Hiking at Arches National Park Rocks!

Arches National Park is one of our most favorite places to hike. We visit this park on our Best of the West and Grand Canyon and the Wild West tours. We never grow tired of the unique wind and sand carved rock formations, and of course, the fabulous arches!

Arches is home to more than 2,000 natural arches of all shapes and sizes. Our favorite section to hike in is the Devil’s Garden area which has a high concentration of large arches including the world’s largest arch, Landscape Arch.

Along this trail, you’ll also hike past Pine Tree, Tunnel, Navajo, Partition, Double O, and the remains of Wall Arch, which fell in August of 2008.

The trails in Devil’s Garden are a lot of fun. Out and back to Double O Arch is fairly easy as there isn’t a lot of gain in elevation, but the trails are little technical. Uneven rocks and sandstone fins make it necessary to do some fun scrambling. Make it a loop around the Primitive Trail and you’ll find even more scrambling and a few more hidden arches!

We also love the Windows area which has shorter and easier trails, but equally as beautiful. You’ll love standing under the giant Double Arch and walking right up to Turret, Keyhole and the North and South Windows.

In the spring months we see quite a few wildflowers and blooming cactus, but anytime is a good time to spot a leopard lizard or a desert cottontail.

We’ve hiked this trail dozens and dozens of times, but manage to see something new each time. Come hike it with us on our Grand Canyon and the Wild West tours!

It’s extremely important to stay on the trail while hiking in Arches and throughout Utah. Cryptobiotic crust abounds, which is a combination of fungi, bacteria, and plants that form colonies which help to feed other plants and old moisture in the ground. Without it, the West would be one big sand pile! So please, stick to the trail and hike on rocks only. It takes decades for it to recover.

Be safe, stay on the trail, and enjoy this beautiful park!