Grand Junction, Colorado: West Rim Arch (aka Finger Arch), Crown, and Two Feathers Arches (May 13–16, 2010)

Joan and I spent May 13–16, 2010, in Grand Junction, Colo., looking for some obscure arches. On the way there we went for a hike and run on the Boy Scout Trail in Glenwood Springs, which was fun. On May 14, a cloudy day, we found West Rim Arch (aka Finger Arch), which is on the west side of Rattlesnake Canyon, opposite to the more famous series of arches. But this arch is as spectacular as any over there, and fun to find. Here are UTM coords in the 1983 system. BE VERY CAREFUL: The topo map uses the 1927 system, and I often forget that! Coords for this one are: UTM 1983 = Zone 12; 686294 E; 4333134 N. There is a new Trails Illustrated/National Geographic map of the area; it is quite useful for navigating the dirt roads and finding tralheads.

The region of Rattlesnake Arches, and the adjacent canyons are well known for having more arches than anywhere else in the world, except for Arches National Park. On p. 93 of the book Messages in Stone by Matthews et al, one finds: “In Rattlesnake Canyon there are thirty-five arches carved in Mesozoic sandstones. Locals point with pride to this assemblage calling it “Colorado’s Parade of Arches”. Although it is difficult to prove definitively, some authorities claim that it is the second-largest concentration of natural arches in the world.”

Because of my botched data entry we approached this one from the top (a reasonable approach). That makes it quite exciting as one does not see it until one is just about on top of it. Geology: The arch is in the Entrada formation. The cliffs leading to the floor of the canyon in this area are Wingate. The bench that one walks on at the base of the arches is Kayenta. [See my 2011 trip report for views of this arch, reached by a shorter approach, and views from below and inside.]