The Devils Garden Trail is the longest maintained trail in Arches National Park, and it packs more named arches into a single route than anywhere else in Utah. Walk the whole thing and you pass eight arches, a freestanding spire called Dark Angel, and a stretch of slickrock fins that feels nothing like the paved overlooks most visitors see. This guide covers the real trail: the distances, the climbs, where it gets exposed, and what to expect in 2026.
Devils Garden Trail: The Stats
- Distance: 7.9 miles for the full primitive loop including all spur trails; 1.9 miles round trip if you only go to Landscape Arch; 4.1 miles round trip to Double O Arch and back the way you came.
- Elevation gain: About 1,085 feet over the full loop. The first mile to Landscape Arch is nearly flat.
- Difficulty: Easy to Landscape Arch. Strenuous past it once you reach the slickrock fins and the Primitive Loop.
- Time: 30 to 45 minutes round trip to Landscape Arch; 3 to 5 hours for the full loop with spurs.
- Trailhead: Devils Garden Trailhead at the very end of the main 18-mile park road, next to the campground.
- Type: Out and back to Double O Arch, or a lollipop loop if you add the Primitive Trail return.
The Route, Arch by Arch
From the trailhead, the path is wide and sandy for the first half mile. Two short spurs branch left almost immediately.
Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch (0.3 miles in)
The first spur leads to two arches a few minutes apart. Tunnel Arch sits high in a fin and is viewed from a distance. Pine Tree Arch, named for the piñon growing in its opening, is large enough to walk through. Together they add about half a mile round trip and almost no climbing.
Landscape Arch (0.9 miles in)
Landscape Arch is the turnaround point for most visitors, and for good reason. At roughly 306 feet from base to base, it is the longest natural arch in North America and one of the longest in the world. It is also extraordinarily thin. In September 1991 a slab about 60 feet long peeled off the underside, and the trail that once passed directly beneath the arch has been closed ever since. You now view it from a fenced overlook a short distance away.
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The park does not stabilize its arches. When the 1991 rockfall happened, then-superintendent Noel Poe put the philosophy plainly: “The whole idea of a park is to let natural processes continue. We couldn’t do anything of value anyway, and we may just hasten its falling.” Landscape Arch will eventually come down on its own schedule. That is part of why it is worth seeing now.
The Fins and the Climb (past Landscape Arch)
Most people turn around at Landscape Arch. If you continue, the trail changes character within a few hundred feet. The sand gives way to slickrock, and the first real obstacle is a steep, exposed fin you scramble up using hands as well as feet. There are no chains and no railings. This section is where the trail earns its strenuous rating, and it is the spot where hikers most often decide to head back.
Navajo Arch and Partition Arch (spur near 2 miles)
A spur on the left leads to two more arches. Navajo Arch is a shaded alcove that stays cool even on hot afternoons. Partition Arch has a smaller second opening beside the main one and frames a wide view of the desert below. The spur adds about half a mile round trip.
Double O Arch (2 miles in)
Double O Arch is the natural turnaround for a there-and-back hike. It is two arches stacked on top of each other, a large opening with a smaller one beneath it. The walk here crosses more exposed slickrock and follows the top of a fin in one spot, so it is not for anyone uneasy with heights. From Double O you can return the way you came for a 4.1-mile round trip.
Dark Angel and the Primitive Loop
A short spur from Double O leads to Dark Angel, a dark freestanding spire of rock that marks the far end of the garden. To make the full loop, return from Double O on the Primitive Trail. This is the hardest part of the day: it crosses open slickrock with cairns instead of a clear path, climbs in and out of a wash, and includes a few spots where you wade or detour around standing water after rain. The Primitive Trail brings the full outing to about 7.9 miles.
Hazards to Take Seriously
- Exposure and drop-offs. Past Landscape Arch the trail crosses narrow fins with steep sides. There are no guardrails. Watch children closely and skip the loop if the rock is wet.
- Heat. There is almost no shade. Summer surface temperatures on slickrock can be brutal, and the parking lot is the only water source. Carry at least two liters per person, more in summer.
- Route-finding. The Primitive Trail follows cairns across bare rock and is easy to lose. Turn back if you cannot see the next cairn.
- Flash flooding. After heavy rain the wash on the Primitive Trail can hold deep water. Do not attempt the loop during or right after a storm.
When to Go
Spring and fall are the best windows, roughly March through May and September through October, when daytime temperatures are mild. Summer is hikeable only if you start at dawn and turn around before midday heat. Winter brings cold mornings and the chance of ice on the slickrock, which makes the fins genuinely dangerous. For light, early morning gives soft side-lighting on the arches and the smallest crowds. The first half mile to Landscape Arch fills up by mid-morning in peak season, so an early start helps on every front.
2026 Planning Notes
- Entrance fee: $35 per vehicle, valid seven days. An America the Beautiful pass also covers entry.
- Timed entry: Arches has used a seasonal timed-entry reservation in recent peak seasons. Check the current requirement on Recreation.gov before your trip, since dates shift year to year.
- No shuttle: Unlike Zion, Arches has no shuttle. You drive the full 18 miles to the Devils Garden Trailhead, and the lot fills early on busy days.
- Leave No Trace: Stay off the cryptobiotic soil crust beside the trail. It takes decades to regrow once stepped on.
Planning the rest of your trip? Start with our complete guide to Arches National Park for park hours, the best overlooks, and where to stay near Moab.
More in the area: Things to Do in Canyonlands National Park and Things to Do in Arches National Park.
Utah parks facts: Arches National Park Facts, Zion National Park Facts, and Canyonlands National Park Facts.
What to Bring to Arches
Gear we recommend for Arches. Affiliate links support our work at no cost to you.
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