Water and ice, extreme temperatures, and underground salt movement are responsible for the sculptured rock scenery of Arches National Park. On a clear blue sky days it is difficult to imagine such violent forces or the the 100 million years of erosion that created this land. It boast one of the world's greatest densities of natural arches. Over 2,000 cataloged arches ranging in size from a three foot opening, the minimum considered as arch, to the longest, the Landscape Arch measuring 306 feet base to base.

American Indians used this area for thousands of years. The Archaic people, the Puebloan, the Fremont and the Ute peoples, searched the arid desert for food animals, wild plant foods, and stones for tools and weapons. They also left evidence of their passing on a few pictograph and petroglyph panels.

The park lies atop an underground salt bed that is basically responsible for the arches, spires, balanced rocks, sandstone fins and eroded monoliths. Thousands of feet thick in places, this salt bed was deposited across the Colorado Plateau 300 million years ago when sea flowed into the region and eventually evaporated.

The information shown above are from the National Park literature.