Picture Frame Arch 4x4 Road

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Canyonlands National Park

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Difficulty: Easy
Length: 13.5 miles / 21.7 km
Duration: Half day

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Overview: Two impressive arches and one of the best overlooks in Moab. A great trip for kids because it's short with breaks along the way. The overlook looks down on Kane Creek Canyon and Hurrah Pass Road. Good camping along early part of route and along east side of Lone Rock. Campers are required to bring a portable toilet. Enjoy fun side trip to sand dunes. Located on BLM land. For current status call Bureau of Land Management, Moab Field Office at (435) 259-2100.

Rating:

Easy. The road alternates between smooth, well-packed sand and mild rocky sections. You may not need 4-wheel drive unless the road is wet. The sandy road around Lone Rock (a.k.a. Prostitute Butte) can be rutted following heavy rains. Hike to arch if you don't feel confident that your vehicle can make it. The road to final overlook has a few small ledges but is still easy. Route-finding is simple, except the road to overlook is very faint at the beginning. This trip is suitable for stock 4-wheel-drive SUVs when dry.

This trail is one of 55 trails from the book, Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails, 2nd Edition, by Charles Wells, and is available at www.funtreks.com.

Tips: Pack a picnic lunch and take your time. Side roads in the area are fun to explore but you may encounter difficult terrain if you go in too far. Carry plenty of water and sun protection.

Trail conditions can change without notice. FunTreks, Inc. and its owner and employees are not responsible for injury, death, or vehicle damage as a result of using this guide. The content of this guide is the property of FunTreks, Inc. and is made available to the user pursuant to EveryTrail’s Terms of Service (http://www.everytrail.com/tos.php).

Points of Interest

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Start of Road

If coming from Moab, turn right here on wide dirt road.

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Sand Dunes on Right

Fun area of sand dunes on right. Roads to dunes enter at various points.

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Right Goes to Picture Frame Arch

Turn right here and follow sandy road northeast along south side of giant Lone Rock. Look up to the left as you pass under Balcony Arch, then continue on around end of Lone Rock, curving to the left.

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Picture Frame Arch

Trail levels off on a wide ledge area. Look up to the left to Picture Frame Arch. Depending on your vehicle, you can turn around here and go out the way you came in, or continue on around Lone Rock. This way is a bit more challenging. When you get back to main county road, bear right and continue.

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Narrower Ledge Road

County road circles around west side of butte. Road becomes narrower ledge road for a short distance, then curves left and continues uphill.

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Watch for Faint Road on Left

This is an important spot, but you might not realize it. The main county road curves right here and continues to Pritchett Canyon (available as eGuide from FunTreks). Our trip bears off to the left here to a fantastic overlook. The road is faint in places, so follow tracklog carefully.

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Overlook

Trail ends at the edge of Kane Creek Canyon where you can look across and see the road climbing to Hurrah Pass. Below you can see Kane Creek Canyon Trail. (Both of these routes are available as eGuides from FunTreks.) It gets a bit rough at the end, so you may want to park and walk a short distance to avoid more difficult terrain. Once done here, turn around and go out the way you came in. If you have high ground clearance you may want to continue north on the main county road from Point #6 to see Pritchett Arch, but the road gets much rougher. (For description of this route, see eGuide for Pritchett Canyon.)