Nature
Balanced Rock is a freestanding formation in Arches National Park and one of its most recognizable sights. Rising 128 feet, it features the park’s largest balancing rock, a massive upper stone estimated at about 3,577 tons perched 55 feet above its base. Its distinctive shape comes from harder Entrada Sandstone resting on a softer Dewey Bridge pedestal that erodes more quickly, making the formation geologically temporary and destined to collapse. Easily seen from the main park road and reached by a short paved trail, it is both a popular stop and a vivid example of the erosive forces shaping the desert. It also appeared in the 1989 film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
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Moab, Utah · United States