Double Arch

Double Arch is two enormous sandstone openings joined at one end in Arches' Windows Section. The southern opening rises 112 feet, the tallest arch opening in the park. It's a striking stop for how little effort it takes: the path is an easy 0.6-mile round trip with about 30 feet of gain, and the park estimates 15 to 30 minutes.

You can see the arches from the lower parking loop, but the walk to their base makes their scale easier to grasp. The path is gently sloped and hard-packed with gravel. The trailhead has a vault/composting toilet and no drinking water; oversized parking is limited. Dogs aren't allowed on the trail, though service animals are.

The path may be usable by some wheelchair visitors with assistance, but accessibility records conflict. Check with the park before relying on it.

The lower lot also serves North Window, South Window and Turret Arch. A connector path with stairs links it to the upper lot and Windows trailhead, so you can leave the car once and see more of the area. The Windows Section is 12 miles from the park entrance.

At the foot of the formation, the two spans cross overhead and meet at one side. For a wide view of the connected shape, step back along the established path; from the base, looking upward gives a stronger sense of height. This is a popular stop, so a clear view may take patience. Scrambling onto the rock is optional, and coming down can be harder than climbing up.

The park's Entrada Sandstone began as ancient dunes. Around 65 million years ago, uplift folded and fractured the region's rock, while buried salt pushed upward and split sandstone into long fins. Water gradually dissolves the cement between sand grains, and freezing water widens cracks; erosion thins those fins until openings break through. More than 2,000 natural arches have been documented across the park.