Left Wolfie behind in Kanab while I set off on a driving tour along Southern Utah. Was excited to spend a full day hiking around Arches National Park. Got an early start and watched the sun rise while hiking out to Delicate Arch from Wolfe Ranch. It is a challenging 3 mile roundtrip hike to get to the arch but completely worth it to stand underneath it. It was an exciting morning as there was a proposal under the arch that we all got to cheer on. She said yes and was completely surprised, both of their parents were there to watch.
The sun was rising and so were the temperatures so I loaded up with water and headed to Devils Garden area to hike the Double O trail. The trail passes plenty of arches, the first of which is Landscape Arch, the longest arch in the park. If not up for the rock scrambles I suggest turning back at Landscape Arch and catching Pine Tree and Tunnel Arch on the way back.
If you make it past the first major rock scramble there is a side trail to reach Navajo Arch and Partition Arch. Pictured below is Navajo Arch which you can walk under and enjoy some shade.
The first turn off the side trail is to Partition Arch which was one of my favorites, providing a window to the valley below.
The Double O Arch trail is over four miles out and back. There is also an option for a loop by adding the Primitive Trail portion which I wasn’t interested in as I heard it was easy to get lost and didn’t add much more scenery. The Double O Trail is challenging in sections and has some narrow ridges that you have to make your way along.
I arrived at Double O Arch a little after lunchtime so I climbed through the bottom arch and climbed up to a nice spot in the shade to eat a PB&J while I enjoyed the view through the arch. There were plenty of others also enjoying a rest in the shade. When I got back to my truck the temperature was over 100 degrees.
On the way back to the trailhead at Devils Garden I took the side trails to Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch.
There is plenty of amazing scenery that can be viewed from the roads. I was happy to be in the air conditioned truck to recover after the long hike. On my way back to the entrance I stopped at Balance Rock for a short hike around it.
The final stop of my day was back up to the Windows Section as the sun was really warming things up. This is a really amazing section of arches that are a lot more accessible via easier and shorter hiking trails. The first stop on a loop trail is Turret Arch.
I then hiked up and under both North and South Window Arches.
I crossed back through the parking lot and down to Double Arch which was another one of my favorites.
As I was accustomed to living in cramped spaces, I found a tiny home in Moab which was my base of operations as I visited Arches, Canyonlands, and Mesa Verde each day. You can find it on Airbnb if you are looking for a place to stay.
