If you’re looking for worthwhile hikes outside of Arches National Park, look no further than the Corona Arch Trail. This trail delivers you incredible, up-close views of two distinctive and impressive red rock formations: Corona and Bowtie Arch.
The trek is relatively short at 2.3 miles round trip, a bit less crowded than trails in the National Park, and can be a good option for beginner to advanced hikers. We will delve into the details of hiking to Corona and Bowtie Arch, such as how hard this hike is, its length, unique features, and insights to ensure you have a safe but exciting hike!
- Difficulty: Moderately challenging
- Distance: 2.3 miles round trip
- Cost: Free
- Time: 1.5 hours
- Dogs are allowed on leashes
About the Formation of Corona and Bowtie Arches
Over time, wind and water erosion created the distinctive shapes in the rocks that amaze us today. Corona Arch is an enormous, almost freestanding arch made of Navajo Sandstone. It is 140 ft high and has a 105 ft wide opening. Bowtie is a type of pothole arch formation, formed when a pothole filled with water eroded down into a cave below. The area they are within is referred to as Bootlegger Canyon.
Moab to Corona Arch Trailhead
Depart from Moab and take US-191 N, heading northbound for 4 miles. You’ll turn left onto UT-279 N, also known as Potash Road and continue for 10 miles.
Look for the well-marked parking area on the right side of Potash Road, for the Corona Arch Trailhead.
There is a big parking lot with many spaces at no cost. Also, there are a couple vault toilets nearby if you need to go!
Trailhead GPS Coordinates:
38 deg 34.484’ North
109 deg 37.945’ West
Hiking to Corona and Bowtie Arch
From the trailhead, the path is very well marked with signs and cairns, and is well maintained since it is a popular trail in the area.
There is some incline at the beginning. You can sign a BLM register box, too! Soon you’ll cross train tracks that still operate. The train hauls potash from North America’s largest potash deposit – a water softener and fertilizer, extracted through solution mining.
The path has you walk across expansive slickrock (not slippery). It’s not too long before you are able to see Corona Arch in the distance. You’re also treated to views of the Colorado River.
Ladder and Cable Challenges
To get closer, there are some tricky aspects of the trail. You will climb a securely bolted ladder on the rock that takes you up onto the cliff with a small juniper tree. The ladder is not too high and therefore not too daunting of a challenge for most. At another point, there are steps carved into the rock (called Moki steps) and a cable to help you ascend a steep ridge.
While both of these may seem either exhilarating or terrifying, they’re not as challenging as they sound! I was intimidated by the cable section at first, but actually enjoyed figuring it out and felt accomplished making it through. During our trek, we saw a man holding a small dog complete both of these sections out and back. Just remember to wait your turn and go at your own pace.
Up Close and Personal
Once past the ladder and steps, you’ll walk across a bench section of rock, skirting drop offs until you’re at the base of Bowtie Arch. This pothole arch is interesting to see up close because of the unique colors from water runoff, and you can look through the hole and watch the clouds pass by.
Corona Arch is truly impressive since it is so massive and uniquely shaped. Take your time to get some pictures under the arch and look up while underneath it.
Corona Arch has also been called Little Rainbow Bridge. Since this arch doesn’t have the same protections as ones in National Parks, planes have flown under the arch and people have climbed it and rappel off! Thankfully, for the arches sake, those practices are now banned as the trek was designated as a National Recreational Trail in 2018.
If you have time and energy left, on your way back you can head towards Pinto Arch for more bang for your buck while in the area.
When to Visit Corona and Bowtie Arches
The trail is open year-round, but there are some things to consider when planning your hike.
Seasonality
This hike would be best to trek in the spring or fall. Weather is milder during these seasons. We hiked it in mid-April, and the sun was strong, we were sweating, but it was still manageable.
Summer in Moab can be brutal with extremely high temperatures and little shade cover on many of the trails. If you plan to hike during a hot time of year, try to plan your hikes for early morning hours or during sunset to get some relief. Winter is also a good time of year to consider visiting because there will be less crowds. It does snow in this area of Utah, so you do have to remember to check trail conditions for ice and to see if they’re passable.
Time of Day
Again, the time of day you hike greatly depends on the seasonality. As always, earlier is better to avoid the bulk of crowds and catch sunrise. In my experience, we hiked this trail during mid to late afternoon and we saw a good amount of people, but not too many! It wasn’t crowded and we still enjoyed the hike!
Check out the average monthly and daily temperatures in Moab via this link to the U.S. Climate Data website.
Recommended Gear and Clothing for the Hike
Here are a few key items you should wear or bring with you on Corona Arch Trail.
- Water: There are no water refill areas on the trail, so bring plenty to stay hydrated. Packing one bottle with electrolytes is a good idea for when you’re sweating.
- Hiking shoes: Good traction is a must because you’ll be on slick sandstone with drop offs.
- Layers with UPF: Temperatures can vary in the high desert climate, so having removable layers is a good idea.
- Sun protection: Always wear sunscreen on uncovered areas and bring sunglasses and a hat since the rays are strong!
Hiker FAQs on Corona Arch
Yes! Although Arches National Park boasts about 2,000 natural stone arches, there are lots of other incredible trails in the greater Moab area. Besides Corona, Bowtie, and Pinto Arches, there are several interesting red rock formations in nearby Dead Horse State Park and Canyonlands National Park (mainly Mesa Arch).
According to AllTrails data, the round trip distance is 2.3 miles, however, some trackers say this hike is 3 miles in total.
Personally, I would not rate this trail as hard. It is moderately challenging because of the incline, slickrock terrain, ladder and cable challenges. The distance is great considering the reward. During our visit, we saw hikers of all varieties – age, fitness level, preparedness – completing the trail. Some chose not to go up and beyond the ladder portion, which is fine because you can still see the arches from a distance.
No, Corona Arch is located outside of Arches National Park but also in the Moab region of Utah.
