Balanced Rock Viewpoint and Trail
in Utah
Balanced Rock can be seen from the park road 9.2 miles (14.8 km) from Arches Visitor Center. View the feature from a viewpoint or hike the short trail around it. Climbing on Balanced Rock is prohibited.
Roundtrip Distance: 0.3 mi (0.4 km) Time: 15-30 min Elevation Change: 35 ft (11 m) Difficulty: Easy Hike Description: This is a loop trail at the base of a picturesque rock formation. Part of the trail is paved. Accessibility: The beginning of the trail is flat and paved.
It passes alongside Balanced Rock to a viewpoint of The Windows and the La Sal Mountains in the distance. The trail continuing around Balanced Rock has steps, slopes, and rocky, uneven surfaces. An accessible picnic area and toilet are located up a gravel road across from Balanced Rock.
- States
- Utah
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Salt Lake City, UT · 188 mi · ~5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 38.7018°, -109.5660°
About Arches National Park
This trail is inside Arches National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $30 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/balanced-rock-viewing-area.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Balanced Rock Viewpoint and Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Double Arch Viewpoint and Trail
2 miles from this trail's centroid
Broken Arch Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Sand Dune Arch Trail
4 miles from this trail's centroid
Skyline Arch Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Park Avenue Viewpoint and Trail
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Courthouse Wash Panel Trail
7 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.