs in the sandstone. The horses evident in the rock-art suggests it was made by members of the Ute Tribe. There are places in the Park where much older petroglyphs still survive.

Petroglyphs (odd that the mountain sheep are larger than the horses)

Delicate Arch

The Trail then transversed a rock ledge before turning a corner and reaching the viewpoint of Delicate Arch. Looking through the Arch, I could see the La Sal Mountains in the distance (hazy due to the wind-blown dust) visible over the vast Colorado River Basin. It would be nice to return in the future when the weather cooperated and the snow-covered mountains appeared crisp in the background.

After a leisurely hike back to the Trailhead, I returned to Moab. We had a very good dinner at the Moab Brewery, with excellent service, surprisingly good food and very reasonable prices.