Schneider - Hiking Canyonlands and Arches National Parks: a guide to more than 60 great hikes

For twenty years this trail guide has been a cooperative effort between the National Park Service staff at Canyonlands and Arches National Parks and the staff of the Canyonlands Natural History Association. It would be most appropriate to say that it would not have happened without them.

A lot of people have helped me with this book and its revisions, too many to list here, but I would especially like to thank these NPS employees who helped coordinate, research, and review the original guidebook, which was released in 1997Larry Frederick, Bruce McCabe, Aneth Wight, Mary Beth Maynard, Karen Schlom, Gary Cox, Diane Allen, and Fred Patton. Jim Blazak helped make sure we had all updates in the first revision. On the third edition, thanks to Stephen Allen, Cynthia Beyer, Sierra Coon, Dick Toll, and Laura Lusk for helping update the book. And for this, the fourth edition, additional thanks to Nathaniel Clark, Keri Nelson, Will Leggett, and Karen Garthwait.

Also, special thanks to Canyonlands Natural History Association, a wonderful partner. Jean Treadway, Brad Wallis, Gloria Brown, Cindy Hardgrave, and Sam Wainer all helped make this a real partnership in publishing.

For the first edition the staff at Falcon, as always, deserves a big thank-you for putting up with my distractions while researching and writing the book, with special thanks to Randall Green, our guidebook editor; Marita Martiniak, the graphic artist who laid out the book; Noelle Sullivan, the copy editor; and Tony Moore, who did the original maps. For finishing the first revision, thanks to FalconGuides staffers Gillian Belnap, Scott Adams, and Erin Joyce. For this revision, thanks to John Burbidge and the rest of the crew at FalconGuides and Globe Pequot.

REALLY EASY DAY HIKES

Arches: Sand Dune Arch, Park Avenue, Landscape Arch

Island in the Sky: Mesa Arch, Aztec Butte, Whale Rock, White Rim Overlook, Grand View, Upheaval Dome Overlook

Needles: Pothole Point, Cave Spring, The Joint Trail

Maze: The Granary, Colorado / Green River Overlook (to Beehive Arch)

EASY DAY HIKES, BUT NOT TOO EASY

Arches: Broken Arch, Tower Arch

Island in the Sky: Murphy Point, Moses, Fort Bottom

Needles: Slickrock Foot Trail

Maze: Spanish Bottom

MODERATELY DIFFICULT HIKES, BUT NOT TOO DIFFICULT

Arches: Delicate Arch, Devils Garden (to Double O Arch), Fiery Furnace

Island in the Sky: Neck Spring, Lathrop (to canyon rim)

Needles: Squaw Canyon / Big Spring Canyon, Chesler Park Loop, Devils Pocket Loop

Maze: The Great Gallery, Maze Overlook, Colorado / Green River Overlook

LONG, HARD DAY HIKES SO HIKERS CAN EAT ANYTHING THEY WANT FOR DINNER AND NOT FEEL GUILTY

Arches: Devils Garden Primitive Loop

Island in the Sky: Syncline Loop, Murphy Loop, Alcove Spring

Needles: Lost Canyon, Lost Canyon / Elephant Canyon, Druid Arch, Confluence Overlook, Upper Salt Creek

Maze: Harvest Scene

FIRST NIGHT IN THE WILDERNESS

Island in the Sky: Murphy Loop, Upheaval Canyon

Needles: Upper Salt Creek (out-and-back option), Squaw Canyon / Big Spring Canyon, Elephant Hill to Squaw Flat, Chesler Park Loop

Maze: Happy Canyon, Colorado / Green River Overlook

FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

Arches: Devils Garden, Park Avenue, Fiery Furnace, Delicate Arch

Island in the Sky: Murphy Point, Moses, White Rim Overlook, Grand View

Needles: The Joint Trail, Peekaboo, Lost Canyon, Confluence Overlook, Devils Pocket Loop

Maze: Maze Overlook, Harvest Scene, Colorado / Green River Overlook

MULTIDAY BACKCOUNTRY ADVENTURES

Island in the Sky: Alcove Spring / Syncline Loop

Needles: The Big Needles Loop, Chesler Park / Devils Kitchen, Upper Salt Creek

Maze: Harvest Scene

FOR TRAIL RUNNERS AND POWER HIKERS

Island in the Sky: Neck Spring, Lathrop (to canyon rim), Upheaval Canyon

Needles: Squaw Canyon / Big Spring Canyon, Lost Canyon / Elephant Canyon

In many cases, hikers have to navigate backcountry roads to reach trailheads in both ARCHES AND CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARKS, so here is a brief summary of the road conditions, including vehicle requirements.

Arches National Park

WILLOW FLATS

Start: Willow Flats turnoff on the main park road

Distance: 4 miles from paved road to park boundary

Maps: Trails Illustrated Arches National Park and USGS Arches National Park

Permits: No permit required

Minimum vehicle requirements: Low-clearance, four-wheel-drive

Difficulty: Easy

Road conditions: Smooth driving on unpaved surfaces, packed dirt most of the way with a few short rocky sections and possible washouts after rains

Suitability for mountain biking: Moderate; the road can get seriously washboarded

Vehicle campsites: None

SALT VALLEY

Start: Salt Valley turnoff on the main park road

Distance: 9.6 miles from the paved road to park boundary

Maps: Trails Illustrated Arches National Park and USGS Arches National Park

Permits: No permit required

Minimum vehicle requirements: Low-clearance, two-wheel-drive

Difficulty: Easy unless road surface is wet, which makes the road impassable

Road conditions: Smooth driving on unpaved, packed-dirt surface

Suitability for mountain biking: Excellent, although the road can get seriously washboarded

Vehicle campsites: None

Special precautions: Avoid this road after it rains. Sections of clay become seriously slippery when wet.

FOUR-WHEEL-DRIVE ROAD

Start: Salt Valley turnoff on the main park road

Distance: 16.6 miles for entire loop, not including a 3-mile round-trip to Tower Arch

Maps: Trails Illustrated Arches National Park and USGS Arches National Park

Permits: No permit required

Minimum vehicle requirements: High-clearance, four-wheel-drive with low-range gearing

Difficulty: Easy to moderate with one difficult stretch between Salt Valley Road and the Tower Arch turnoff

Road conditions: The road conditions on Salt Valley and Willow Flats Roads are easy, but the connecting road has some difficult stretches. Shortly after turning off the Salt Valley Road, the road goes over a ridge with several tight turns, small ledges, and long rocky sections. Drive this section slowly and carefully.

Suitability for mountain biking: Excellent on Salt Valley Road, but only fair on the four-wheel-drive road and difficult during one long section of loose sand at the 12-mile mark

Vehicle campsites: None.

Special attractions: Tower Arch and the view of the Marching Men from the junction of the four-wheel-drive road and the spur road to Tower Arch