Camille's Arches

My favorite rocks are the ones with holes in them! My love for arches began during the two and a half years that our family lived in Moab, Utah. We spent many hours every week hiking to arches and other beautiful sites in this red-rock wonderland. Whenever I visit Moab now, I always feel like I'm coming home. This website is a collection of arches that I have visited from all over the world. View this site as a webpage to see the full list of arches in the sidebar!

Monday, August 5, 2024

Field Station Arch

Field Station Arch, Lander, Wyoming

A friend of ours told us there was an arch behind the Central Wyoming College Field Station in Lander Wyoming on the road up to Sinks Canyon. I determined that I needed to find this arch! It had been a couple years since he had been there, so he only remembered that you climb up the red rocks, follow a single trail, go through some fences, and then explore around until you find it. My husband James and I decided we would give it a shot! We ended up being able to walk right to it, only about 1.17 miles, almost all on the trail. The arch is not very big, although it is bigger than the small arch in Red Canyon and the small arch in The Bus, both in the Lander area. You can climb inside and on top of this arch. We studied the map posted on one of the signs, compared it with my GPS pin on Google Maps and decided that the arch is most likely on State Lands, but it might be on BLM land.

We arrived at the CWC Field Station and parked. This was our view and we started on the trail

Our friend mentioned the ditch & ladder before climbing up onto the red rocks. We followed the trail, but I think he might have climbed up the ladder and then joined the trail on top.

The trail is simply cut into the grass for this part. Most people come out here to bike.

This is where the two-track trail switched to a one-track trail. We continued following the trail.

This was the first fence we went through.

And this was the second fence we went through. If you head up from here you enter private land. Head down instead, staying on the trail.

This was our view to the left of the trail

This is actually where the arch is (center of the photo, in the red rocks), although you can't see it yet. It is partly looking left and partly looking straight on the trail.

This is looking straight forward on the trail.

This was the last fence that we went through. We didn't realize it, but we could see the arch from here -- no light was shining through the opening because of the angle of the arch, but it is in the red rocks furthest right in this photo.

Still on the trail, approaching this red rock, which is right next to where the arch is - we just hadn't seen it yet!

The arch is actually visible in this photo, although we didn't know it yet. We continued following the trail, which goes between these two large red rocks, and almost right in the center of this photo is the arch. It just looks like a ledge in this photo.

Right as we went between these two large red rocks, we spotted the arch on the right of the trail. It was at this point that we needed to leave the trail to climb under the arch:

It is at this pin:

Field Station Arch

My husband climbed up into the arch while I stayed on the trail to take photos. The ground on the mountain under the arch is pretty loose and easy to fall or slide. There are a lot of loose rocks, pine needles, and dirt. We were careful while climbing up under the arch, and even more careful while climbing down.

You have to be at this angle to see the light through the arch

I would guess that the top of the arch is about 5 feet off the ground

Then it was my turn to climb up there with James.

I am 5'2" and could almost stand up completely under the arch, with the head touching the top of it

Climbing on top of the arch is easy - just climb through the back, walk over to the left, and onto the top of the arch. Just watch your footing, all of the surrounding area is unstable with loose rocks and debris.

The view from inside the arch

Behind the arch there are all of these tiny pencil-sized holes. I wondered what created them.

View from inside the arch -- there were TONS Of pinecones under the arch!

Signatures from 1943

Apparently BSA Troop 17 left their mark on the rock...

view of the arch from the side

view from inside the arch

view from inside the arch - you can see the trail we came in on

debris under the arch

standing under the arch looking out to the left

James making his way back down from the arch - it was so easy to fall with all the loose debris!

view of James on the adjacent red rocks, while I was standing under the arch

rocks behind the arch

back side of the arch

The view from on top of the arch

looking down from on top of the arch

It was not that high off the ground

You can see the trail really well from on top of the arch

This is to the left of the arch from on top

Back side of the arch from above

Back side of the arch from a little ways behind it

The arch is somewhat hidden by that tree on the back side

Backside to the left of the arch

The left of the arch, see the trail down below

climbing back down through the arch

We walked a little ways further on the trail to see where it went (it goes up the mountain further rather than looping back to the start like we hoped). This was the view of the arch coming from the other direction.

This is the far-off view of the arch from the other direction

Hiking back, looking back at where the arch is as we went back through that last set of fences.

Now that we knew where the arch was, we could see it for half of our hike back! It is in just about the middle of this photo.

We could still see the arch! Again, in just about the middle of this photo

This is right before we lost our glimpse of the arch

Hiking back, about to go through the second set of fences, you can see the "Private Land" sign up above, if we had gone up instead of down.

Keep to the left on the trail after going through the second set of fences on your way to the arch

This map was posted by one of the fences that we went through. The arch is in the upper right corner of where the state lands meets the BLM land, where the map shows a steep incline.

Beautiful view on our hike back to our car

The hike to the arch was only 1.17 miles! We didn't have to back-track at all, we just walked right to it. I guess the directions our friend gave us were good enough that we didn't have to explore too much to find it!

If you weren't watching for the arch while you walked along the trail, you might miss it! You have to be looking at the right angle to see the light through it. It is visible from the trail as long as you keep watching for it!

I'm just bummed that this arch has been so close to my house all these years and I didn't know about it!

Things to do in the Lander Area:

If you want to experience some small-town life, there is no place better to try it than Lander, Wyoming! Lander is unique and iconic, and has only around 7,000 residents. Lander houses NOLS, the National Outdoor Leadership School, so there are always adventurers in town, ready to take a NOLS course. Lander is also home to the Catholic College, so students walk the streets -- especially Main Street and the surrounding streets. Lander has a friendly, home-town feel.

The Fourth of July

The most note-worthy thing about Lander is the Fourth of July. You have not really experienced the Fourth of July until you have experienced it in Lander Wyoming. The small town surges in population as people come to town to celebrate the nation's birthday with a city-wide fireworks show that is like no other.

The day begins with the Challenge for Charities race, which starts and ends at Centennial Park on Main Street. The Half Marathon is the longest distance offered in this race, with other races including a 5K and a kid's one mile race. After the racing concludes, at 10 a.m. a parade travels down Main Street starting at the high school and concluding at 1st Street. It is a typical small-town parade that ends with fire trucks soaking the remaining crowd (many seek shelter when they see the fire trucks coming). After the parade, visitors can head to City Park for the Rotary Club's annual Buffalo BBQ.

But the biggest event of the Fourth of July happens after dark, when the fireworks begin. You can attend the rodeo and watch fireworks there, or you can drive or walk to any other location in Lander and still be treated to a fireworks show. Be very careful, because the small town will be bursting at the seams, and that means a lot of traffic and unfortunately sometimes, traffic accidents. One of our good friends was run over by a car on the Fourth of July one year. Be aware of your surroundings while enjoying the show! My favorite viewing area is the Mount Hope Cemetery, but I also enjoy watching the fireworks on the hill near the rodeo grounds, or even just in my own front yard. I have laid on my sidewalk and looked up at the sky to watch the countless fireworks exploding above me, feeling soot land on my face the whole time. Individuals from all over the city purchase their own fireworks and set them off, creating a collective fireworks show that is city-wide and nothing short of amazing! The past couple years my family has gone on a two-mile walk through the city streets to see the fireworks from different views and experience some of the local excitement as people are setting off their own fireworks. If you do plan to visit Lander for the Fourth of July, book your hotel room very early. Or, if you can't find a place to stay, Riverton is only 30 minutes away.

The Falls

The most popular destination to visit in Lander is The Falls hike up Sinks Canyon Road. Head up Sinks Canyon and park in the Bruce Parking lot. The hike is a little over 3 1/2 miles round-trip. The reward at the end is viewing the beautiful Popo Agie Falls, and for those who are brave enough -- sliding down the falls. This natural waterslide is quite safe, although usually VERY cold, so be prepared! People slide down the falls and hit the cold water and are quite often so shocked that they lose their personal items in the water. My son has dived down below the falls and found sunglasses, watches, and even go-pros. If you don't feel like sliding off the falls, you can dip in the cold water before hiking back down. People come from miles away to hike The Falls trail.

The Sinks & The Rise

You can visit The Rise and feed the fish up Sinks Canyon. You can read about The Sinks and The Rise on this website: Sinks Canyon State Park It is free to visit, unless you want to purchase some food for the fish at the fish food vending machine there. The google maps location of The Rise is here: The Rise and The Sinks is located here: The Sinks The reason these are such noteworthy places, is because the Popo Agie River disappears into the cave at The Sinks, travels through the rocks, and reappears a quarter mile down the highway at The Rise. But it takes 2-4 hours for it to make it there. It travels through the mountain in crevices that are too small for divers to travel through. It is a mystery that scientists studied several decades ago, dying the water as it headed into the cave, and then timing how long the dyed water traveled before it reappeared at The Rise. While visiting Sinks Canyon State Park you can walk on the nature trail, and you can walk across the swinging bridge. There are a few campgrounds up Sinks Canyon, and a fun little park at Sawmill Campground.

Hiking & Biking

There are a lot of hiking trails in the Lander area. Hiking to the Falls, as listed above, is probably the most popular. Hiking "The Bus," where Elephant Arch is located, is another local favorite. Many people enjoy hiking Brewer's Trail. You can also bike Brewer's Trail. Many people enjoy hiking or biking at Johnny Behind the Rocks.

Here are the locations of the trailheads of some of the most popular hiking & biking spots:

Johnny Behind the Rocks

The Popo Agie Falls

The Bus

Nature Trail

CWC Field Station biking area

Upper Brewers Trail

Middle Brewers Trail

The Aliens

If you want to see something truly unique, head down highway 789 between Lander and Hudson and watch for the aliens sitting on their UFO's on the left side of the road. They are located next to Elk Country Homes, right here: Lander's resident aliens Several years ago, one UFO appeared in Lander with one alien sitting on top of it. Then a few years later a second UFO appeared with a second alien sitting on top of it. Now these aliens have children as well. It is a fun, quirky, unique tidbit about Lander.

Where to Stay in Lander

There are a few small hotels in Lander, but the one I'd recommend the most is the Holiday Inn next to Safeway. It is pretty new. It is located here: Holiday Inn Lander There are also hotels such as The Inn at Lander and the Pronghorn Lodge. There are also a few Airbnb's. And a lot of people who visit Lander during the summer camp in the many campgrounds nearby.

There are a few restaurants that are quite popular in Lander -- Gannett Grill on Main Street is a favorite, as is El Sol. And if you have a hard time finding somewhere to stay or somewhere to eat, Riverton is only a half hour away.