The arch
Alone on a rock bowl's rim.
Alexandre Chambon goodspleen — CC0 · CGP Grey — CC BY 2.0 · Vulturesong — CC0 · Vulturesong — CC0 · Samuel Mann from Dunedin, New Zealand — CC BY 2.0
Delicate Arch is a freestanding natural arch 16 m tall in Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. It is the park's most recognised landmark, shown on Utah license plates and a postage stamp, and the 2002 Winter Olympic torch relay passed through it. Local cowboys gave it joking names such as the Chaps and the Schoolmarm's Bloomers. Its present name came from Frank Beckwith, leader of a scientific expedition to Arches National Monument, who explored the area in the winter of 1933 to 1934. A story says its name was swapped with another arch through a signage mix-up. The arch stands alone on the rim of a smooth rock bowl, with a deep drop behind it and distant mountains. An uphill trail leads there, mostly over bare rock, ending on a narrow ledge along a cliff before the view suddenly opens. The red stone glows at sunset, when people gather in a natural amphitheater to watch. It is 19 km in a straight line from Moab. The trail is about 5 km round trip with no shade, so bring plenty of water and start early or before sunset, with a torch if you return after dark. The park confirms that no advance entry reservation is needed in 2026. Keep back from edges and do not climb the arch, which is fragile.
Alone on a rock bowl's rim.
Where the view suddenly opens.
The red stone glows.
Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah
About 5 km round trip, uphill and shadeless, so bring plenty of water.
No advance entry reservation is needed in 2026, according to the park.