Majestically perched high above the canyon floor, Druid Arch casts a haunting shadow over the needles of Canyonlands National Park. Rarely does a trail emit such powerful feelings of solitude, excitement, and adventure — like no human being has ever before traversed through this unique desert landscape. Soak it all in and appreciate the wildness of the route to the stunning Druid Arch.
Hiking among the sharp pinnacles of rock to this uniquely archaic arch will transport you to a different world, one composed almost entirely of gorgeous red rocks and full of stunningly strange vistas. Trail conditions out here are primitive, and water is often non-existent, so be prepared for a hiking adventure unlike any other!
What You Need to Know About Hiking to Druid Arch
- Druid Arch is found in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, about 1.5 hours south of Moab, Utah. It’s a long drive to get here, so this district of Canyonlands sees fewer people. It’s worth the drive, though, because the Needles contains some of the most adventurous and rugged trails in the national parks.
- Despite the smaller crowds here, you’ll still want to get an early start because the parking lot is small, the heat of the day can be excruciating, and there is very little shade!
- The trail begins at the Elephant Hill Trailhead, and you’ll have to leave the paved road to get here. The access road to the Druid Arch hike is dirt and extremely narrow, with several blind curves. Don’t expect to get anywhere fast, and be sure to be alert and attentive.
- 4-wheel drive is not required to reach the trailhead (we were in a small sedan), and the gravel road conditions are generally fine. You’ll reach a parking area with a pit toilet and a few picnic tables, but no drinking water. From here, Elephant Hill Road continues and is only for 4-wheel drive vehicles, so you’ll want to park in the small parking lot near the pit toilets. Look for the trail sign for Elephant Hill to begin your hike.
- This trail mainly travels over slickrock, meaning that often there is not a defined and obvious route. Much of the journey will require some route finding via cairns (piles of rocks) that have been strategically placed. It would be easy to get lost in the dark or if you are not paying attention to your surroundings. That being said, this is one of the most exciting and fun hikes I have ever done because of the element of adventure and exploration required to find the right way!
- You can hike as far as you’d like. The views were truly spectacular, even from the very beginning of the trail. A short and narrow slot between two rocks is encountered about 1.5 miles into the hike, and 2 miles in, you will reach the wash that travels through the bottom of Elephant Canyon up to Druid Arch or branches off to the Chesler Park Trail. Either of these places would be a great place to turn around for a short and enjoyable hike into The Needles.
The hike to Druid Arch is 10 miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of 1500 feet. I would rate it moderately difficult because of the length, the route finding needed, and the obstacles encountered. The best time to hike this trail is in the spring and fall.
Click NEXT to start your grand adventure through Canyonlands. Here we go!
Thank you very very much for all your insight and information! I’ve been reading a lot of your blogs as I prepare for a 2 week “photo cation” to lower Utah this fall. Being a solo traveler you are a big help and the pictures are invaluable. I’m hoping the climbs at the end aren’t to bad as my pack can get heavy with all my camera gear on top of food, water etc. And while I was thinking this might be a good sunset spot the hike down in the dark doesn’t sound fun either.
Anyhow, just wanted to thank you for the great info! Cheers!
Thanks so much! Enjoy your photocation!
We hiked to Druid Arch this summer with our 9 year old. What a spectacular hike. The scenery there was amazing and worth the journey. We started early to try to beat the midday heat. On our entire 11 mile trek we only ran across one other family of three. We had the place to ourselves. The trail is very well marked and the scramble at the end does add some excitement. We were prepared with a lot of water. My son alone drank over 3 liters. The trail is really diverse from start to finish.
Wow I’ve never hiked it and seen so few people…that sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing your experience. And give your 9-year-old a giant high-five from me. That’s a big hike to complete, even for adults!
Ash, I’ve been following your great advice and planning on a wonderful trip from TN. out west next spring ( I even Signed up with you) ! After the tremors recently I have been so concerned about the volcano erupting ! We had planned on taking our nine year old grand child with us for several weeks and had planned on it being THE TRIP OF OUR LIFETIME ! I really don’t know what to do !
The parks monitor activity very closely and try have an idea of when it would be too dangerous to be in the area. I would go ahead with your trip plans and have a great time!!!
Hi- I will be heading out to Moab in a couple of weeks and have really enjoyed your blog. It’s beautiful and informative.
However, I am confused about the distance from Moab to the Needles. How long does it actually take to get to the Needles District Visitors Center from Moab? Your site says 40 miles, but Google maps indicates its a 2 hour drive and the Fodor’s Travel book I have says its 80 from Moab! If you have more information on this, I would really appreciate it. Thanks!
Hi Katie,
Thank you for pointing that out….I’ve fixed my typo to reflect the true distance from Moab to the Needles. You drive about 40 miles south of Moab to get to the turnoff to the Needles, and from there it’s another 35 miles or so. I would plan about 1.5 hours to reach the Needles Visitor Center if driving in from Moab! Hope that helps!
Okay, I am just now coming to your blog for the first time in a while and I am OBSESSED with your new design!! Wow! It’s seriously gorgeous. Also, thanks for this post! I am planning a Canyonlands trip for this year and I have no idea where to even start!
Hey Shannon! I’m so glad that you like the new site…it was a lot of work but I’m happy with the way it turned out. If you are going to Canyonlands, you definitely need to hike to Druid Arch. It was one of the coolest things I’ve done in a long time :) Let me know if you have any questions about your trip!
Thank you so much for the details to this hike. Druid Arch has eluded me. I almost made it there during my 3rd year of college. I also almost made it there last February, planning a trip solely for this hike – only to get stuck on the first obstacle thanks to a huge pool of water that would have been too much to traverse in cool February as I didn’t want to go swimming and didn’t know how to get up the other side as you couldn’t see the rocks. I’m heading down in May to hopefully tackle this hike and snap a picture. :)
Oh man….hopefully the third time’s the charm?! I definitely was not expecting all of the climbing around and navigating through the obstacles. It makes the trail really fun but I’m sure the experience is different every time you go! May should be good — you’re gonna make it this time!