EYE OF THE WHALE, one of several arches in Herdina Park, just south of jeep trail about 2 miles northwest of Balanced Rock. Cut in Slick Rock Member. Front opening is 60 feet wide and 27 feet high, but back opening is only 35 feet wide and 11 feet high. Photograph by Professor Dale J. Stevens, Brigham Young University. (Fig. 34)
Guarding the approach to The Windows section is Balanced Rock (stop 9). As shown in the frontispiece, it is accompanied on the right by another balanced rock and a third one may be seen in the distance. The original route to The Windows section, pioneered by Goulding, passed just north of Balanced Rock. Traces of the old road between here and the Garden of Eden parking area are still visible but no longer used. To the west, however, a part of the old road is the starting point of a jeep trail leading northwestward through Herdina Park to a point near Klondike Bluffs, where it joins the dirt road in Salt Valley ([fig. 1]). Visitors having four-wheel-drive vehicles may wish to drive at least as far as Eye of The Whale ([fig. 34]), which is about 2 miles northwest of Balanced Rock. There are several picnic tables at the beginning of this jeep trail, but no water.
INTRICATE CROSSBEDS IN NAVAJO SANDSTONE, on north side of road between Garden of Eden and Cove of Caves. Red crest is basal part of Dewey Bridge Member. (Fig. 35)
Just beyond Balanced Rock, a branch paved road turns eastward 2½ miles to the main parking lots in The Windows section. Between the Garden of Eden (stop 13) and Cove of Caves are spectacular exposures of the Navajo Sandstone showing the crossbedding typical of the original dunes ([fig. 35]). Just east of the crossbedded Navajo Sandstone, shown in [figure 35], we pass Cove Arch and Cove of Caves (stop 10) on the north side of the road ([fig. 36]).
Just around the curve east of Cove of Caves is the first of two parking lots (stop 11) forming a one-way loop at the end of this branch of the road. From the loop may be seen the greatest concentration of readily accessible arches in the park, all of which are roofed by the Slick Rock Member and floored by the Dewey Bridge Member. Let us take the short paved trail from the upper lot to the southeast, where we come first to North Window ([fig. 37]). If we walk through this arch and climb the rock beyond ([fig. 37] caption), we see one of the best views in the park ([fig. 38]). A short walk south of North Window brings us to South Window ([fig. 39]). The other side of this arch may be reached either by walking around the nearby southeast end of the fin or by walking through North Window. A short walk to the southwest brings us to Turret Arch—the one seen through North Window in [figure 38]. [Figure 40] was taken from the southwest side of Turret Arch, viewed northeastward toward South Window, one corner of which appears at the left. Both North and South Windows may be seen in one photograph taken from points near Turret Arch.
COVE ARCH AND COVE OF CAVES, on north side of road just west of Double Arch and Parade of Elephants. Arch at left and three of the caves on right are roofed by Slick Rock Member and floored by Dewey Bridge Member. Arch is 48½ feet wide and 34 feet high. In time the caves will eat through the 30-foot-thick fin and become arches. Note sharp contact between Dewey Bridge Member and Navajo Sandstone. (Fig. 36)
NORTH WINDOW, viewed to the northeast. Large rock seemingly partly blocking left end of arch actually is the southeast end of a fin some 50 feet or more beyond the arch, from which [figure 38] was taken. Arch is 93 feet wide and 51 feet high. (Fig. 37)