Courthouse Wash Panel Trail
in Utah
Where Courthouse Wash joins the Colorado River, walk across the small bridge and up a short trail to see a panel of rock markings created by Indigenous travelers. Roundtrip Distance: 0.8 mi (1.4 km) Time: 30-60 min Elevation Change: 60 ft (18 m) Difficulty: Easy Hike Description: Park 0.5 miles (0.8 km) north of the Colorado River on US 191. A paved trail crosses Courthouse Wash, then a short walk on dirt and a brief climb leads to a prehistoric panel of rock markings (at the base of the cliffs, facing west).
Trail Tip: Bring binoculars to see details of the ancient rock markings without having to get too close. Accessibility: The first section of path is paved and level, and the rock markings panel is visible from there. Beyond, the trail climbs up an uneven rock surface.
Dogs are not allowed on this trail. Service animals are allowed in national parks. What is a service animal? Historically, the Colorado River could be crossed here on foot, which made it an incredibly important site for travel and trade.
- States
- Utah
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Salt Lake City, UT · 193 mi · ~6 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 38.6069°, -109.5872°
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/courthouse-wash-panel.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 Courthouse Wash Panel 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
Park Avenue Viewpoint and Trail
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Double Arch Viewpoint and Trail
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Balanced Rock Viewpoint and Trail
7 miles from this trail's centroid
Broken Arch Trail
11 miles from this trail's centroid
Sand Dune Arch Trail
11 miles from this trail's centroid
Skyline Arch Trail
11 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.