Distance (round-trip)
3.2 mi
Time
1.5 hrs
Elevation Gain
670 ft
Season
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Weather
–
3.2 mi
1.5 hrs
670 ft
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
–
Delicate Arch is one of the most famous arch formations in the country, and the trail to it is one of the most popular routes in Arches National Park. The Arch is on Utah license plates and is one of the most enduring symbols of the American West – but its popularity should not dissuade you from hiking this trail. Not only is the 65 foot tall arch significantly more impressive in person, but the trail to reach it is one of the most well-designed trails I have had the pleasure of hiking.
The trail begins at a large parking area near Wolfe Ranch. The historic ranch buildings are visible from the parking area and easily reached by a short side trail that departs from the Delicate Arch Trail itself. It’s definitely worth a visit – Civil War Veteran John Wesley Wolfe and his son moved here and built a one-room cabin near Salt Wash, where they raised cattle for about a decade. In 1906, Wolfe’s daughter and her family joined them – and demanded a new cabin be built with proper wood floors.
They lived in this spot for a few more years before packing up and returning to Ohio. The buildings are still in surprisingly good condition. You can view but not enter the cabin and store cellar and try to imagine what it was like to live here for so many years.
On some maps and park information, the cabin is called the Turnbow Cabin – named for a USGS geographer who was responsible for the first detailed maps of the area. Newer maps properly attribute the buildings to the Wolfe family.
Across Salt Wash are a few Ute hunting pictographs in excellent condition. Cross the Wash on the bridge and take a left on the wide dirt path. At the 0.2 mile mark, you’ll reach the rock wall and be able to see the rock art fairly up-close.
It should go without saying, but don’t touch or mark the rock art or historic structures.
Follow the trail east along the rock wall for another tenth of a mile until it re-joins the main trail. Here, the route makes a short steep incline atop the rock wall, then turns east before leveling off and dropping back down to its previous elevation.
The landscape here is – for lack of a better word – stunning. The landscape here curves and bends its way through millions of years of differently-colored geologic history all on view at once. Add some clear blue skies for contrast and you’ll find it very difficult to put your camera down for more than a few minutes.
After dropping back down again, the trail climbs a short stone staircase and drops you off at the base of a long slickrock incline. From here, you’ll be keeping your eye out for rock cairns to mark the way, but if you ever get confused just remember: “Go up.”
And while you’re gaining elevation, don’t forget to occasionally look back to take in the whole landscape of Arches.
Just before the 1.2 mile mark, continue following the cairns as they wind through a small grove of stunted junipers – after which you’ll meander through the stone in a narrow wash.
At this point, the trail travels on the north side of another long rock wall – this one much taller than the one at the start of the trail.
The route here is a little more defined – with stairways cut into the rock and the path defined to a narrow ridgeway that winds along the rock wall. As you hike here, be sure to pay attention to the shapes of the rocks around you – you may be able to spot some other arches, natural bridges, or the earliest beginnings of either of those on the other side of the small valley to your north.
The trail narrows and hugs a steep ridge in the shadow of the rock wall and then – seemingly out of nowhere – the rock wall to your right drops away and reveals Delicate Arch to you, with the distant La Sal Mountains in the background.
The effect is so sudden and so shocking that seeing Delicate Arch hits you pretty hard. I definitely gasped when I turned that final corner – and I enjoyed the moment so much that I sat down nearby to watch other hikers’ expressions as they made the same discovery I did. Hiking conversations stopped dead in their tracks when people first laid their eyes on the Arch, replaced only with silence, slack jaws, and the occasional exclamation of wonder.
Don’t be surprised if the moment brings a tear or two to your eye.
It is possible to walk up to the Arch itself, although climbing or scrambling any named arch inside Arches National Park is strictly prohibited.
I recommend going to see it up-close for yourself, or at the very least sitting back and enjoying others visit instead just for a taste of perspective. The Arch is a lot bigger than you’d think if all you’ve seen are photos and license plates.
Take as many photos as you’d like with the Arch, but make sure to leave some time to just sit in silence and appreciate this landscape’s tremendous and extremely temporary moment of beauty.
Return back the way you came.
Very good. This is a popular trail and very well-traveled. Once you pass the Turnbow Cabin, much of the route is on slickrock and is marked by cairns. The trail is fairly easy to follow but steep in some parts. Caution should be exercised if you're hiking during the winter and there's ice on the rocks.
Arches National Park only has one campground - Devil's Garden - which is almost always booked to capacity during the busy season (March-October). Reserve well in advance of your trip or consider some of the many BLM and privately-owned camp sites near Moab.
From Moab, head north on US-191 for 4.6 miles to the Arches National Park entrance. Turn right onto Arches Entrance Road, pay your entrance fee, and in 0.8 miles continue on Arches Scenic Drive. In 11.5 miles, turn right onto Delicate Arch Road. In 1.2 miles, you'll see a parking area at the trailhead.
8 Comments
I appreciated your blogs on the best hikes in Arches. Just got back from a week in Moab, and totally enjoyed Devils Garden and the trail to Delicate Arch. Your descriptions helped me better prepare for what I was getting in to. Thanks!
"Carry water when it's hot in the summer" falls under the realm of very basic outdoor guidelines that we consider de facto implied on every hike. If we started every single trail with a laundry list of basic rules that apply to everything else, we'd never get to the good stuff! Plus, that message is pretty clear throughout Arches NP.
Interesting you didn't mention how critical it is to carry water on this hike. Saw several unprepared tourist types with heat stroke issues hiking this trail in summer. Go early. Carry lots of water. This hike is not as easy as you let on.
Totally! It's very much a tourist trail and there are definitely folks who are not prepared to hike it -- but the trail itself is just so dang beautiful that I really think it's worth fighting the crowds.
And we loved Newspaper Rock - we stopped by on our way into Needles (which we also really dug!).
Hiked this trail last summer! Phenomenal views. Definitely had to take a lot of panoramic shots because the 4x6 was just not doing it justice. I was shocked how many people were taking on the trail in sandals or with little to no water — it was mid-July!
As far as those petroglyphs go, just an hour or so drive away, entering the Needles section of Canyonlands is Newspaper Rock. Just COVERED in ancient rock art.
I remember that walk like it was yesterday, in reality it was 25 years ago. Thanks Casey.
With recent wildfire damage and ongoing waves of COVID-19 infections and restrictions, National Forest, National Park, and other public land closures, restrictions, or social distancing guidelines may be in-effect.
If infection rates are on the rise, please do your best to remain local for your hikes. If you do travel, please be mindful of small gateway communities and avoid as much interaction as you can. Also remember to be extra prepared with supplies so you don't have to stop somewhere outside your local community for gas, food, or anything else.
Please be sure to contact the local land management agency BEFORE you head out, as these conditions are likely to change without enough notice for us to fully stay on top of them. Thanks, and stay safe!
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