Christmas Weekend in Moab | Monday, December 26, 2016
A close-up view of Jeep Arch (Gold Bar Arch).
On Monday morning we checked out of our hotel in Moab and followed the Colorado River on the Potash Road until we reached the trailhead for Culvert Canyon (Dragonfly Canyon, Cameltoe Canyon) just before the mouth of Gold Bar Canyon. Our destination this morning was a short hike with some elevation gain up to Jeep Arch (Gold Bar Arch). I vaguely recalled seeing this arch about eight years ago when I took my Jeep Cherokee on the Golden Spike Trail, and I was looking forward to getting a closer look today.
We arrived at the trailhead shortly after sunrise and got started on the hike. It was a bit cold this early in the morning, but thankfully the wind from the previous day had stopped, so it didn’t feel too bad. Right off the bat, the trail goes through a large culvert under the railroad tracks to get to the canyon on the other side. This made for some fun photo opportunities!
Looking through the culvert to the light on the other side. This shot makes me a little dizzy…
Diane having some fun with the light and shadows in the tunnel.
When we reached the canyon on the other side we climbed up next to the tracks for a morning view over the Colorado River.
Diane stops to enjoy the view.
Next we followed the sandstone ledges above the bottom of the canyon and climbed up towards a large spire.
This is the spire we were aiming for. The trail climbs to the gap between the butte and spire.
Our first view of Jeep Arch was when we had almost reached it.
A closer look…
The loop trail continues right through the massive arch.
After spending some time underneath the arch we continued down the trail on the other side.
There was plenty of slickrock to explore in this area.
A little more fun with the light and shadows in the culvert on our way back.
The hike was shorter and took less time that I had thought, so before starting our drive back home we stopped at the dinosaur tracks near the Poison Spider Mesa Trailhead and visited a few petroglyphs along the Colorado River. It was a great Christmas weekend!
Moab Cutouts
The Watering Hole
Twins
Colorado River Petroglyphs
Below is a map of the GPS track from our loop hike up to Jeep Arch in case you would like to check it out for yourself.