Tower Arch Trail
in Utah
On the park's quieter side, this trail climbs up a rock wall, cuts across a valley, and then meanders through sandstone fins and sand dunes. Reaching this trailhead requires driving 8 mi (14 km) on unpaved roads. Roundtrip Distance: 2.6 mi (4.2 km) Time: 2-3 hours Elevation Change: 290 ft (89 m) Difficulty: Strenuous Hike Description: This trail climbs up a steep rock wall, cuts across a valley, and then meanders through sandstone fins and sand dunes.
Climbing sand dunes can be very difficult. Expect no cellular service and little to no shade on this trail. Bring: Bring at least 2 quarts (2 L) of water per person. Avoid wearing shoes with open toes, high heels, or slick soles.
Accessibility: Due to the steep climbing and sandy sections, this trail is not accessible to wheelchairs. 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 · 180 mi · ~5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 38.7924°, -109.6753°
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/tower-arch-trail.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 Tower 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
Skyline Arch Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Broken Arch Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Sand Dune Arch Trail
5 miles from this trail's centroid
Balanced Rock Viewpoint and Trail
9 miles from this trail's centroid
Double Arch Viewpoint and Trail
10 miles from this trail's centroid
Park Avenue Viewpoint and Trail
12 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.