Hiking the Famous Devils Garden Trail in Arches National Park

The Devils Garden Trail is a wonderous hike in Arches National Park that takes you to see an array of different arches as well as other amazing geological features. The entire Devils Garden Trail is 7.9 miles (12.7 km) long and is rated as strenuous. Occasionally I disagree with trail ratings but I do agree that The Devils Garden Trail should be marked as strenuous. The reason being is that during the hike the National Parks Service website notes that you’ll encounter “narrow ledges, steep exposures, uneven surfaces, rock scrambling, and few trail markers. Avoid when rock is wet or icy.” The average time it takes to complete the entire trail is between 3 and 5 hours. When I hiked this trail I did 5.5 miles of the 7.9 miles and it took me 2 hours. Along the trail there are many notable arches to see which makes it easy to plan your hike. Essentially you can choose an arch to hike to and then turn around if you don’t want to hike the entire length of the trail.

To begin The Devils Garden Trail you’re going to park at the trailhead which is along the main park road. The signage is very clear to get to the parking area so there is little chance for error. There is plenty of parking but during the busy season these spots will fill up quickly. Upon leaving the parking area the first arches you will reach are Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch which are about a half a mile into the trail. These arches are both located on a small side trail off of the main trail and some hikers choose to skip past them. I hiked over to see both since I didn’t want to miss out. Both arches were awesome but I particularly liked Pine Tree Arch. I was more drawn to this arch because it was sort of tucked away in the corner and no one else was there. This arch was smaller than the arches further down the trail but it was one of my favorites because it was a natural frame for the landscape behind.

The next arch I arrived at was Landscape Arch. This arch is so thin with such a large expanse that it looks like it will break at any moment, the arch is thread like. Roundtrip the hike from the trailhead to Landscape Arch is 1.8 miles (2.9 km). This is a popular place to turn around at since the trail gets pretty strenuous beyond this arch. This portion of the trail was the most crowded section that I encountered for the duration of the hike so this was a good spot to walk slowly and have a snack since my pace was cut in half.

I chose to continue the hike beyond landscape arch. The images above show what the trail conditions are like. If it is wet or icy turn back or proceed with extreme caution. The trail follows the tops of rock formations called “fins” protruding out from the ground. These fins are created by erosion. The formations create a trail that has steep drop offs on either side so those who are afraid of heights may choose not to continue. If you are fearful of heights but can muster the courage to continue on safely I recommend it. Of all the arches along the trail the one that I have chosen as my favorite is past this portion of the trail.

Next to Landscape arch on the left of the trail are two small side trails, less than .3 miles/.5 km, that take you to Navajo Arch and Partition Arch. Partition Arch is visible from the main trail however if you want to see Navajo Arch you will have to hike the small spur trail to do so. I personally kept on hiking since I was trying to escape the crowds in this area. I went in the off season so I’m sure the same applies during peak season. After hiking approximately 0.8 miles/1.3 km past Navajo Arch and Partition Arch you will eventually make your way to Double O Arch. Double O Arch is 2.0 miles/3.2 km from the trailhead one way.

Anyone that visits Arches probably has a few Arches that they deem as their favorites and for me Double O Arch was my favorite along the Devils Garden Trail. I am not much of a photographer but I had taken about 5 photos of this Arch and they all came out beautifully. I was lucky to reach this arch about 10 minutes before the couple behind me had arrived. I was able to take a photo of myself with the Arch before facing the embarrassment of someone seeing me doing so. For me this was one of those places in nature where I was awe struck. At the base of the arch is fine sand with some shrubbery leading to a window to the rest of the landscape. This arch was set into a wall of rock that made it feel like you were inside of an enclosed area with a floor to ceiling window.

After spending some time at Double O Arch I ventured further en-route to see The Dark Angel. By this time I was getting worn out since the trail had mostly turned to sandy lesser traveled sections. I had gotten about half way to Dark Angel before I admittedly pulled out my phone and looked up what Dark Angel looked like to see if I should continue on. I hate to admit I did so but it’s the truth. And what I had found was that I was looking at Dark Angel across the flattened out portion of the trail the entire time. Since I was already seeing it from a distance I had accepted that I was okay with turning around and heading back to the trail head. If you’re ambitious enough I’m sure Dark Angel is beautiful up close, but for me on this day I was good heading back.

Skipping Dark Angel and continuing along the primitive loop for the rest of the hike is entirely possible. Getting to Dark Angel takes you a little ways of the main trail. Continuing along the primitive loop will take you to view Private Arch which I’m sure gets its name from being so secluded. I did not venture in that direction. I chose to turn around and go back the way I had come since there were still some icy spots on the trail. After doing some research I had found that doing that section of the primitive loop is not recommended when conditions are icy or wet due to dangerous portions of the trail ahead. When looking at the trail map at the trailhead there is a section along the primitive trail that is marked as a difficult crossing.

No Matter how far you venture on The Devils Garden Trail you’ll have a great time. The trail is very hiker friendly in that it is well marked and has many significant landmarks where you can create a turning around point for a shorter hike.