Black Arch

I searched for Black Arch for years!  I had heard about it, seen photos, and I had seen it from far away on the Devil's Garden trail.  But I had not been successful in finding it on any of my Moab trips!  Finally, in 2021, I was determined that I was not going to leave Moab until I found Black Arch!  I was on a trip with my daughter Rebecca and we started the Primitive Trail loop.  I decided to try using google maps because Black Arch was in it, but after wasting lots of time trying to go to the location for Black Arch marked on Google Maps, I realized that it was definitely not correct!  We continued our hike, exploring every side canyon.  There is an area of the hike that quite often fills with water and you cannot maneuver around it very easily.  I have always ended up wading through the water, which on this trip was about 4 feet deep and very cold (it was November!).  Most people take off their shoes and socks, throw them to the other side, wade through the water, then put their socks and shoes back on.  Rebecca and I waded through the little pond, explored down the trail for a while on the other side, then decided it must have been before the pond, so we waded back through the pond!  Then after thoroughly exhausting every avenue, we waded through it a third time!  It was soon after this that we did find Black Arch!  I hope that someday Arches will make an established trail to the arch because it is definitely worth the visit.  Here are photos of my daughter and I at Black Arch in 2021.  I think that when I go back to Moab again I would probably be able to find Black Arch again, but if you're searching for it by hiking through tight fins, you're on the wrong track.

Rebecca next to Black Arch

underneath Black Arch

Rebecca under Black Arch

this was one of our side-trips trying to find Black Arch.  We squeezed through here and did not find Black Arch, just a dead end.  So if you find yourself in a tiny hallway like this, turn around, you're on the wrong track!  

this is me in that same hallway

it was squishy, but we made it back out

another little side trip exploring, looking for the arch

one of the dead ends we found between fins

another dead end

Rebecca and I had fun taking photos of each other at each of our dead ends

squeezing through another crevice

navigating through "the pond" to continue the Devil's Garden primitive trail

our Devil's Garden hike

fun on the primitive trail

our lunch stop on the primitive trail

this is Top Story Window, which is visible while hiking on the primitive trail

This is where Google Maps said Black Arch was.  My blue dot is where Black Arch actually is!

Here is the view of Black Arch from the Devil's Garden trail.

 

2010, my sister-in-law Natalie wading through "the pond"