Overview

Hype:

The hike to Morning Glory Arch starts above the banks of the Colorado River east of Moab, Utah, and travels up a scenic canyon alongside a much smaller stream. The trek terminates at a stunning 243-foot long natural bridge, the sixth largest natural rock span in America. The level dirt trail to Morning Glory Bridge ascends just 300 feet and offers plenty of serenity along the way.

Trail Condition: Class 2 (Trail may have tree roots or rocks jutting out. Navigation skills may consist of following rock cairns and choosing turns at junctions. Elevation gains may be more substantial.)

Time: 2-3 hours

Length: 4.5 miles round trip

Elevation Gain: 300 ft

Fees: None

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

Getting There

Navigate to 38.609826, -109.533461.

Maps

Closest City or Region: Moab, Utah

Coordinates: 38.609826, -109.533461

Interactive Guide Map

Download Guide Map

View map fullscreen.

July 7, 2019 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye, Madilyn Dye, Cooper Dye, Ondylyn Wagner, Killian Wagner,

Logistics

Start: 8:55 a.m.

End: 3:40 p.m.

Story

Since we had 4 kids with us between the ages of 3 and 9, we decided to do a short canyon that didn't involve too much hiking and was also dry. The approach hike took about 2 hours because Cooper refused to hike, and we refused to carry him. For the record, he did eventually complete the portion of the hike that we told him he had to.

Once at the first rappel, I rappeled down first. We couldn't see if the rope reached to the bottom of the drop because of a ledge part way down. We were concerned about Savannah and Madilyn being able to transition from the first drop to the second drop by themselves, so I went down to the bottom while Tara helped out at the ledge. It took quite a bit longer than normal for this reason. At the bottom of the rappel, in the chamber, there was a shallow puddle of water and a bunch of wet sand. Someone on a previous trip had made a very inticate sand castle with bridges and tunnels and doors and roofs, and the girls had a really fun time adding to it while we waited for the rest of the group to come down.

Once we all made it down teh first drop, we headed out to the top of Morning Glory Arch. We rigged a rappel rope with me as a meat anchor so Ondy could rappel down first and be a fireman belay for Savannah and Madilyn. Ondy was super sketched out rappelling more than a hundred feet from a meat anchor that was just sitting on the top of the arch, but she eventually did it. Once Ondy was down, we sent Savannah down then Madilyn. That left Tara and me to bring up the rear with the two 3-year-olds. We rigged the rope for a simul rappel, and Tara went over one edge of the arch with Cooper attached to her while I went over the other edge of the arch with Killian attached to me. Killian screamed and cried the whole way down, but Cooper had a good time. 

We packed up the ropes and played around for quite a while at the spring and pond below Morning Glory Arch then we hiked down to the shuttle car. Because of all the poison ivy, the whole hike down we played a game with the kids called "don't touch anything green".

About a week later Tara developed a horrible rash on her knees. She must have brushed up against some of the poison ivy under the arch. Whoops!

Pictures