BEDH_CanyonArch

Finding the trailhead: Drive 11.7 miles north into the park on the main road until you see the right-hand turn to Delicate Arch and Wolfe Ranch. Turn right and drive another 1.2 miles to the parking area on your left (north). Look to your right for a lot for oversize vehicles. GPS: 38° 44' 7.703" N / 109° 31' 14.941" W

The Hike

If you’ve ever seen a postcard or poster of Arches National Park, you’ve probably seen Delicate Arch. This amazing arch has become the symbol of Arches National Park, which is somewhat surprising because it’s barely visible from the road.

You have three options for viewing this magnificent natural feature. You can take a 1.5-mile trail (3 miles round-trip), which goes right under the arch; you can go to the Delicate Arch Viewpoint; or you can take a 5-minute walk to a closer viewpoint. If you choose the hiking option, be aware that the trail to Delicate Arch is not a stroll. This is a real hike, and you should be prepared. Bring extra water (a minimum of one quart per person), wear good hiking shoes, and try to avoid the midday heat. You’re often walking on slickrock following cairns much of the way, and there’s little shade. The NPS describes the trail as “strenuous,” and it truly can be for the inexperienced, poorly conditioned hiker, especially on a hot summer day. So be prepared.

If you decide to see the famous arch from the viewpoint instead of taking the hike, you have to keep driving past the Wolfe Ranch Trailhead for another 1.2 miles to the Delicate Arch Viewpoint Parking Area.

At the Wolfe Ranch Trailhead, you can see the remains of the historic Wolfe Ranch, settled in 1888 and sold by John Wolfe in 1910. Shortly after leaving the trailhead, you cross over Salt Wash on a sturdy new bridge. Right after the bridge you might notice a large pile of “green stuff” on your right. This is volcanic ash with a high iron content that has gone through a chemical process that gives it this greenish cast.

Just after the bridge you can take a short side trip to the left to a Ute petroglyph panel. This is well worth adding a quarter mile to your trip.

During the first part of the hike, watch for collared lizards. These large lizards can run on their hind feet when chasing prey.

For the first half mile or so, you hike on a wide, well-defined, mostly level trail, probably the best trail you’ve ever been on. Then the excellent trail disappears, and you start a gradual ascent to Delicate Arch. Most of the rest of the trip is on slickrock, so be alert. You have to follow cairns the rest of the way, and sometimes the “cairns” are only one rock.

As you get closer to Delicate Arch, you can see Frame Arch off to your right. This arch forms a perfect “frame” for a photograph of Delicate Arch. If you decide to climb up this short, steep slope to get that photograph, be careful.

Just before you get to Delicate Arch, the trail goes along a ledge for about 200 yards. This section of trail was blasted out of the cliff, and you can still see the bore holes in the rock. If you have children with you, watch them carefully in this section. Just after the ledge ends, you see Delicate Arch with its huge opening (33 feet wide and 45 feet high). You can take an awe-inspiring walk down to right below the arch, but you might ruin somebody’s photo. A shot of Delicate Arch with the often snowcapped La Sal Mountains as a backdrop must be one of those photos every professional photographer has to have in his or her file, so shutterbugs are usually setting up tripods for the grand view.

When you finally come around the corner and see the full breadth of Delicate Arch, you’ll know why this is such a classic hike, perhaps the best in Arches National Park. And definitely one of the most popular. Thousands of people take this hike every year.

If you prefer the less strenuous option for seeing Delicate Arch, drive past the Wolfe Ranch Parking Area and go another 1.2 miles. From the parking area take one of two short walks—a short (0.5-mile) trail to the top of a small ridge where you can look north for a good view of Delicate Arch, or an even shorter trail to a different viewpoint. These views don’t quite compare with being right there, but they’re still awe-inspiring.

The first part of the longer viewpoint trail is well defined, but the last part goes over slickrock marked by cairns. There is no sign marking the end of the trail, but you’ll know when to stop. At the end of the trail, you’re at the edge of a steep cliff that drops down into Winter Camp Wash. You can’t hike to the arch from this point.