Devils Garden Primitive Loop (Arches) Hiking Guide
Devils Garden is the longest maintained trail system in Arches and the one that packs the most arches into a single day. The first stretch to Landscape Arch is an easy family walk; beyond it the trail climbs onto narrow sandstone fins, and the Primitive Trail return adds route-finding, steep slickrock and a pool that may hold water. Pick your turnaround before you start.
Permit: Covered by the Arches entrance pass: $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle (7 days) or $15 per person on foot or bike, age 16 and up; the $55 annual pass for Arches, Canyonlands, Natural Bridges and Hovenweep and the America the Beautiful pass also work. Cards only at the entrance. Arches is not using timed-entry reservations in 2026. No hiking permit is needed for Devils Garden (the separate Fiery Furnace area does need one).
Mileage Options From the Trailhead
AllTrails maps the full counter-clockwise loop with its side trips at 8.1 miles and 954 feet of gain, rated strenuous. The park breaks it into pieces: Landscape Arch and back is 1.9 miles; Double O Arch and back is 4.1; continuing to Dark Angel and returning on the main trail is 4.9; returning instead on the Primitive Trail makes it 6.6; and every trail including all spurs totals 7.9 miles. The Pine Tree and Tunnel arch spurs add half a mile, and Navajo and Partition add 0.8.
Landscape Arch and the Easy Section
To Landscape Arch the path is hard-packed, mostly level with small rolling hills, and winds between tall fins. The arch spans 306 feet, the longest in North America by the park's measure, and is only about 6 feet thick at its narrowest. Large pieces of it fell in the 1990s, which the park points to as proof that this landscape can change in an instant. The park advises anyone wanting an easy outing to turn around here.
Past Landscape: Fins, Ledges and the Primitive Trail
The route to Double O climbs steeply onto sandstone fins with rocky footing and narrow ledges above drop-offs, and you'll use hands as well as feet. The Primitive Trail, 2.1 miles one way between Double O and the main trail, is the hardest piece: tricky route-finding, steep slopes, narrow drop-offs, scrambling, and a pool you may have to wade. The park doesn't recommend it when the rock is wet or icy or for anyone uneasy with heights. A short spur to Private Arch leaves it 0.42 miles from the Double O junction.
Getting to the Far End of the Park
The trailhead sits at the very end of the park road, 18 miles and roughly 45 minutes from the visitor center, next to Devils Garden Campground. Water is available at the trailhead, one of only a few fill points in the park, so top up before you go. The lot gets crowded in peak season and on holiday weekends; with no timed entry this year, arriving early is the only way to be sure of a space. The entrance fee is $30 a vehicle or $15 per walker or cyclist.
When to Hike It
This is a long day on exposed rock, so spring and fall are the seasons that make sense; the park notes summer highs often top 100 degrees and recommends avoiding midday on the trail. Storms and flash floods can arrive suddenly, and when lightning is around the park says to stay off high ridges, which is exactly what the fins are. In winter most Arches trails stay open, but ice and drifted snow hide cairns and make the fins treacherous; the walk to Landscape Arch is the sensible winter version, with traction devices.
Hiking tips for Devils Garden Primitive Loop (Arches)
- Decide your turnaround at the trailhead map: Landscape Arch, Double O, or the full Primitive loop are very different days.
- Fill bottles at the trailhead spigot; there's no water out on the fins.
- AllTrails maps the loop counter-clockwise, out on the main trail and back on the Primitive Trail, so take an honest energy check at Double O before committing.
- Skip the Primitive Trail if rain or snow has left the slickrock wet.
- Stay off the arches themselves; climbing or standing on any arch in the park is prohibited.
Nearby trails to explore
- Delicate Arch Trail
- The Windows and Turret Arch Loop (Arches)
- Fiery Furnace
Hike this trail with TrailMates
The Primitive Trail's scrambles and route-finding are better with a partner. Use TrailMates to find Moab hikers planning the full Devils Garden loop. Download the TrailMates app to connect.