Partition Arch

Partition Arch is a natural opening through a sandstone fin on the Devils Garden trail, between Landscape Arch and Double O Arch. Its broad window and smaller adjoining opening make a distinctive stop, but it is part of a longer hike, not a roadside pullout. The best reason to take the spur is the combination of sculpted rock and a wide desert view.

The main opening frames the red-rock country and the La Sal Mountains in the distance. Include the sandstone rim and the smaller window in a photo so the view has its unusual double frame; from the other side, the rock's curves and textures become the subject.

The Devils Garden trailhead is at the end of the park road, about 18 miles north of the visitor center. The walk to Landscape Arch is comparatively easy; beyond it, the route climbs over sandstone fins on rocky footing, with narrow exposed ledges and sections where you use your hands as well as your feet. If that terrain is outside your comfort zone, Landscape Arch is a sensible turnaround. The arch is a spur off that longer route, so set aside time for a hike rather than treating it as a quick roadside stop. The trailhead has year-round toilets and seasonal drinking water; carry water. Parking can fill for hours on busy weekends and holidays, so an early start helps.

In this part of Arches, rain erodes long fractures above buried salt that has pushed the rock layers upward. Freeze-thaw cycles and flowing water gradually widen cracks in the Entrada Sandstone into arches and windows. The larger opening and its smaller neighbor are two distinct shapes carved into the same fin.