Balanced Rock is one of the iconic symbols of Arches National Park. It sits right next to the park road and is impossible not to visit if you are driving through the park.

The iconic tower sits 128 ft tall and is composed of Entrada Sandstone top sitting on a Dewey Bridge Formation pedestal. The different erosion rates of the two types of sandstone are what created Balanced Rock and what will ultimately be its demise. As the base continues to weather, the rock will ultimately tumble.

It is interesting to note that until the winter of 1975/76, there was an additional small tower to the south of Balanced Rock called “Chip-Off-the-Old-Block”. The freeze/melt cycles caused the demise of Balanced Rocks smaller neighbor that winter. Will Balanced Rock stay balanced for a year? A hundred years? A thousand years? Time will tell.

Evening light is astounding on the rock, and the best time to visit. It makes a great way to end a day visiting the park.