Parking
Start where the Castle Arch footpath leaves Horse Canyon Road; a separate parking area is not identified at this junction. The road requires a day-use backcountry permit and high-clearance, low-range 4WD.
Overview
About Castle Arch Trail
Why go
- A short, named spur to a distinctly thin sandstone arch.
Heads up
- The 4WD permit road is a much bigger commitment than the walk.
The payoff is a thin, slightly sloping sandstone span set in a layered canyon wall. From some angles, a split running along the span stands out. Keep the surrounding sandstone in your photo so the narrow opening stays in context. The exact legal viewing edge is not documented, so stay on the mapped path and don't climb onto or underneath the arch.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe arch is the payoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Canyonlands map
Full mapElevation5,290–5,443 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Canyonlands alerts
- ClosureRain-damaged Needles backcountry roads impassableRecent rains have made several Needles backcountry roads impassable; do not drive these routes.Official details
- CautionMaze access roads require high-clearance 4WDOnly use high-clearance 4WD to reach Hans Flat or Horseshoe Canyon in The Maze; low-clearance vehicles are not recommended on these damaged, rutted, muddy routes.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Canyonlands Tour Guide
Your drive to Castle Arch Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Canyonlands 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 Canyonlands audio tour- 43 audio storiesacross Canyonlands’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Coyote, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 63 trails, 65 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Castle Arch Trail
The short walkCastle Arch Trail is a short out-and-back spur from Horse Canyon Road into a side canyon of the…
Castle Arch Trail is a short out-and-back spur from Horse Canyon Road into a side canyon of the Needles, ending near the slender Castle Arch. The mapped path is about 0.46 mile each way, or about 0.92 mile round trip. Terrain samples rise about 150 feet from the road to the far end. Allow roughly 45 minutes on foot; that is a planning estimate because the short spur has no reliable published time, surface or grade. The drive is the bigger commitment.
The drive sets the termsThe spur leaves Horse Canyon Road.
The spur leaves Horse Canyon Road. Reaching it requires a high-clearance, low-range 4WD vehicle and a day-use backcountry permit. Deep sand, deep water and quicksand can make the road impassable, so check its current status before driving. There is no food, water or toilet facility listed at the trail junction; bring what you need for a remote backcountry stop. Pets are prohibited on the backcountry roads and trails, even inside vehicles.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Canyonlands
48 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
47 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
12 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
30 sightingsWestern RattlesnakeMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
18 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
18 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Canyonlands. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
