You've probably heard the saying, "You can't step in the same river twice." It's referring to the fact that the river is constantly changing — every water molecule traveling over the river bed changes it in a tiny, imperceptible way. Such is the case with everything in the world. Even seemingly stable things like mountains and rocks continue to change over time. When considering the best national park to visit in Utah, Arches National Park is often at the top of the list. However, it is always changing, even if we don't notice. Here are 14 before and after photos that show how much this national park has changed in less than a century.

In 1950, 16,257 people visited the park. By 1959, the annual number was 59,800.

In 2019, a staggering 1,659,702 people visited Arches National Park!

Balanced Rock is an iconic rock formation at Arches. In this photo, you can see a small pillar on the right. It was called "Chip Off The Old Block."

In this photo, "Chip Off The Old Block" is gone. The pillar fell over during the winter of 1975-1976.

The scenic drive is a tour that everyone who visits this national park takes. Here's the narrow dirt road, circa 1950 ...

... and here's the modern, paved one.

This photo of Wall Arch was taken on June 8, 2008.

The Wall Arch collapsed in the middle of the night on August 4, 2008.

Skyline Arch was much smaller than it is now. Here's a photo that was taken before 1940, and you can see a large chunk of rock on the left-hand side of the arch's opening (note the man standing to the right to compare the size of that rock).

In 1940, that huge chunk of rock broke loose and fell, doubling the size of Skyline Arch's opening.

Visitors love to walk underneath Window Arch to marvel at its size and majesty. This photo was taken in 1944.

The increase in visitors over the years led to concern about the delicate environment under the arch. Today, a dedicated pathway exists to keep soil erosion in check.

Here's a before and after that shows almost no change at all over a century! Notice the dead juniper tree in the middle of the photo and the two living juniper trees to the right. This photo was taken in the early 1920s.

Taken nearly 100 years later, this photo shows those juniper trees looking pretty much the same.

While some change in nature happens very slowly, other changes can occur in an instant, and we can see examples of both at one of the best parks in Utah — Arches National Park. When is the last time you visited the park? Has it changed since the first time you saw it? We'd love to read your thoughts in the comments.

As you consider the best national park to visit in Utah, schedule a stay at one of the most stunning parks in the entire world. Three national parks in Utah were ranked as the most beautiful around the globe. Check out this article to learn more.