Hiking
Park Avenue
Arches
Overview
While most people visit Arches National Park to see.. well.. arches, however, the Park Avenue Trail is one of my personal favorites despite its lack of arches. The trail, a 1 mile "through" hike between stops on the main park road, is exquisitely lined with soaring walls and towers.
The scale of the scenery really makes this hike special. Though you can see the entire trail from the trailhead, nothing beats actually hiking down near the towering walls.
Getting There
From the Arches visitor drive into the park, stopping at the well signed Park Avenue trailhead approximately 2 miles inside the park on the left side of the road. This is the Park Avenue Trail starting trailhead.
If you have two cars, continue 1.4 miles to the exit trailhead and leave the 2nd car there.
Route Description
From the trailhead, the trail is visible as it meanders down the valley between towering walls. About 1/2 way down, a side canyon comes in on the left. This makes a nice, short side trip to get off the beaten path a bit. Be sure to stay in the wash bottom to avoid erosion and minimize impacts.
Near the bottom of the hike, Courthouse Towers come into view right before the exit trailhead and park road. The Three Gossips are also visible on the left of the hike near the end. Magnificent!
Maps
12S 621911E 4276033N
38°37'28"N 109°35'58"W
12S 621847E 4277428N
38°38'13"N 109°36'00"W