Can you do this?
Devils Garden Primitive Loop — what it takes
This is the longest trail in Arches and the most arches in one walk. The first stretch to Landscape Arch is easy and busy; past it the trail narrows, climbs fins, and the primitive return loop drops the markers for cairns and bare slickrock. It suits fit hikers who can scramble and follow cairns instead of a graded path; past the Landscape Arch turnaround it stops being a casual walk.
- Distance 7.8 mi
- Time 4–6 hr
- Permit Not required
- Season Spring & fall; summer dangerous
No permit — but no water and almost no shade the whole way, so this is a heat-and-water problem, not a paperwork one. Summer afternoons here are genuinely hazardous and the park sees rescues on this loop every year. The primitive half is also easy to lose; a few hikers turn the wrong way on the slickrock annually. Arches dropped its timed park-entry reservation for 2026 — no advance ticket is needed to drive in.
The route, in order
How the route runs
Each stop below is a real place on the park's map — walked in sequence, with how long you spend at each.
- Devils Garden 4–6 hr
The full loop
Out past Landscape Arch (the easy, crowded start), then onto the fins to Double O and Dark Angel and back on the unmarked primitive loop. Carry far more water than feels necessary, watch the cairns on the slickrock return, and turn around if you lose the route rather than guessing.
Plan B
If conditions turn
A multi-day route has more ways to go wrong than a dayhike. Here is what forecloses it — and your move when it does.
- Summer heat
No shade and no water on the loop; afternoon highs in summer routinely top 100°F and rescues happen here.
Instead: Start at first light and carry extra water, or save the full loop for spring or fall and just walk to Landscape Arch.
- Peak-season entrance line
Arches dropped its timed-entry reservation for 2026, but the entrance line can top an hour midday from March through October.
Instead: Arrive before 8 a.m. or after 3 p.m. to beat the gate line — no advance reservation is needed in 2026.
Make it happen
Reserve your spot
The route is decided. The only thing between you and the trail is the permit — settle it now, while it's fresh.
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