Delicate Arch
Natural Arch · Moab, Utah
A freestanding arch of Entrada sandstone standing 52 feet high on an open slickrock bowl in Arches National Park — what is left after weathering wore away the fin it was cut from. It is on the Utah licence plate, it carried the 2002 Winter Olympic torch relay, and it is the most recognisable natural object in the state. The trail to it is three miles round trip with 480 feet of climb, most of it up bare rock with no shade, finishing along a narrow ledge for the last two hundred yards.
Delicate Arch Trailhead, Wolfe Ranch, Moab, Utah, United States
Inside Arches National Park, with a park entrance fee per vehicle covered by the America the Beautiful pass. ⚠ ARCHES HAS OPERATED A TIMED-ENTRY RESERVATION SYSTEM IN PEAK SEASON — check whether your dates require one, because visitors without a reservation have been turned away at the gate. The trail is three miles round trip with 480 feet of climb, most of it on open slickrock with NO SHADE AND NO WATER ANYWHERE, finishing along a narrow ledge with exposure for the last two hundred yards. ⚠ DO NOT HIKE IT IN THE MIDDLE OF A SUMMER DAY; heat rescues here are routine. Carry a torch if staying for sunset, as you will descend slickrock in the dark following cairns. ⚠ A LOWER VIEWPOINT WITH ITS OWN CAR PARK gives a distant view of the arch on a short, largely level walk — the right option in high heat or with limited mobility.