Overview

Hype:

Pool Arch Canyon is a great beginner canyon near Moab, UT. The route is mostly hiking with 2 or 3 straightforward rappels interspersed. Throw in two arches and some possible wading, and it makes for a great half day.

Canyon Rating: 3B

Time: 3-5 hours

Length: 3.5 miles

Longest Rappel: 3 to 140 ft

Gear: Standard canyoneering gear. Wetsuit generally not required.

Fees: $3 per person cash at trailhead

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Links: https://www.roadtripryan.com/go/t/utah/moab/poolarchcanyon

Route

Approach

From the trailhead, follow the jeeping road north then southeast for 0.4 miles until a side fork is visible on the left (east). If you're not careful, you can blow right past it.

Leave the road and take the side fork up the canyon. This requires some class 4 scrambling. The canyon then levels flattens out a bit so you're hiking instead of climbing. Notice the arch high in the cliff wall to your right. About a third of a mile after the arch, you'll come to another scrambling section. If it seems too hard, you're probably on the wrong path. There is no true rock climbing required, just 4th class scrambling. Proceed another half mile to the top of Pool Arch. Alternatively, you can skip the first rappel by taking the bypass route shown in the GPS track below.

Canyon

Rappel #1 - Rappel 140 ft from a tree anchor down into a shallow pool of water and under Pool Arch.

Proceed 0.1 miles east until the canyon turns south. There is a sequence of 3 potholes that are easily bypassed.

After 300 ft, the canyon tightens up for the only real narrows. This area can hold some water. 

The canyon turns west.

Rappel #2 - Rappel 40 ft from a 2-bolt anchor down a sloping slab.

After 1/3 miles of canyon walking, you reach the third and final rappel.

Rappel #3 - Rappel 100 ft from a 2-bolt anchor. An upper anchor provides a handline to safely reach the lower anchors. To prevent rope grooves, do not rappel from the upper anchor.

From the last rappel, locate the social trail that takes you on the left (south) side of the drainage. This is much faster than walking in the watercourse and, as a bonus, you can avoid the poison ivy!

Exit

Once you reconnect with the jeeping road, turn right (west) and follow the road 1.3 miles back to the trailhead.

Maps

Closest City or Region: Moab, Utah

Coordinates: 38.535741, -109.572539

Interactive Guide Map

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April 29, 2023 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye, Madilyn Dye, Cooper Dye, Anthony Dye, Miller Dye, Kevin Christensen, Michelle Christensen,

Logistics

Start: 10:35

End: 4:45

Story

We slept in a little bit since the kids were tired from two late nights. We had breakfast and packed our canyon packs and then headed over to Pool Arch Canyon. 

The canyon took us about 7 hours. The weather was great. The pools were cold. We shuttled the kids across the water so they stayed dry. 

There were several groups ahead of us, so we had to wait at the first rappel for a little while and at the last rappel for a long while. Kevin and Michelle split off at the end so that they could get back to their car and check with the mechanic before they closed.

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Pictures