Tiff Mapel
Escalante-Class Member
Good morning, Wordlings,
Today's article was written in the spring of 2004, the last time the water level was really low. Looking back at this, the arch in Twilight Canyon now goes by the name "Twilight Arch." I know, real original. It has since been officially named. The one in Rock Creek is known as "Hole in the Roof," however unofficially.
Enjoy,
Tiff
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Exposed Arches
Summer 2004 issue
In Powell country, arches come and go. They are a natural thing of beauty, a spectacle of the desert, carved slowly over time by running water or wind. Some stand for millennia, some for shorter periods of time. Some arches are as small as a keyhole, or they can be as grand as Rainbow Bridge, inspiring awe and wonder in all who see them.
On the first weekend of spring in March, we set out in search of arches—arches that maybe didn’t appear on any published maps. Arches that have been submerged beneath the waters of Lake Powell, unnamed and unknown, for the past 30 years. The water level on that weekend was 3,584 feet, one hundred and sixteen feet below full pool. This is a level that hasn’t been seen since the lake was still filling in 1973. Even at this level, Lake Powell is still impressive in its grandeur. The massive sandstone walls tower above you higher than before. And we weren’t disappointed with the availability of arches to see. It was as if we were the first explorers down the canyon, seeing an arch for the first time, and knowing it was unnamed. You, too, can set out this summer on your discovery of arches.
Four of us set out from Hall’s Crossing Marina on that sunny weekend: Bruce and Pat George from Camp Verde, Arizona, who also co-captain the Trash Tracker on Lake Powell during the summers; myself; and Dave Tate, publisher and photographer of Lake Powell Magazine. We headed downlake, with a list of arches that we had heard about from various sources. We also discovered a few new ones of our own.
Just south of Hall’s Crossing near buoy 89, we spotted a window in a flat sandstone bench in the west wall—it was a small inlet on the right side of the channel. As we got closer, the window opened up above us, with a large bowl-shaped alcove underneath and stretching behind it. The window was a pour-off for storm-borne waterfalls of the past. The wall of the alcove was green and slick with active seeps. We cut the engine of the boat, and listened to the gently dripping water. We saw a beautiful window arch, worthy of a fitting name. I suggested “Spring Arch,” since we found it the first day of spring and because we noted its green color. Another one was “Seep Window.” As we sat in the boat beneath the window, listening to the seeps, “Serenity Arch” sprang to mind.
Moving downlake, we stopped to pay our respects to Alice J. Arch, near buoy 83 on the east side of the channel. This notable arch already has a name and a story behind it, according to Stan Jones. Normally at high water, the top part of the arch is out of the water, and you can boat or swim through the opening. With the lake level where it was in March, you had to look up high to see the arch. One day, the water will reach it again, and will lap against the lower half of the magnificent span.
We were so busy looking at the right side of the channel that we almost missed this next arch. It was well hidden amongst some big sandstone boulders. It is on the north, or left, side of the channel between buoys 71 and 72.
On Stan Jones’s map, “Stove Pipe Arch” is listed, but that one is above the high water mark. This window arch is well below full pool, by about 50 to 60 feet. And this one doesn’t have a name. Like our first arch mentioned, this one is a pour-off from a deep gully above it. Storm water crashes through it on its way to the lake. It is a large window, and it is easy to climb up to it from a short distance to the left of the opening. Once at the top of this span, you can look down the gully to the lake.
The next arch was very tricky to spot. You have to look carefully, or you’ll miss it. It is right around buoy 69, and quite near the mouth of the Escalante River Arm. This arch is on the same channel side as the Escalante. It is on a sharp ledge of sandstone, and you have to be close to it to see the sliver of sky through it. It is flat on the top of the arch, looking more like a bridge. A fellow Powell enthusiast has told me that he’s called this precarious bridge “Moriah’s Arch” since 2002. In his boating party of that year, a young girl named Moriah climbed through the opening in the back of the arch. This was also during a strong windstorm, as he motored his houseboat over to the arch. He dubbed it Moriah’s in honor of her brave climb. So the name stuck. Unofficially, it’s Moriah’s Arch. And since they call the wind Moriah (Mariah), well, it is a fitting name.
Moving up the Escalante, we headed to Fifty Mile Creek. Before Lake Powell, a large arch, about 127 feet, spanned the canyon of the creek about a mile up from the confluence of the Escalante. It was called “Gregory Natural Bridge,” after geologist Herbert E. Gregory.
As the rising waters of Lake Powell came up to it, the window of the arch disappeared under water. The water elevation when the opening disappeared was 3,552 feet, just 32 feet below where it was on that March weekend. We were hoping to glimpse the opening of the span in the unusually clear water, but it was not to be. If the water drops more, it’s likely that we’ll be able to see some of this arch in the future.
Back out on the main channel and moving downlake, we headed toward a double arch in Lehi Canyon, off of Anasazi Canyon, which is between buoys 52 and 53, just south beyond the mouth of the San Juan by about four miles.
Anasazi Canyon is a scenic narrow canyon with high streaked walls. It has many small branches, and you could get lost and confused trying to keep track of them all, and trying to determine in which direction you’re heading. Lehi Canyon is a left branch toward the back of Anasazi. We came to a sandbar where the water ended, and beached the boat there to hike the rest of the way in. Just ahead, the canyon splits again, and in the left branch the double arches loomed grandly.
Lehi looks to be a narrow slot canyon. Some strong floods must have come through in the past to have formed these two spans. The one at the mouth is larger, while the one behind it is smaller. Each arch slants slightly to the left from the walls it is attached to. We could hear running water pouring into a high pool beneath the back arch. As the water poured off the rim of the pool, it spilled into and underneath the sand. These magnificent “Twin Arches” in Lehi are visible only until the runoff water envelops them again.
Leaving Lehi in awe, we headed downlake to Twilight Canyon, at buoy 51, just northwest of Oak Bay. Twilight Canyon is much like Anasazi—narrow and winding. About a mile into the canyon, a large window appears high in the west wall. This window is reminiscent of LaGorce Arch in Davis Gulch in the Escalante. When you go around to the backside of the arch in Twilight, the sharp rocks contained within it look like the shape of a shark’s dorsal fin. The opening of the window is also in the shape of a shark’s tooth. When the water level is just right, you can take a boat through this span. Upon seeing this arch for the first time last year, I unofficially dubbed it “Shark Arch.” It seemed worthy, as it had two shark references. Also, just like a shark, it is submerged at high water.
The final arch we visited was located in Rock Creek Bay. You have to go in the main fork of Rock Creek—don’t go in the first right branch, as that is the mouth to both Dry Rock Creek and Middle Rock Creek. After entering Rock Creek Bay, take your first right. This arch is in a sort of “corner pocket,” shielded by a large sandstone dome to its west side. “Corner Pocket Arch” would be a fitting name for this hidden treasure. With the water level at 3,584 feet, we could get the boat under the arch and contained within its alcove, looking up through the arch hole. Beneath the boat, we could see the bottom, a clear pool about 20 to 30 feet down. What a great place for some summer swimming and snorkeling!
These underwater arches, emerging from time to time, are worthy of exploration. They are officially nameless, unless a special name endears them to you. So with the low water level, get out and do some exploring! It’s likely that hundreds of underwater arches are out there begging to be discovered. Maybe you could name an arch of your own!
Today's article was written in the spring of 2004, the last time the water level was really low. Looking back at this, the arch in Twilight Canyon now goes by the name "Twilight Arch." I know, real original. It has since been officially named. The one in Rock Creek is known as "Hole in the Roof," however unofficially.
Enjoy,
Tiff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Exposed Arches
Summer 2004 issue
In Powell country, arches come and go. They are a natural thing of beauty, a spectacle of the desert, carved slowly over time by running water or wind. Some stand for millennia, some for shorter periods of time. Some arches are as small as a keyhole, or they can be as grand as Rainbow Bridge, inspiring awe and wonder in all who see them.
On the first weekend of spring in March, we set out in search of arches—arches that maybe didn’t appear on any published maps. Arches that have been submerged beneath the waters of Lake Powell, unnamed and unknown, for the past 30 years. The water level on that weekend was 3,584 feet, one hundred and sixteen feet below full pool. This is a level that hasn’t been seen since the lake was still filling in 1973. Even at this level, Lake Powell is still impressive in its grandeur. The massive sandstone walls tower above you higher than before. And we weren’t disappointed with the availability of arches to see. It was as if we were the first explorers down the canyon, seeing an arch for the first time, and knowing it was unnamed. You, too, can set out this summer on your discovery of arches.
Four of us set out from Hall’s Crossing Marina on that sunny weekend: Bruce and Pat George from Camp Verde, Arizona, who also co-captain the Trash Tracker on Lake Powell during the summers; myself; and Dave Tate, publisher and photographer of Lake Powell Magazine. We headed downlake, with a list of arches that we had heard about from various sources. We also discovered a few new ones of our own.
Just south of Hall’s Crossing near buoy 89, we spotted a window in a flat sandstone bench in the west wall—it was a small inlet on the right side of the channel. As we got closer, the window opened up above us, with a large bowl-shaped alcove underneath and stretching behind it. The window was a pour-off for storm-borne waterfalls of the past. The wall of the alcove was green and slick with active seeps. We cut the engine of the boat, and listened to the gently dripping water. We saw a beautiful window arch, worthy of a fitting name. I suggested “Spring Arch,” since we found it the first day of spring and because we noted its green color. Another one was “Seep Window.” As we sat in the boat beneath the window, listening to the seeps, “Serenity Arch” sprang to mind.
Moving downlake, we stopped to pay our respects to Alice J. Arch, near buoy 83 on the east side of the channel. This notable arch already has a name and a story behind it, according to Stan Jones. Normally at high water, the top part of the arch is out of the water, and you can boat or swim through the opening. With the lake level where it was in March, you had to look up high to see the arch. One day, the water will reach it again, and will lap against the lower half of the magnificent span.
We were so busy looking at the right side of the channel that we almost missed this next arch. It was well hidden amongst some big sandstone boulders. It is on the north, or left, side of the channel between buoys 71 and 72.
On Stan Jones’s map, “Stove Pipe Arch” is listed, but that one is above the high water mark. This window arch is well below full pool, by about 50 to 60 feet. And this one doesn’t have a name. Like our first arch mentioned, this one is a pour-off from a deep gully above it. Storm water crashes through it on its way to the lake. It is a large window, and it is easy to climb up to it from a short distance to the left of the opening. Once at the top of this span, you can look down the gully to the lake.
The next arch was very tricky to spot. You have to look carefully, or you’ll miss it. It is right around buoy 69, and quite near the mouth of the Escalante River Arm. This arch is on the same channel side as the Escalante. It is on a sharp ledge of sandstone, and you have to be close to it to see the sliver of sky through it. It is flat on the top of the arch, looking more like a bridge. A fellow Powell enthusiast has told me that he’s called this precarious bridge “Moriah’s Arch” since 2002. In his boating party of that year, a young girl named Moriah climbed through the opening in the back of the arch. This was also during a strong windstorm, as he motored his houseboat over to the arch. He dubbed it Moriah’s in honor of her brave climb. So the name stuck. Unofficially, it’s Moriah’s Arch. And since they call the wind Moriah (Mariah), well, it is a fitting name.
Moving up the Escalante, we headed to Fifty Mile Creek. Before Lake Powell, a large arch, about 127 feet, spanned the canyon of the creek about a mile up from the confluence of the Escalante. It was called “Gregory Natural Bridge,” after geologist Herbert E. Gregory.
As the rising waters of Lake Powell came up to it, the window of the arch disappeared under water. The water elevation when the opening disappeared was 3,552 feet, just 32 feet below where it was on that March weekend. We were hoping to glimpse the opening of the span in the unusually clear water, but it was not to be. If the water drops more, it’s likely that we’ll be able to see some of this arch in the future.
Back out on the main channel and moving downlake, we headed toward a double arch in Lehi Canyon, off of Anasazi Canyon, which is between buoys 52 and 53, just south beyond the mouth of the San Juan by about four miles.
Anasazi Canyon is a scenic narrow canyon with high streaked walls. It has many small branches, and you could get lost and confused trying to keep track of them all, and trying to determine in which direction you’re heading. Lehi Canyon is a left branch toward the back of Anasazi. We came to a sandbar where the water ended, and beached the boat there to hike the rest of the way in. Just ahead, the canyon splits again, and in the left branch the double arches loomed grandly.
Lehi looks to be a narrow slot canyon. Some strong floods must have come through in the past to have formed these two spans. The one at the mouth is larger, while the one behind it is smaller. Each arch slants slightly to the left from the walls it is attached to. We could hear running water pouring into a high pool beneath the back arch. As the water poured off the rim of the pool, it spilled into and underneath the sand. These magnificent “Twin Arches” in Lehi are visible only until the runoff water envelops them again.
Leaving Lehi in awe, we headed downlake to Twilight Canyon, at buoy 51, just northwest of Oak Bay. Twilight Canyon is much like Anasazi—narrow and winding. About a mile into the canyon, a large window appears high in the west wall. This window is reminiscent of LaGorce Arch in Davis Gulch in the Escalante. When you go around to the backside of the arch in Twilight, the sharp rocks contained within it look like the shape of a shark’s dorsal fin. The opening of the window is also in the shape of a shark’s tooth. When the water level is just right, you can take a boat through this span. Upon seeing this arch for the first time last year, I unofficially dubbed it “Shark Arch.” It seemed worthy, as it had two shark references. Also, just like a shark, it is submerged at high water.
The final arch we visited was located in Rock Creek Bay. You have to go in the main fork of Rock Creek—don’t go in the first right branch, as that is the mouth to both Dry Rock Creek and Middle Rock Creek. After entering Rock Creek Bay, take your first right. This arch is in a sort of “corner pocket,” shielded by a large sandstone dome to its west side. “Corner Pocket Arch” would be a fitting name for this hidden treasure. With the water level at 3,584 feet, we could get the boat under the arch and contained within its alcove, looking up through the arch hole. Beneath the boat, we could see the bottom, a clear pool about 20 to 30 feet down. What a great place for some summer swimming and snorkeling!
These underwater arches, emerging from time to time, are worthy of exploration. They are officially nameless, unless a special name endears them to you. So with the low water level, get out and do some exploring! It’s likely that hundreds of underwater arches are out there begging to be discovered. Maybe you could name an arch of your own!
