Devil's Garden and Primitive Loop

See eight arches along the longest maintained trail in Arches National Park.

Trail description

One reason Arches National Park has so many stone arches is that there are thousands of rock fins created by erosion of long fins in the Entrada Sandstone. In a few places wind, moisture, and freezing/thawing have worn holes in the fins, which formed the arches we see today. The Devil’s Garden Trail begins by threading its way between two of these fins, then for most of this hike, the trail wanders between, over, and along more fins that make up the area known as Devil’s Garden.

At about 0.25 mile, you reach a junction where you go left to Landscape Arch (or continue straight if you want to go to Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches). After the junction, the trail goes through another narrow slot, climbs a bit, and crosses a sandy slope, where the returning Primitive Loop Trail comes in from the right. This trail description is for hiking the loop clockwise, so go straight towards Landscape Arch.

Landscape Arch

Landscape Arch does not seem possible. With a 306-foot span (93.3 m), it is the longest arch in North America. And it’s an unbelievable 11 feet thick at its narrowest, most fragile point. In 1991 several visitors witnessed erosion in action—a 60-foot-long, 8-foot-wide, 4.5-foot-thick slab (estimated at 180 tons) fell off the bottom of the arch, causing the Park Service to close the trail under the arch.

After spending time looking at this truly astounding feature, continue along the trail to Double O Arch (1.2 miles), which climbs a sandstone spine out of the small basin containing Landscape Arch. If heights don’t bother you, it’s possible to walk back along the top of a narrow fin and get a great view of Landscape Arch below. A few hundred feet from the top of the spine, the junction with the trail to Navajo and Partition Arches comes in from the left. These two arches are much more intimate than Landscape Arch (Navajo may remind you of a grotto), and either one provides shade for cooling down on a hot summer day. Hiking to these arches is included in the total distance for this trail.

Continuing on to Double O Arch (0.9 mile), the trail wanders across a shallow basin crisscrossed by the tops of sandstone fins poking out of the sand. The trail then climbs to the top of the highest fin in the area, where you are treated to great views of the surrounding countryside, including Salt Valley immediately south, the Book Cliffs to the north, and in the hazy distance towards the southwest, the Henry Mountains near Hanksville, Utah. The Abajo Mountains are also visible due south and the ever present La Sals are to the east. After a few hundred feet, the trail drops abruptly off the fin, which requires a real stretch at one point to reach the ground.

Double O Arch

The trail traverses along the base of a sandstone fin, and at the end cuts left; Double O Arch becomes visible. The arch is on the southern side of a small valley that the trail drops into. You can climb up a short slickrock ramp and walk through the lower opening. There are lots of nooks and crannies and a variety of different views of this unusual arch, so plan on spending some time here.

The sign for the trails to Dark Angel and the Primitive Loop is close to the base of Double O Arch. Watch for it, because it’s not as obvious as other signs along the trail. The trail to Dark Angel is roughly 0.75 mile roundtrip (included in total distance for this trail). It crosses an open sandy area and ends at the base of Dark Angel, a tall sandstone pillar visible from Double O Arch.

Primitive Loop

The Primitive Loop Trail begins by dropping down a small drainage that cuts through numerous fins. The landscape is more open, and because the trail crosses rather than follows the fins, it is quite different from the first section. Parts of this trail require some mild scrambling.

About a half-mile from Double O Arch, you come to a junction where the trail for Private Arch comes in from the right. It is indeed private; it’s cut through the bottom of a fin and tucked between two other fins that loom nearby. During the afternoon, the sun hits the wall of the northern fin, reflecting a warm golden light onto the arch and the shaded wall surrounding it.

After the junction with the Private Arch Trail, the main trail drops back into the drainage and goes down it for a quarter-mile. It then climbs out of the drainage and goes through a very narrow slot with a jumble of boulders. Afterwards, it crosses over a low fin. Where it drops off the north side can truly be called slickrock—it’s been polished by people sliding down to reach a pile of stacked rocks at the bottom.

Next, the trail dumps you into another drainage. And in another few hundred feet, it makes a hard right (look for the trail and possibly a cairn), and begins to climb up a long sandy slope. When you reach the top, you are treated to a view of the La Sal Mountains in the distance and jagged fins in the foreground. The trail levels off and crosses a sandy bench to rejoin the trail to Landscape Arch. Go right at the junction to return to the trailhead.

Directions

From Moab, drive north on U.S. Highway 191 about 5 miles to the entrance for Arches National Park, then drive 18 miles to the end of the main park road. The trail begins near the two restrooms.