Parking
Use the Delicate Arch Viewpoint parking area, shared by the Lower and Upper viewpoint trails. Restrooms, picnic tables and a shelter are at the site.
Overview
About Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trail
Why go
- A very short, hard-surfaced path to the classic distant arch view.
- Wheelchair-accessible route with restrooms and picnic facilities at the lot.
Heads up
- Delicate Arch remains across the drainage; this trail does not reach it.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Arches map
Full mapElevation4,356–4,358 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Arches Tour Guide
Your drive to Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trail, 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 trailhead
Delicate Arch Viewpoints0:00 / 0:29
“You're nearing the Delicate Arch Viewpoints, a quick way to see the famous arch without the long hike. Choose the level, wheelchair-accessible lower path for a brief look.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Arches Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Delicate Arch and Wolfe Ranch
- The Dark Streaks on Sandstone
- Shrimp Waiting for Rain
- The Desert's Living Skin
- 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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trail
An almost effortless viewLower Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trail is a very short, level out-and-back from the viewpoint…
Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trail is a very short, level out-and-back from the viewpoint parking area to a hard-surfaced overlook across the drainage. The listed round trip is 200 feet, about 5–15 minutes, with no meaningful elevation change. It gives you a distant view of Delicate Arch without the climb; this route does not reach the arch. A mapped trace from the parking edge to the overlook is longer than the listed round-trip distance, so treat the total as approximate.
The viewDelicate Arch sits on a sandstone ridge across the drainage.
Delicate Arch sits on a sandstone ridge across the drainage. Its opening is 46 feet high and 32 feet wide, yet it stays small in the broad view from the lower overlook. This is the quick stop for seeing the arch’s outline; if you want to stand beneath it, choose the separate 3-mile Delicate Arch Trail. For a photo, zoom in on the opening but keep part of the ridge around it—the distance is part of this view.
The nameBefore the name Delicate appeared, the arch was also called Cowboy’s Chaps, Old Maid’s Bloomers…
Before the name Delicate appeared, the arch was also called Cowboy’s Chaps, Old Maid’s Bloomers and Salt Wash Arch. The name first appeared in a 1934 account describing the arch as delicately chiseled. From below, the narrow opening stands out against the broad sandstone wall.
Access and the other viewpointThe lower route has a wide, hard surface with no fixed obstacles and is designated…
The lower route has a wide, hard surface with no fixed obstacles and is designated wheelchair-accessible. Maximum grade is 8 percent and maximum cross-slope is 5 percent, so check the current access details if those limits matter for your chair. Restrooms, picnic tables and a shelter are beside the shared parking area. The Upper Viewpoint is a separate half-mile out-and-back with a 171-foot climb; it gives a higher angle but still does not reach the arch. Dogs are not allowed on this trail; service animals are permitted.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Arches
14 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
10 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
610 sightingsRavenMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
188 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.
