Double O Arch
Double O Arch is the second largest arch within the Devils Garden area—after Landscape Arch of course. As the name implies, there are two arches here, one large, with a span of 71 feet, stacked atop a much smaller arch with a 21-foot span. Both are part of the same sandstone fin. Double O Arch is located at the far end of the Devils Garden Primitive Loop, 1.93 miles past the Devils Garden trailhead and parking lot at the north end of the Arches Entrance Road. Past Landscape, the trail becomes much more rugged and challenging.
Trail Head: 38.783166, -109.595171
Trail Type: Hiking
Length: 4.1 miles round trip
Difficulty: Moderate
The trail begins at the Devils Garden parking area, at the end of the main access road in Arches National Park. The Devils Garden Trail is nice, wide, and level, as good as it gets in the barren Arches landscape. The improved trail ends at Landscape Arch; a Primitive Loop Trail extends from there, providing access to many of the area's most spectacular structures.
This whole trail is undeveloped, though it is the north end that is considered the actual primitive section of the loop. The Primitive Loop begins near the viewing area for Landscape Arch, the largest arch in the world.
Closer to Landscape Arch and the beginning of the trail, both of these arches can be visited on the way to Double O. Navajo Arch and Partition Arch are located on the Navajo Arch Spur Trail, with Partition splitting off of Navajo’s trail. Partition is a window-like arch found along the same fin as Landscape Arch, though farther to the northwest. Navajo is heavy and deep, and parallel to Partition on the next fin to the southwest.
The Double O Arch is located just off the Primitive Loop Trail, near the Dark Angel Spur Trail. Dark Angel is a pillar of dark sandstone rising 150 feet above the surrounding desert. Double O is spectacular by itself, and becomes even more striking because you can see Dark Angel in the background.
If visitors don’t mind adding another mile to their trip, they can continue the Primitive Loop after returning from Double O Arch, circling up to the northern end of the Gardens to admire Private Arch. Private is located at the end of another short spur trail.
Click here for more information about Arches and the surrounding area.
