Tower Arch

From the main park road, follow Salt Valley Road to the Tower Arch trailhead. The drive includes eight miles of unpaved road. Two-wheel drive is normally enough, but rain or snow can make the road 4WD-only or impassable. Check conditions at the visitor center before heading out; there is no cell service in this area. A separate west-side approach uses a rugged 4WD track, so don’t mistake reports about that road for the standard route.

There is auto parking and a vault/composting toilet at the trailhead, but no potable water is listed. The trail has little shade; carry at least two quarts (about 2 liters) per person and wear shoes with grip. Steep rock and sand make this hike unsuitable for wheelchairs, and dogs aren’t allowed on park trails.

The route starts with a steep climb up a rock wall, then crosses a valley filled with sandstone fins, towers and spires. Four spires on a fin south of the route are known as the Marching Men. A sandy uphill stretch comes before the trail threads between fins near the arch. Look for Parallel Arch on the approach; it can be easier to pick out on the return.

The trail ends at a viewpoint facing the opening, with the rounded tower rising behind and north of it. For a photo, keep both the arch and tower in the frame; that shows the shape that gave the place its name. The rock and shrubs in the foreground help give the wide opening some scale.

Most arches around Klondike Bluffs are in Entrada Sandstone. Across Arches, water works through porous sandstone until it meets less-permeable layers, dissolving the mineral cement that holds grains together. Cracks widen through weathering and freeze-thaw, turning sandstone walls into fins and, eventually, openings. That is the park-wide process behind this landscape; a Tower Arch-specific age or formation study was not found.