Corona Arch Moab, Utah Hike Review
Corona Arch Moab Utah Hike Guide

Corona Arch Moab Utah Hike Guide

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Corona Arch is a short out and back hike located in Moab, Utah. This 3 mile RT hike involves some minor scrambling using a steel ladder and wire handrails. Along the hike to Corona Arch, you will also see Bowtie Arch which is about half the size of Corona, but equally impressive. For the daring, you can even hike up to the top of Corona Arch. This is a very popular hike but one good for various hiking levels and families.

Corona Arch Moab, Utah Hike Review
Bowtie Arch to the left, Corona Arch to the right. Juno taking in the sights with me.

Corona Arch Quick Facts

Corona Arch Trail: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)

Distance: 2.8 miles RT – 3.5 Miles if you add on Bowtie Arch

Elevation Start: 4,240 ft

Highest Point: 4,600 ft

Total Elevation Gain: 420 ft

Estimated Time to Complete: 1-2 Hours RT

Difficulty: Easy What does this mean?

Class: Class 3 – Can be Class 2 if you use ladders/wire handrails – What does this mean?

Season: Year-Round (Expect occasional snow/ice December – March)

Check the Weather Forecast

Crowds: High

Corona Arch From the Sky

Directions to Corona Arch

Trailhead: Corona Arch

Getting Here: From downtown Moab, travel on highway 191 for about 2 miles until you reach Utah highway 279. Follow this for 10 miles until you reach the well marked trailhead on the right. You can enter Corona Arch trailhead into your favorite navigational device.

Fees: None

Parking: Parking at Corona Arch is free and can fit about 30 cars. After this small lots fills up, there is additional satellite parking in lots down the road. The main lot will fill up by 10AM on most weekends and even some busy weekdays. There are non plumbing bathrooms at the trailhead.

Bowtie Arch from above

Summary

Dogs: Corona Arch is a dog friendly hike but does require some scrambling for your dog near the steep wire handrail section. Both huskies I have had, had no problem scrambling up and scampering down the section, but I did see smaller dogs carried by their owners. In general, I would recommend that your dog has some experience with scrambling on rocks. Although the sign at the trailhead asks for dogs to be on leashes, you will find many off leash during the hike of Corona Arch. To avoid the ladder section of the hike, simply hike to the left which is also dog friendly.

Camping: There are plenty of established campgrounds nearby (Goldbar, Williams Bottom, Jaycee Park – to name a few) and also plenty of dispersed camping options in the area. This part of Moab can be VERY competitive to find a camping spot around Holiday weekends and weekends in general. Unless you can reserve in advance, it’s recommended to have PLENTY of backup plans when camping in and around Moab.

Make it a Loop: Corona Arch is an out and back hike but the most common side trip would be to add Bowtie Arch which adds about 3/4 of a mile of hiking. Additionally, neighboring Jeep (Golden Bar) Arch is also worth checking out and just down the road.

Trail X Factors: Distance, Crowds, Handrails and Ladder

Distance: Although Utah and the southwest are littered with arches, it’s not often that you have the opportunity to see two beautiful towering arches in such a short hike. During the hike to Corona Arch, you will also have the option to visit Bowtie Arch which is a small side trip away from the main trail.

Crowds: Since the hike is short and accessible to many different levels of hikers, the trail to Corona Arch will get extremely crowded. Get to the trailhead around 7AM to avoid the heat and crowds. (Honestly, this is my recommendation for nearly every single hike in Moab). If you don’t want to get up early, try hiking Corona Arch later in the afternoon (4-5PM).

Handrails and Ladder: Although the ladder is not required to take, there is one section of the Corona Arch trail that does require the use of a steel wire handrail to navigate up a steep section of red rock. Do you absolutely need to use the handrail? No. However, 95% of hikers will, which is important to note if you have difficulty navigating up steep sections. The steep section is about 20-30 feet long. Once you pass this section, you will run into a steel ladder which helps navigate up a 6-7ft cliff off red rock. If you have a dog, you can easily circumnavigate this section to avoid using the ladder by going to the left.

Hike Tip(s): Get There Early, Climb to Top of Arch

The hike to Corona Arch can get extremely crowded, especially during spring and summer months. Get to the trailhead around 7AM to avoid a parking nightmare and sharing the trail with half the state’s population. For those daring enough, once you walk through Corona Arch, there is a well established trail to the top of the arch. Although ropes are not required for this scramble, it is a high class 3 and borderline class 4 scramble that is about 100-150 feet up. Once you get to the top, you can easily navigate to the top of the arch. In years past, climbers used to create rope swings from the arch. Currently however, this is no longer allowed.  

Best Views: Basically the entire hike is beautiful from start to finish with some of my favorite views about 1/4 mile away from the arch itself. This is also a very popular spot to visit during the nighttime to snap some pictures of the stars.

Gear Needed

Corona Arch Hike Route

*Also includes Jeep (Gold Bar) Arch