Druid Arch is an iconic 150-foot tall

Cedar Mesa Sandstone Cedar Mesa Sandstone (also known as the Cedar Mesa Formation) is a sandstone Geological unit, memberThe Cutler Formation is sometimes classified as the Cutler Group (geology), Group, in which case Cedar Mesa Sandstone is classified as a Formation ...

arch located within the Needles District of

Canyonlands National Park Canyonlands National Park is a national park of the United States located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab. The park preserves a colorful landscape eroded into numerous canyons, mesas, and buttes by the Colorado River, the Green Rive ...

, in

San Juan County, Utah San Juan County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 14,518. Its county seat is Monticello, Utah, Monticello, while its most popu ...

. It is situated at the head of Elephant Canyon, and precipitation runoff from Druid Arch drains north into the nearby

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

via Elephant Canyon. Druid Arch is one of the most popular hiking destinations in the Needles district. A 5.4 mile hike to Druid Arch starts at the Elephant Hill Trailhead, and the final quarter-mile is steep with some

scrambling Scrambling is a mountaineering term for ascending steep terrain using one's hands to assist in holds and balance.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. It can be described as being between hiking and climbing, rock climbing. "A scramble" is a relat ...

and one ladder. The name comes from its resemblance to the

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric Megalith, megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, to ...

monument in England, which is believed to be a

Druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking priestly class in ancient Celtic cultures. The druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no wr ...

temple.Rod Martinez, ''The Best Canyonlands National Park Hikes'', Colorado Mountain Club, 2015. This feature's name was officially adopted in 1963 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

Geology

This geological feature is an eroded

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...

composed of Cedar Mesa Sandstone, which is the remains of coastal

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

deposited about 245–286 million years ago, during the early

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years, from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.902 Mya. It is the s ...

period. The top of the formation rises 450 feet above the canyon floor, and two keyhole openings have a height of 85 feet, and a width of 20 feet.

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to experience Druid Arch. According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, it is located in a

Cold semi-arid climate Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below −0 °C (32 °F) and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.

Gallery

Druid Arch, Canyonlands National Park.jpg, East aspect File:Druid Arch backside.jpeg, West aspect File:Leaving Druid Arch. (9862427374).jpg, edgewise from north

References

External links

{{commons category, Druid Arch
Canyonlands National Park
National Park Service * Druid Arc
Weather forecast
* Druid Arch
YouTube
Natural arches of San Juan County, Utah Canyonlands National Park Sandstone formations of the United States

Geology

Climate

Gallery

See also

References

External links