3 Miles Roundtrip

Difficult & Steep Hike on Sandstone to an Incredible & Iconic Arch

Although the way to Delicate Arch is grueling at 3 miles roundtrip with a steady climb of 480 feet, it is absolutely well worth the near vertical trek up the exposed sandstone.

Don’t forget to take only baby steps the entire way up, it’s the key to steep hiking. Near the end of the trail there’s a little sandstone window you can scramble up to if you’re brave enough that affords you a gorgeous view of the arch from a different angle than most people see.

Also, be sure and check out the petroglyphs on the rocks near the start of the trail and the old cabin.

If the parking lot is full or you’re very short on time and you just want to get a little glimpse of the big amazing Utah license plate adorning arch, you can drive past the main lot and head to the secondary lot down the road. There you can park and walk in the opposite direction (east) or pop the curb and drive down the 4WD road to the lookout point that affords you a view of the amazing arch from below. Just make sure you have a good zoom lens or some binoculars.