Colorado's Hidden Arch Wonderland: The Second Largest Concentration of Arches on Earth
This video continues the hike that began at Rattlesnake Camp along the Colorado River.
Watch that video here:
• I Hiked to Colorado’s Hidden Arches
In this segment, I join the Rattlesnake Arches Trail from the Rattlesnake Canyon Trail and explore the lower section of the route. Seven natural arches can be seen along this portion of the trail. There is also an upper trail above the arches, which I’ll save for a future visit. This section is about 2 miles round trip.
Rattlesnake Arches has one of the highest concentrations of natural arches in the world, second only to Arches National Park. It is located in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area near Grand Junction.
This is in a fairly remote location and can be difficult to access.
It's either a 14 mile? 4-wheel drive road into the hiking trail, and then 3.6 miles to hike the arches. Or it's a "strenuous" 14.7 mile hike in and back from Pollock Bench Trailhead between Fruita and Loma, in Colorado National Monument.
You can also access it as I did, from the Colorado River. This requires a permit for the Ruby Horsethief section, with a reservation at the Rattlesnake Camp.
These arches formed in sandstone that began as ancient sand dunes during the late Triassic Period, roughly 200 million years ago. In parts of the video, you can see the distinct layers left behind by those dunes. Over time, erosion worked along these layers and fractures, helping create the arches seen today.
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