Fallen arch

[slickrocker]

I heard this morning that Wall Arch along the Devil's Garden Trail in Arches NP has collapsed. I may try and get up there tommorrow morning to check it out and maybe get a photo.
I don't know when this happened but it hasn't shown up on the NPS Morning Report yet, so it must have been pretty recent.

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[Richard Barron]

I heard this morning that Wall Arch along the Devil's Garden Trail in Arches NP has collapsed. I may try and get up there tommorrow morning to check it out and maybe get a photo.
I don't know when this happened but it hasn't shown up on the NPS Morning Report yet, so it must have been pretty recent.

Wow. If this is true, that's kind of amazing. NOT the next arch I expected to fall in Arches. -R

[sparker1]

That would be a great shame.

[accadacca]

Wow let us know what you find out!

[brettyb]

I saw a report on the subject on TripAdvisor:

Wall Arch Collapse

Not sure how credible it is, but the NPS Morning Report will surely have a writeup soon if the story is legit.

[slickrocker]

I went out to Arches VC today and Wall Arch has indeed fallen but the trail is now closed. They were letting people crawl over the rubble Tues. and Wed. but this morning work crews are up there reworking the trail and it's closed off indefinately.

[Cirrus2000]

Not the first I expected to fall, either, Richard. But looking at the wiggliness, you can definitely see how it could be unstable...

Thanks for the report, slickrocker!

[denaliguide]

will it be called "fallen arches nat. park" in the future?

[sparker1]

will it be called "fallen arches nat. park" in the future?

So many of us with taste declined that obvious opportunity.

[Cirrus2000]

Personally, lacking in taste:

will it be called "fallen arches nat. park" in the future?

Just one of those things that happens as we age, I guess. I wonder what will happen to, say, The Organ as it ages.

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[sparker1]

Here is a photo of Wall Arch. Are those just surface cracks, or what brought it down?

[JP]

what brought it down?

Gravity

[denaliguide]

will it be called "fallen arches nat. park" in the future?

So many of us with taste declined that obvious opportunity.

now that would be one thing that has never been used to describe me

[Richard Barron]

(This is my 1000th post, by the way.)

Here are two of my images of Wall Arch, made in March 2004. I guess the obvious question is: can we get some "after" photos from somewhere? -R

[slickrocker]

Here's Wall Arch from above. Once that section of trail is opened again I'll go get some photos, unless some appear from another source.
We've had some rain and high humidity the last few days, could be the last few grains holding it together expanded, eroded, etc. The straw that broke the camels back and all that.

[trackrunner]

Well the news media finally got around to reporting it
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3967228

Iconic arch collapses in southern Utah
August 8th, 2008 @ 4:24pm
Photo courtesy Realtravel.com

ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, Utah (AP) -- One of the largest and most visible arches in Arches National Park has collapsed.

Paul Henderson, the park's chief of interpretation, says Wall Arch collapsed sometime late Monday or early Tuesday.

The arch is along Devils Garden Trail, one of the most popular in the park.

The arch, first reported and named in 1948, was more than 33 feet tall and 71 feet across. It ranked 12th in size of the park's estimated 2,000 arches.

Henderson says it's the first collapse of a major arch in the park since Landscape Arch fell in 1991.

No one was injured in the collapse. The trail remains closed just beyond the ruins of Landscape Arch.

[trackrunner]

Henderson says it's the first collapse of a major arch in the park since Landscape Arch fell in 1991.

What????????????????????? Landscape Arch fell in 1991. Who they hell glued it back together leaving three large pieces off for my 2003 trip.

[theking648]

what brought it down?

Gravity

Nice...

that realy sucks i haven't made it out east yet to see arches.

[Richard Barron]

Henderson says it's the first collapse of a major arch in the park since Landscape Arch fell in 1991.

What????????????????????? Landscape Arch fell in 1991. Who they hell glued it back together leaving three large pieces off for my 2003 trip.

TV media usually doesn't have a clue. Probably did a 90-second phone interview while eating a burrito.

[theking648]

I think most people.. me included would have thought that Landscape Arch would have fell way before the others.