Place

Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trails

A free-standing sandstone arch and other rock features, viewed across a canyon.
Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint is a steep, half-mile (0.8 km) hike to view the arch across a canyon.

NPS/Chris Wonderly

Quick Facts
Location:
Arches National Park
Significance:
geologic feature, trail

Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV, Picnic Shelter/Pavilion, Picnic Table, Restroom, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Trailhead

Delicate Arch is the most famous arch in the park and a must-see for many visitors. View it from a distance at one of two viewpoints, both reachable from this trailhead. 

Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint

  • Roundtrip Distance: 200 ft (61 m) 

  • Time: 5-15 min 

  • Elevation Change: 0 ft (0 m) 

  • Difficulty: Easy 

  • Hike Description: This short, flat trail is the easiest way to see the most famous arch in the park, perched at the top of a distant rock wall.

  • Accessibility: This trail has a level, hardened surface with a wide pathway and is accessible to wheelchairs.

  • Dogs are not allowed on this trail. Service animals are allowed in national parks. What is a service animal? 

Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint

  • Roundtrip Distance: 0.5 mi (0.8 km) 

  • Time: 30-45 min 

  • Elevation Change: 171 ft (52 m) 

  • Difficulty: Moderate 

  • Hike Description: A moderately strenuous trail climbs to the upper viewpoint of Delicate Arch, which sits across a canyon one mile away. You cannot hike to Delicate Arch on this trail; the hike to Delicate Arch begins at Wolfe Ranch. 

  • Accessibility: This trail climbs up slopes and steps and is not accessible to wheelchairs. 

  • Dogs are not allowed on this trail. Service animals are allowed in national parks. What is a service animal? 

In a park with over 2,000 stone arches, this particular free-standing arch has become a widely recognized symbol of the state of Utah and one of the most famous geologic features in the world.

The light opening beneath Delicate Arch is 46 feet high and 32 feet wide, making it the largest free-standing arch in the park. It has had more than a few names in its history, from the colorful ("Cowboy's Chaps", "Old Maid's Bloomers") to the prosaic ("Salt Wash Arch"). The term "delicate" first appeared in a January 1934 article about the Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition, which described it as "the most delicately chiseled arch in the entire area."

Arches National Park

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Last updated: October 10, 2024