Double O Arch

Double O Arch is a natural sandstone arch with two openings, one above the other, in the Devils Garden area. The out-and-back from Devils Garden Trailhead is about four miles and usually takes two to three hours. The easier stretch to Landscape Arch is a good turnaround if steep, exposed scrambling is not for you. For hikers who like a demanding route, the changing views are a big part of the reward; some visitors find the walk more memorable than the arch itself.

The spur to Landscape Arch is about 1.9 miles round trip, but Double O adds a much harder continuation. Beyond Landscape Arch, the route climbs steep sandstone fins and crosses uneven rock, narrow ledges and exposed drop-offs; expect hands-and-feet scrambling in places. The park rates this section difficult. Skip it when the rock is wet, snowy or icy, and think twice if heights or uncertain footing make you uncomfortable.

The smaller lower opening gives you a different view from the broad span above it. Walk around the formation and look through one opening toward the next; the rock can frame the fins beyond. For a photo, include the lower opening and a slice of landscape through the larger one instead of centering only the top span. Visitors often recommend an early start, which also keeps more of this exposed walk out of the summer midday heat.

Double O belongs to a landscape built in stages. Ancient salt buried beneath the park pushed upward into domes and cracked the sandstone above into long, parallel fins. Water and freeze-thaw widened those cracks and gradually wore the fins into arches. The Entrada Sandstone began as shifting desert dunes; erosion has been reshaping it ever since.

Devils Garden is at the end of the park road, about 18 miles and roughly 45 minutes north of the visitor center. The trailhead has restrooms year-round and drinking water spring through fall; carry at least three liters of water per person for the hike. Parking is often busy and can fill, especially on weekends and holidays, so an early start helps. Pets are not allowed on Arches hiking trails.