Double Arch Trail Short Easy Hike to Spectacular Arch

Visiting Arches National Park in Utah I knew I would see some beautiful rock arches, but I didn’t envision the immensity of these natural wonders. A few miles from Moab Utah, there are over 2,000 sandstone arches in this amazing national park.

More than 1.5 million people visited Arches National Park in 2018.

While visiting Utah for a few weeks I visited all five national parks in the state – Arches National Park is not to be missed! Read my 1 day itinerary for Arches National Park.

This article is all about Double Arch – the tallest arch in Arches National Park.

 

 

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Driving from Moab to Arches National Park only takes 10 – 15 minutes depending on where you are staying in Moab. There is also a paved bicycle path to the park from Moab.

You can also ride throughout the park but there are no bicycle lanes on the roadways in Arches park.

About Double Arch Trail

• Distance: .5 mile round trip
• Type of hike: Out and back
• Difficulty: Easy
• Elevation gain: Negligible
• Time: Allow 20 – 30 minutes

Double Arch trail is more of a walk than a hike, but you can climb up the rocks underneath the arches for something a little more challenging. And the views from under the arch are amazing!

Remember that you are not allowed to climb on any of the named arches in Arches National Park.

At 112 ft (33 m) Double Arch is the tallest arch in all of Arches National Park. And the larger of the two arches is the 3^rd longest in the park – 144 ft (49 m) so you don’t want to miss this one.

But don’t confuse Double Arch with Double O Arch which is located further away in the Devils Garden area of the park.

 

 

National Park Stickers are a great gift idea for the adventurer on your shopping list!

 

 

How Are Double Arches Formed?

Double arches are formed from potholes – water erosion from atop the sandstone while most arches are formed from water erosion on the sides of the sandstone.

 

 

Best Time to See Double Arch

I don’t think there is ever a bad time to visit Double Arch. But it also depends on whether you want some solitude or don’t mind a bunch of other people around.

I visited just after sunrise and again about an hour before sunset.

Best bet for some alone time at Double Arch is very early in the morning – right around sunrise is perfect.

There will likely be other people in the parking lot, but most seem to gravitate to the Windows Arch Trail and Turret Arch.

 

 

It’s actually better to have some people around Double Arch when you take photos of the arch. Because then you can show a sense of scale – check out the photo below.

My earlier photo with no people looks beautiful but you have no idea how immense the Double Arch is until you look at the photo with the people. They look so tiny under the arches!

 

 

Getting to Double Arch

From Moab it takes about 30 minutes to drive to Double Arch trailhead. There is a fee for entering Arches National Park. It’s best to pay online before you get to the park in order to save time.

A few times a year all of the USA National Parks offer FREE entry – get info on fees and free days here.

Directions to Double Arch from Moab

• Take Main St (Hwy US-191) north and drive 5 miles
• Turn right at the entrance to Arches National Park and continue for 10 miles (16 km)
• Turn right at Windows Rd (sign for Window Arch) and continue for 1.8 miles (3 km)

Get your map of Arches National Park now!

Parking

The Parking lot for Double Arch is the same one as Window Arches.

But if the first section of the parking lot is full, keep driving around to the overflow parking lot which is actually closer to Double Arch.

If both parking lots are full you can circle around until a spot becomes available.

 

 

Double Arch Trailhead

The trailhead to Double Arch is located at the second section of the Window Arch parking lot.

You can see the arch from the trailhead – it’s not a great viewing point to see the arch but you can make it out from the sidewalk.

 

 

Other Hikes Close By

Take the Primitive Trail to North Window, South Window, and Turret Arch.

Or take the shorter trail that leads directly to the Window Arches trail and Turret Arch. Read my post about 5 easy hikes at Arches National Park with more info on these trails.

Get your guide to the USA National Parks and start exploring.

 

 

Summary of Double Arch

This short easy hike is a must do activity in Arches National Park for people of all ages and abilities. It won’t take you more than 30 minutes to walk to the arches and spend some time admiring these magnificent sculptures of nature.

Afterwards you can visit the Window Arches and Turret Arch from the same parking lot.

Enjoy your visit to Arches National Park and have fun exploring the United States!

 

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