Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trails

No permit or access details on file for this trail — check with the local land manager before you go.

<p>Delicate Arch is the most famous arch in the park and a must-see for many visitors. View it from a distance at one of two viewpoints, both reachable from this trailhead. </p> <h4><strong>Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint</strong></h4> <ul role="list"> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="1" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{fb07d62e-0c48-4df7-bd88-44c8768f07f8}{134}" paraid="1735915789"><strong>Roundtrip Distance</strong>: 200 ft (61 m) </p> </li> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{fb07d62e-0c48-4df7-bd88-44c8768f07f8}{143}" paraid="981612465"><strong>Time</strong>: 5-15 min </p> </li> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="3" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{fb07d62e-0c48-4df7-bd88-44c8768f07f8}{152}" paraid="1219746200"><strong>Elevation Change</strong>: 0 ft (0 m) </p> </li> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="4" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{fb07d62e-0c48-4df7-bd88-44c8768f07f8}{161}" paraid="1867982718"><strong>Difficulty</strong>: Easy </p> </li> </ul> <ul role="list"> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="1" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{fb07d62e-0c48-4df7-bd88-44c8768f07f8}{170}" paraid="1427934927"><strong>Hike Description</strong>: This short, flat trail is the easiest way to see the most famous arch in the park, perched at the top of a distant rock wall.</p> </li> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{fb07d62e-0c48-4df7-bd88-44c8768f07f8}{181}" paraid="659824181"><strong>Accessibility</strong>: This trail has a level, hardened surface with a wide pathway and is accessible to wheelchairs.</p> </li> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="3" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{fb07d62e-0c48-4df7-bd88-44c8768f07f8}{190}" paraid="2001023096">Dogs are not allowed on this trail. Service animals are allowed in national parks. <a href="https://cms.nps.gov/planyourvisit/service-animals.htm">What is a service animal?</a> </p> </li> </ul> <h4>Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint</h4> <ul role="list"> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="4" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{fb07d62e-0c48-4df7-bd88-44c8768f07f8}{211}" paraid="1022007560"><strong>Roundtrip Distance</strong>: 0.5 mi (0.8 km) </p> </li> </ul> <ul role="list"> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="1" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{fb07d62e-0c48-4df7-bd88-44c8768f07f8}{220}" paraid="1149001407"><strong>Time</strong>: 30-45 min </p> </li> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="2" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{fb07d62e-0c48-4df7-bd88-44c8768f07f8}{229}" paraid="751720989"><strong>Elevation Change</strong>: 171 ft (52 m) </p> </li> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="3" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{fb07d62e-0c48-4df7-bd88-44c8768f07f8}{238}" paraid="653246595"><strong>Difficulty</strong>: Moderate </p> </li> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="4" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{fb07d62e-0c48-4df7-bd88-44c8768f07f8}{247}" paraid="128509972"><strong>Hike Description</strong>: A moderately strenuous trail climbs to the upper viewpoint of Delicate Arch, which sits across a canyon one mile away. <em>You cannot hike to Delicate Arch on this trail</em>; the hike to Delicate Arch begins at Wolfe Ranch. </p> </li> <li aria-setsize="-1" data-aria-level="4" data-aria-posinset="5" data-font="Symbol" data-leveltext="" data-listid="5" role="listitem"> <p paraeid="{edab8278-0fbd-4351-954a-8493e494c6fe}{3}" paraid="1601672769"><strong>Accessibility</strong>: This trail climbs up slopes and steps and is not accessible to wheelchairs. </p> </li> <li paraeid="{edab8278-0fbd-4351-954a-8493e494c6fe}{12}" paraid="1557180117">Dogs are not allowed on this trail. Service animals are allowed in national parks. <a href="https://cms.nps.gov/planyourvisit/service-animals.htm">What is a service animal? </a></li> </ul> <p paraeid="{edab8278-0fbd-4351-954a-8493e494c6fe}{12}" paraid="1557180117">In a park with over 2,000 stone arches, this particular free-standing arch has become a widely recognized symbol of the state of Utah and one of the most famous geologic features in the world.</p> <p>The light opening beneath Delicate Arch is 46 feet high and 32 feet wide, making it the largest free-standing arch in the park. It has had more than a few names in its history, from the colorful ("Cowboy's Chaps", "Old Maid's Bloomers") to the prosaic ("Salt Wash Arch"). The term "delicate" first appeared in a January 1934 article about the Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition, which described it as "the most delicately chiseled arch in the entire area."</p>