Home / More 360 panos     Pictures of Arches National Park North Window, Arches National Park
  In Arches National Park, more than 2,000 natural stone arches - largest concentration in the world - are found. The Entrada Sandstone top layer has been fractured by criss-crossing cracks, as the underlaying salt bed moved because of the pressure of the top layer. Over time water seeped into the cracks, enlarging them with the freeze-thaw cycle, resulting in free-standing fins which were attacked by wind and water until the cementing material gave way and chunks of rock tumbled out. The fins which did not collapse despite their missing sections became the arches.
  The short and popular Windows trail let you visit three of the most impressive arches. South Windows (barely seen on the left), with a 105 ft span and a height of 65 ft is the third largest arch in the Park. North Window, with 93 ft span and a height of 51 ft, is cut from the same sandstone fin - together they form the Spectacles. Turret Arch (seen through North Window) measureing 39 ft wide by 64 ft high is distinguised by the tower which borders it.