10 Favorite Day Hikes in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Beyond

These two magnificent parks in southeastern Utah offer a variety of options for those wishing to day hike their trails. Mary Kay and I visited these two parks for four days in mid-March while basing ourselves out of Moab, Utah.

The following is a list (in no particular order) of the ten trails we hiked along with some tips and descriptive information. This is being offered as suggestions to those who may wish to visit in the future and embark on their own day-hiking adventures. Before doing so, however, future hikers should consult the National Parks websites for maps, ratings, and further descriptions as well as updates on road or trail closures.

Arches National Park

1.Delicate Arch (upper viewpoint trail), 1 mile round trip.

This easy trail takes you to a wonderful view from the southern side of the park’s iconic arch (the one you usually see when reading about Arches National Park or on the Utah state’s license plates). When reaching the marked end of the trail, venture a little further to the slickrock ridge line to your right. If you go far enough, you will get a view of the arch with the full blue sky as a background underneath.

2. Delicate Arch (long trail), 3 miles round trip.

This is a very popular trail taking one 1.5 strenuous miles upwards across vast fields of slickrock to a ledge adjacent to the north side of the arch. You will encounter many people on the way up all vying for the view and the narrow shelf of a trail as you near the top. While we were there, a young couple walked out and underneath the arch. He soon got on his knee. While we couldn’t hear him given our distance, it was obvious she said, “Yes!” for they embraced and kissed. The crowd of onlookers roared and clapped for the newly engaged couple.

This friendly raven likes the view as well.

The trail lies atop a long stretch of slickrock.

Petroglyphs greet you at the end of the trail.

3. Broken Arch Loop, 2.25 miles.

Park at the Sand Dunes Arch trailhead. Walk in a counterclockwise direction first visiting Sand Dunes Arch, then Broken Arch, followed by Tapestry Arch. Return by walking thru the campground, then a narrow canyon, before arriving back at the trailhead.

4. Devil’s Garden Loop, 7.5 miles.

After leaving the parking lot and a short detour to the Tunnel and Pine Tree arches, you will arrive at Landscape Arch, with its narrow and skinny “roof”. It’s a wonder that it still stands for it looks like it will collapse at any moment (in fact, the park service no longer allows people from walking underneath it).

From there, head north while taking the side trails to the picturesque Navajo, Partition, and Double O arches. Then, take the primitive trail in a clockwise direction (bypassing the side trail to Private Arch – not worth the trip in our opinion) and head back to the parking lot.

Caution: in wet weather, walk no further than Landscape Arch. With the steep sections of slickrock that are further on, walking on them while they are wet or ice covered would be next to impossible. And some of the sections are dicey even in the bone-dry weather we had. In fact, while traversing a steep section of slickrock on the primitive trail, we almost lost it to an injurious fall. Fortunately, a Good Samaritan of a fellow hiker was nearby. He must have borrowed his sticky soled boots from Spiderman for he was able to easily negotiate the steep ledge up to where we were nervously walking to help us along the way.

5. Windows Area, 1.5 mile loop.

Follow this loop in a counter-clockwise direction while passing Turret Arch and then both North and South Windows Arches. Continue on the easy-to-follow primitive trail to the backside of the Windows where you will be able to place both arches in your camera’s viewfinder. After leaving the parking lot, drive the very short distance to the nearby wayside for tremendous up-close views of Balanced Rock.

6. Park Avenue, 1.8 miles round trip.

As the name suggests, a walk along this trail is like walking down the urban canyons of New York City. Only here, though, rocks and towering fins fill in for the skyscrapers. Watch for the guy standing next to his RV parked nearby on the side of the road, He was wearing only cowboy boots and a camouflage patterned thong, waving to those of us who drove by.

Note that while we were in Arches NP, the Fiery Furnace trail was closed to all hiking. From what is described, this would certainly have been added to the list of the top ten hikes.

Canyonlands National Park – Needles Section

7. Squaw Canyon/Big Springs Canyon, 7.8 mile loop.

Like in many areas of both parks with vast fields of slickrock, you will need to follow the rock cairns to make you way along the trail. This is especially the case with this wonderful loop hike that takes you up one canyon, over a somewhat treacherous, but beautiful pass, then down the next canyon back to the trailhead.

Potholes speckle the tops of slickrock sections providing much needed water for desert wildlife.

Follow the rock cairns to find your way where the trail is not otherwise obvisous.

Canyonlands National Park – Islands in the Sky Section

8. Neck Springs, 5.8 mile loop.

Wonderful loop trail takes you into and out of smaller canyons, some with running springs. Evidence of past ranching activities will be seen. Bonus is where the trail takes you along the edge of the rim to view the Shafer Road and Canyon far below.

9. Grandview, 2.0 miles round trip.

Aptly named, with grand views of the far-off mesas and canyon to the south. Very popular trail – you will not be alone.

10. Mesa Arch, 0.75 mile loop.

Iconic arch in this part of the park. The arche’s opening frames the far-off snow-capped La Sal mountains. If you arrive at sunrise, the morning light will reflect off of the underside of the arch making for a memorable photo.

Farther Afield

If your travels take you southward toward the Arizona border, make sure to stop at Goosenecks State Park and the nearby area of Monument Valley. You will be met with more wonderful sights and spectacular vistas.