Double O Arch

Double O Arch

The trail to Double O Arch is one of the quintessential hikes in Arches National Park, featuring five notable arches along with views of an amazing concentration of sandstone fins, whimsical spires and sculpted knobs.
See Trail Detail/Full Description

• Distance: 5.8 miles (round trip) to Double O Arch
  
• Elevation: 5,150-ft. at Trailhead
  5,510-ft. at Double O Arch
  
• Elevation Gain: 360-ft. to Double O Arch
  
• Difficulty: moderate-strenuous
• More Hikes in:
  Arches / Moab / Southeast Utah

Why Hike Double O Arch

Devil’s Garden is an amazing area of weird and wonderful sandstone arches, fins, spires and knobs. The hike to Double O Arch in Devil’s Garden offers a highlight reel of the area’s most notable arches including Landscape Arch, Navajo Arch and Partition Arch along with Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches.

The first 0.9 miles follows a wide, well graded path to graceful Landscape Arch, passing a side trail with short detours to Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches. Landscape Arch, one of the world’s longest rock spans, is a very popular destination in the park. As a result the initial section of the trail is often quite crowded.

Beyond Landscape Arch the crowds thin as the trail becomes a little more difficult, climbing a slickrock ramp between two sandstone fins to the junction of a spur trail to Navajo and Partition Arches. Less than a mile beyond is photogenic Double O Arch, two arches stacked atop one another. A visit to all the arches is accomplished on a very scenic 5.8 mile round trip hike. The simply out-and-back hike visiting Landscape and Double O Arches, without any detours, is 4.2 miles.

Hikers looking for a longer and more challenging day will want to visit Dark Angel and/or hike the Devils Garden Primitive Trail. Dark Angel, a large sandstone spire with panoramic park views, is less than a half mile to the northwest of Double O. The Primitive Trail, starting near Double O Arch, follows a challenging cairned route through massive sandstone fins, takes a detour to visit Private Arch, travels along the Fin Canyon wash and then traverses open desert back to the main Devils Garden trail.

Be sure to carry plenty of water and get an early start to avoid the worst of the mid-day sun and beat the crowds. During the high seasons the Devils Garden parking area fills early in the day.

Elevation Profile

Trail Resources

Trail Detail/Full Description / Trail Photo Gallery / Trail Map

Basecamp(s) Information:
Arches / Moab

Region Information:
Southeast Utah

Other Hiking Regions in:
Utah