Skyline Arch Trail
in Utah
A short, out-and-back hike on well defined trail leads to an arch in a high wall. A gentle, rocky uphill slope at the beginning of the trail continues along a relatively flat path to the base of the arch. Roundtrip Distance: 0.4 mi (0.6 km) Time: 10-20 min Elevation Change: 28 ft (8 m) Difficulty: Easy Accessibility: While the trail is mostly level, steps at the beginning make it inaccessible to wheelchairs.
Instead, drive to the campground amphitheater and take the paved path to view Skyline Arch from the opposite side. Dogs are not allowed on this trail. Service animals are allowed in national parks. What is a service animal?
Arches are constantly changing. Most changes are slow, but some can be dramatic. A large boulder suddenly fell out of Skyline Arch in 1940, roughly doubling the size of the opening. You can see remnants of this rockfall at the base of Skyline Arch, about 0.2 miles (0.3 km) down the trail.
- States
- Utah
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Salt Lake City, UT · 184 mi · ~5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 38.7720°, -109.5909°
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/skyline-arch.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 Skyline Arch 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
Broken Arch Trail
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Sand Dune Arch Trail
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Tower Arch Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Balanced Rock Viewpoint and Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Double Arch Viewpoint and Trail
6 miles from this trail's centroid
Park Avenue Viewpoint and 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.