Jeep Arch

 

Jeep Arch, Moab, 2023

Jeep Arch is also referred to as Gold Bar Arch.  I had never been there before 2023.  I heard that the trail was hard to follow and Jeep Arch was hard to find, and we were even encountered by people just as we started the hike who said that they had hiked it and never found the arch.  But as we continued on the route, we ran into another group of people who had found the arch, and who highly recommended taking the fork to the left when the route divides.  We did this, and I highly recommend it as well!

The trail starts by hiking through a culvert, which was pretty fun.  You can also avoid the culvert by climbing up over the ridge and back down, but going through the culvert makes way more sense and takes a lot less effort.  There is a sign for Jeep Arch right away, and it's nearly impossible to get lost at the beginning of the trail because it's marked by green paint.  After the route divides and you head toward the left, the green paint continues for a short time and then the route is marked with cairns.  The one time that we weren't sure where to go was when we needed to scramble over a rocky ledge, but once we figured out the best way over it, we were able to find another cairn and rejoin the trail.

I liked going in this direction because when Jeep Arch came into view, it looked much more like a jeep than it does from the other side, and we had a much better view from it coming from that direction as well.  We could see it from a long way off before we reached it.  On the other side, you can't view the arch very easily from the trail.  

We hiked the trail in the rain, which did make it a little bit slippery and we got pretty wet.  But we were still able to make it to the arch and back without having any problems.  The hike down from the arch, completing the loop, would be problematic if doing it by yourself, but we helped each other over any of the parts that were at all tricky.  For the most part the hike is very mild and very similar to the Corona Arch hike, or the Longbow Arch hike.  In fact, you can see the Corona Arch parking lot from the Jeep Arch trailhead.  One thing to note is that there are not bathrooms at the Jeep Arch parking area, so use the Corona Arch bathrooms if you need them.

One really cool thing that happened on our hike was that we saw the train as we were finishing the hike!  In all of my years living in Moab, or visiting Moab, and countless times hiking in the Potash road area, I have never seen the train running.  We all admired the train as it drove past and then disappeared into the cut in the mountain by the beginning of the Corona Arch trail.  Lizzie had fun posing on the train tracks, as the kids always do when we hike to Corona Arch.

To reach the Jeep Arch trailhead, drive on Potash Road until just barely after the Corona Arch parking area.  There is a parking area for Jeep Arch and you'll see the culvert right away.  I am not sure why that first couple we talked to couldn't find the arch, but it might be that when they got to that rock wall that we scrambled over, they just gave up and turned around.

Jeep Arch is now one of my favorite arches!

This is the route that one of my apps told us to take.  We did the left side of the loop, which is what I recommend.

This is our actual route that we took

our route compared to the suggested route, for the whole hike

our route verses the suggested route, for the first half of the hike

That dark circle you can see in the mountain is the culvert that we hiked through at the beginning and end of the hike

This sign greeted us right after we came out of the culvert

We hiked right past the railroad tracks

That is a fun message of encouragement that someone left for future hikers

view down at Potash Road and the Colorado River.  The parking lot for Corona Arch is on the left side of the photo

such beautiful views on this hike!

the rain did make things somewhat slippery

But Lizzie didn't mind the rain

beautiful rainy hike

The routes divide -- take the left fork!  Definitely the better route!

We went over this rock wall near the pinnacle and then continued the trail on the other side

after scrambling over the wall we were back on an easy path again

with cairns to follow again

Our first view of Jeep Arch!  At first I thought that flat-topped rock at the base of the mountain (near the far right) was an arch, but the closer I got I could see that it was just a rock.  But then I saw the opening for Jeep Arch, in about the center of the photo here.

as we got closer, the shape of the jeep became more apparent

The Jeep!

A note from my husband :)

The hikers inside the arch started the hike at the same time we did but went the other way when the routes divided.  They got there just before we did.

Lizzie under the arch.  At first it doesn't seem like there's an easy way to climb into the arch, but you just venture to the left until you see a spot to climb up, and then walk along the ledge until you're inside the arch.  It's a tiny bit scary for heights, but not bad.  And once you're under the arch, it isn't scary at all.

Me in front of the arch

view from the ledge where the arch sits, looking back at where we just hiked

Me inside the arch

our family inside the arch

the view climbing into the arch, walking along the ledge

under the arch

inside Jeep Arch

Jeep Arch from the other side

the under-side of Jeep Arch

Underneath Jeep Arch

underneath Jeep Arch

view out the other side from in the arch

the hike back down

back side of the arch

The hike back down from the arch would have been difficult if I'd been alone.  We all helped each other.

and sometimes we just had to sit and scoot

The steep climb back down

back to where the loop divides

So many fun spots along the trail!

James helping to hold the rocks up :)

Such a beautiful view!

The first time I have ever seen the train in action!

Such a fun view with the train!

heading down to the tracks

My kids always have fun posing on the railroad tracks on these Potash Road hikes