Essentials For Exploring Arches
National Park: Each year, park rangers respond to dozens of search of
rescue incidents in the park, many of which involve heat exhaustion and/or
dehydration or improper footwear. Always carry (and drink) water! Even the
shortest stroll will make you thirsty on a 100 degree day. One gallon per
person per day is recommended for longer hikes. Water available only at
the visitor center and at Devils Garden Campground.
Wear sturdy shoes with enough tread
to give you good traction. Do not hike in leather-soled shoes or boots.
Some trails cover uneven terrain and follow rock ledges.
Protect your skin with a hat,
long-sleeved shirt, and sunscreen! There is little in the desert. The sun
is intense year round and can easily burn your skin, especially in the
summer.
Hiking
Trails Available In Arches National Park
Easy
Trails
Desert
Nature Trail
Start:
Arches Visitor Center
Length:
0.2 mile round trip
Time:
15 to 30 minutes
Discover
the adaptations of plants and animals in the desert on a self-guided
nature walk. Tail guide available at the trail head.
Balanced
Rock
Start:
Balanced Rock parking area
Length:
0.3 mile round trip
Time:
15 to 30 minutes
A
loop trail at the base of a fragile, picturesque rock formation.
The
Windows
Start:
Windows parking area
Length:
1 mile round trip
Time:
30 to 60 minutes
A
gentle climb up a gravel lop trail leads to three massive arches (North
and South Windows and Turret Arch). An alternate return, slightly longer,
is by way of the primitive loop around the back of the two Windows. The
primitive loop trail starts at the South Window viewpoint.
Double
Arch
Start:
Double Arch parking area
Length:
0.5 mile round trip
Time:
15 to 30 minutes
A
relatively flat, sandy trail leads to the base of two giant arch spans
which are joined at one end.
Delicate
Arch Viewpoint
Start:
Delicate Arch viewpoint parking area
Length:
100 yards round trip
Time:
10 to 15 minutes
In
addition to the short accessible trail, another (moderately strenuous)
hiking trail climbs 0.5 mile toward Delicate Arch and ends at the rim of a
steep canyon that separates the viewpoint from the arch. (This is not the
popular trail to Delicate Arch, which starts at the Wolfe Ranch parking
area.)
Sane
Dune Arch
Start:
Sand Dune Arch parking area
Length:
0.4 mile round trip
Time:
15 to 30 minutes
Trail
leads through deep sand to a secluded arch among sandstone fins. DO NOT
CLIMB OR JUMP OFF THE ARCH.
Broken
Arch
Start:
Sand Dune Arch parking area or Devils Garden campground across from
campsite #40
Length:
1.2 miles round trip; 2 miles including the loop
Time:
30 to 60 minutes
From
the Sand Dune Arch parking area, the trail cuts across a large meadow to
the arch and continues to the campground. Loop trail leads through fin
canyons with sand dunes and slickrock.
Skyline
Arch
Start:
Skyline Arch parking area
Length:
0.4 mile round trip
Time:
10 to 20 minutes
A
short hike on a flat, well-defined trail. On a cold November night in
1940, a large chunk fell out of the arch, instantly doubling the size of
its opening.
Landscape
Arch
Start:
The Devils Garden trailhead parking area
Length:
2 miles round trip
Time:
30 to 60 minutes
A
relatively flat, gravel-surfaced trail (usually heavily populated with
hikers) leads to a spectacular ribbon of rock, whose span is more than a
football field in length. Short side trips to Tunnel and Pine Tree
Arches. Trail guide available at trailhead.
Moderate
Hiking Trails
Park
Avenue
Start:
Park Avenue parking area
End:
Courthouse Towers parking area
Length:
1 mile one way
Time:
30 to 60 minutes
Elevation
Change: 320 feet
From
Park Avenue parking area, the trail descends steeply into a spectacular
canyon and continues down the wash to Courthouse Towers. If you have a
shuttle driver, you can begin at one point and be picked up at the other.
For round -trip hiking, re-trace your step along the trail rather than
walk along the park road.
Tower
Arch
Start:
Klondike Bluffs parking area, via the Salt Valley Road
Length:
3.4 miles round trip
Time:
2 to 3 hours
The
trail climbs a steep, but short, rock wall, cuts across a valley and then
meanders through sandstone fins and sand dunes. An alternate, shorter
trail (0.3 mil one way), begins at the west side of Tower Arch. This
unpaved road washes out quickly in rainstorms; inquire at the visitors
center about the road conditions before heading out.
Strenuous
Trails
Delicate
Arch
Start:
Wolfe Ranch parking area
Length:
3 mile round trip
Time:
2 to 3 hours
Elevation
Change: 480 feet
Take
at least a quart of water per person! There is no shade. open slickrock
with some exposure to heights. The first half-mile is wide, well-defined
trail. Upon reaching the slickrock, follow the rock cairns. The trail
climbs gradually and levels out toward the top of the rock face. Just
before you get to Delicate Arch, the trail goes along a rock ledge for
about 200 yards.
Fiery
Furnace (Fee Area)
Any
visitor entering the Fiery Furnace must obtain a ticket for a
ranger-guided hike or a hiking permit at the visitors center.
Guided
hikes are offered daily (April Through October) through this trail-less
area. Reservations are required and tickets must be purchased in person at
the visitors center (up to seven days in advance). These popular hikes may
fill one to two days in advance. Group size is ten people. If there are
more than ten in your group, you may request a special walk. It is
recommended that such requests be made four weeks in advance. The Fiery
Furnace is a maze like labyrinth of narrow sandstone canyons. These 2 to 3
hour hikes wind through terrain that occasionally requires the use of
hands and feet to scramble up through narrow cracks and along narrow
ledges above drop-offs.
Devils
Garden (including primitive loop trail)
Start:
Devils Garden Trailhead parking area
Length:
7.2 miles round trip, including all spur trails to points of interest
Time:
3 to 5 hours
Longest
of the maintained trails in the parks, Devils Garden Trail leads to eight
awe-inspiring arches. Expect narrow ledges with rocky surface hiking and
scrambling on slickrock. Not recommended when rock is wet or snowy. Trail
guide available at trailhead.
Double
O Arch
Start:
Devils Garden Trailhead parking area
Length:
4 miles
Time:
2 to 3 hours
Beyond
Landscape Arch. the trail becomes more challenging as it climbs over
sandstone slabs; footing is rocky; there are narrow ledges with exposures
to heights. Spur trails lead to Partition and Navajo Arches Dark Angel is
one-half mile farther. Trail guide available at trailhead.
