Overview
About Sand Dune Arch
Why stop
- The narrow fins frame the span as you enter the sandy alcove.
Heads up
- Deep sand and a narrow passage block wheelchair access.
Map
Where it is
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Arches Tour Guide
Your drive to Sand Dune Arch, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Arches National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Arches audio tourRecorded for this place
Sand Dune Arch and Broken Arch“Sand Dune Arch is ahead, tucked inside a shaded, sandy chamber between tall rock fins. I'd choose this stop for a close-up arch visit with a very different feel from the open viewpoints.”
Plays as you drive up to Sand Dune Arch in the Parkwolf Arches Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Skyline Arch
- Pine Nuts for Later
- Ears That Shed Heat
- Devils Garden Campground and Tapestry Arch
- 35 audio storiesacross Arches’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Pronghorn, Raven, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 28 trails, 41 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“I can’t believe how helpful this app is and how interesting the information is for each highlight along the Arches Scenic Drive! This is the first park I’ve used it in.”
Guide
More about Sand Dune Arch
A quick walk to the archSand Dune Arch is a low natural sandstone arch tucked into a sandy pocket between tall fins.
Sand Dune Arch is a low natural sandstone arch tucked into a sandy pocket between tall fins. It is hidden from the parking area, so you have to walk in to see it. The round trip is 0.4 mile, usually 15 to 30 minutes. Keep it as a short stop if you want to get close to an arch and into the shade; it is a more intimate scene than Arches' big headline spans.
Through the narrow passageThe path crosses deep, soft sand and squeezes through a narrow gap between parallel rock fins…
The path crosses deep, soft sand and squeezes through a narrow gap between parallel rock fins before opening into the alcove. The arch sits along the canyon wall on the right as you enter. The enclosing walls make this a noticeably sheltered stop, and the sand is a big part of why families often linger here.
A good frame for the archOnce you reach the sandy pocket, step back enough to include the curved span and the high walls…
Once you reach the sandy pocket, step back enough to include the curved span and the high walls around it. The arch is the subject, but the enclosing fins explain how tucked away it feels; a person in the frame can show its scale.
Before you goThere is a vault toilet at the trailhead.
There is a vault toilet at the trailhead. Dogs are not allowed on the trail, and the deep sand and narrow passage make it inaccessible to wheelchairs. Stay on the route and do not climb or jump off the arch.
How arches take shapeAcross Arches, the sandstone began as ancient dunes.
Across Arches, the sandstone began as ancient dunes. Movement in buried salt cracked the overlying layers as the region rose; water, erosion, and winter freezing widened those cracks and helped open fins into arches. That is the broad geologic story behind the formations around Sand Dune Arch.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Arches
14 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
10 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
608 sightingsRavenMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
187 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
51 sightingsPrairie DogMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
15 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Arches. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
