Park Avenue Viewpoint and Trail
in Utah
A paved sidewalk leads to a viewpoint down a corridor of towering rock walls and curiously carved spires. Descend stairs to walk the trail among massive monoliths toward Courthouse Towers Viewpoint one mile away. Roundtrip Distance: 1.8 mi (3.2 km) Time: 1 hour Elevation Change: 322 ft (98 m) Difficulty: Moderate Hike Description: The trail descends steeply into a spectacular canyon and continues to Courthouse Towers.
For a roundtrip hike, retrace your steps along the trail rather than walking along the road. Trail Tip: To avoid the steep stairs, start at the north end. Accessibility: The paved walkway to the viewpoint is accessible to wheelchairs.
Beyond, this trail has a long flight of stairs and requires some walking on sand and uneven surfaces. Dogs are not allowed on this trail. Service animals are allowed in national parks. What is a service animal?
- States
- Utah
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Salt Lake City, UT · 191 mi · ~6 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 38.6248°, -109.5997°
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/park-avenue-viewpoint-and-trailhead.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 Park Avenue 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
Courthouse Wash Panel Trail
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Double Arch Viewpoint and Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Balanced Rock Viewpoint and Trail
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Broken Arch Trail
10 miles from this trail's centroid
Sand Dune Arch Trail
10 miles from this trail's centroid
Skyline Arch Trail
10 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.