Parking
Use the small, unmarked roadside pullout just beyond the Courthouse Wash bridge, on the west (left) side when driving in from the Visitor Center. It also serves nearby Courthouse Wash walks, so the access is easy to pass.
Overview
About Ring Arch Trail
Why go
- A striking narrow arch in a sandstone alcove
- Views over the meadow toward Park Avenue and the La Sal Mountains
Heads up
- Intermittent social tread makes the route hard to follow
- Steep slickrock at the final approach
Ring Arch Trail is an informal 2.9-mile out-and-back from an unmarked pullout just beyond Courthouse Wash to a narrow arch in a sandstone alcove. The approach starts mostly flat beside the wash, then crosses into open desert and slickrock. Allow about two to three hours. Go if you’re comfortable following social tracks across rock and wash; choose a maintained park trail if you want signs and a clear tread the whole way.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Arches map
Full mapElevation4,117–4,232 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 Ring Arch 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
Courthouse Wash Trailheads0:00 / 0:24
“You're approaching the Courthouse Wash trailheads, where the lower wash route leads into a creek canyon with red walls and sandstone pools.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Arches Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Courthouse Towers Viewpoint
- Petrified Dunes Viewpoint
- La Sal Mountains Viewpoint
- Park Avenue Viewpoint
- 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 Ring Arch Trail
Finding the wayFor the first half mile, the route parallels Courthouse Wash before crossing it near a…
For the first half mile, the route parallels Courthouse Wash before crossing it near a sandstone cliff. From there, social paths and occasional cairns lead through grassland and a side wash toward the arch. The tread is intermittent, and route descriptions disagree about a short loop near the wash and which line to take back. The mapped approach is about 1.47 miles each way; this version returns along the same corridor, for about 2.9 miles total. Expect the exact footpath to vary. Keep to bare rock or sandy wash where possible to protect the fragile biological soil crust.
At Ring ArchThe arch is a thin sandstone span above a steep slickrock slope, with a meadow and views toward…
The arch is a thin sandstone span above a steep slickrock slope, with a meadow and views toward Park Avenue and the La Sal Mountains below. One November visit found the arch in shade before noon, while the distant mountains looked better later in the day; light changes with season and viewpoint. From the meadow, leave some of the slope in the frame to show how high the span sits. Stay below it: the park prohibits climbing, scrambling, walking, or standing on arches.
A little geology and historyRing Arch is an old pothole-type arch in Entrada Sandstone, reported at about 64 feet across…
Ring Arch is an old pothole-type arch in Entrada Sandstone, reported at about 64 feet across and 39 feet high. Local photographer and former park custodian Harry Reed found it in 1940; former ranger Slim Mabery gave it the name. The narrow span and the open view over the meadow are the payoff for a route that takes more way-finding than the park’s maintained hikes.
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.
