This smooth, dark varnish is a layer of iron or manganese on the surface of the rock. The Dark Angel turned out to be a tall, narrow obelisk of stone that has been stained by a desert varnish. We just saw the trail marked with the evocative name “Dark Angel,” and we knew that we had to check it out. Prior to this hike, we had no idea what the Dark Angel formation would look like. At the end of this spur trail is a sandstone formation called Dark Angel. On our way to next the stop, which was at the end of a half mile spur trail, we got quite far off the trail in an area of sand and juniper brush due to deep snow obscuring the trail. Today around 4000 people might visit the park on a summer day and the line of cars trying to get into the park can stretch to a mile long, forcing rangers to close the park to additional visitors. With only rough roads providing access to the park, a key aspect of Abbey’s experience in the park was the solitude of the desert landscape. His time in the park provided the material for his celebrated book “ Desert Solitaire.” He described the landscape of Arches as “league on league of red cliff and arid tablelands, extending through purple haze over the bulging curve of the planet to the ranges of Colorado - a sea of desert.”Īrches National Park was very different in Abbey’s time.
Arches was once home to the well-known nature writer, Edward Abbey, who worked as a park ranger when Arches and Canyonlands were still national monuments. The absurd natural beauty of Arches has led to it becoming one of the most popular national parks in the country. Arches National Park is a strange world of red slick rock, loops and arches of rock rising out of the desert, and a confusion of eroded rock fins and spires.
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