Arches National Park anniversary

Red as far as the eye can see and clear blue skies overhead. Welcome to Arches National Park, Utah. The story of this otherworldly landscape starts 65 million years ago when a dry seabed stood here. Over time, geological forces warped and squeezed the land, twisting the sandstone into lumps and bumps. Later, wind and water carved out the arches, pinnacles, fins, and balanced rocks that now stand in this area. The park has more than 2,000 natural stone arches, the highest concentration of these structures anywhere on Earth. In today's image, we can see two of them: Double Arch, as seen through Cove Arch. The larger arch of Double Arch spans 144 feet and is 112 feet tall, the tallest and second-longest of the park's arches.
Humans arrived in the area around 10,000 years ago. Fremont and Ancestral Pueblo people lived here until the 14th century. Later, the Ute and Paiute tribes made their homes in the area. In 1929, it was declared a national monument. However, it wasn't until November 12, 1971, that it became a national park. Today, more than 1.8 million visitors come to Arches National Park every year.
© Jeff Foott/Minden Pictures