Mesa Arch (also known as Rotary Arch and Trail Arch) is a
pothole arch on the eastern edge of the Island in the Sky mesa in
Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park is an American national park 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 River, and their r ...
in northern
San Juan County,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, United States.
Mesa Arch is a spectacular natural stone arch perched at the edge of a cliff with vast views of canyons,
Monster Tower
Monster Tower is a tall sandstone tower located in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park, in San Juan County, Utah, San Juan County, Utah, United States.
Description
The tower is situated 300 feet southeast of Washer Woman, ...
,
Washer Woman Arch,
Airport Tower
Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...
, and the
La Sal Mountains
The La Sal Mountains or La Sal Range are a mountain range located in Grand and San Juan counties in the U.S. state of Utah, along the border with Colorado. The range rises above and southeast of Moab and north of the town of La Sal. This range ...
in the distance. Access is via a relatively easy hiking trail, just a half-mile long from the park road.
Climate
Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Mesa Arch. According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, it is located in a
cold semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
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.
References
External links
* MesaArch Trail
National Park Service
Natural arches of Utah
Canyonlands National Park
Natural arches of Grand County, Utah
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