Hiking the Devils Garden Loop Trail provides you the opportunity to see the arches, including the longest arch. The trail is located in the Arches National Park, near Thompson, Utah. This out and the back trail has a distance of 12.6km and an elevation gain of 344m.
Almost a million visitors visit the Arches National Park every year and while many of them choose to see the roadside arches, the real hikers choose to hike the Devils Garden Loop Trail.
The park is located in the west of Moab, that’s about a 10-hour drive away from Los Angeles. It doesn’t have food or lodging, but you can find them in Moab. The main road leads into the park and the trailhead is situated at the end of the road. It takes around 30 minutes to reach the trailhead from the entrance if you don’t stop in between to see the rock formations.
Pit toilets and water is available at the trailhead. It’s recommended to carry enough water with you as well as snacks, sunblock, and a hat. The loop has a few spur trails and the trails to Pine Tree Arch, Landscape Arch, and Tunnel Arch are well maintained, but after that, you will see signs of the primitive trail. Most of the trail is difficult, especially for kids and anyone afraid of heights.
After 1.5 miles, you reach the Landscape Arch, which stands at 306 feet and is the longest in the park. From there, the trail climbs and leads you to Partition Arch. The Partition Arch is half a mile away from the Landscape Arch. It’s basically a pair of the arch that also provides you a place to sit and see the amazing views.
Continue from there and you will reach a junction, head left from there to reach Navajo Arch. Then, continue on the main trail and head west. The trail climbs and gives you’re a 360-view of the area. This is a steep section that you have to hike to get to the top of the fin. You will see great views around, so make sure to stop and look around and take photos.
After that, you will get an overlook of Black Arch. From there, hike downwards and you will reach the Double O Arch. Hike further to get to the Private Arch, that’s among the least viewed arches in the park.
The best time to hike the trail is Spring and Fall. In summer, it gets pretty hot and in winter it’s very cold. You are advised to reach there early, as the parking fills up quite quickly.