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Dave Beedon | profile | all galleries >> Places >> Utah >> Moab (environs) >> Jeep Arch tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

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Jeep Arch


Jeep Arch, also called Gold Bar Arch, is five miles west-northwest of downtown Moab, Utah. It sits in an isolated U-shaped rock formation near the head of Culvert Canyon. Access is from Potash Road, ascending either Culvert Canyon or nearby Gold Bar Canyon. The undeveloped trailhead, which serves both routes, is merely a wide portion of the road shoulder. The Culvert Canyon route is also undeveloped. I have no experience with the Gold Bar Canyon route, but I would guess that it, too, is undeveloped.

Lack of a well-defined trail in Culvert Canyon makes finding the arch a bit of a challenge for the first-time visitor. Although I had a very brief written description of the route, I encountered four dead-ends on my way to the arch. Seeing the nice canyon scenery and reaching the arch made up for the failures of route-finding. Pictures appear in chronological order.

The arch is at the center of this WikiMapia aerial view.

Tunnel vision at the start the hike...
Tunnel vision at the start the hike...		 Culvert Canyon's namesake
Culvert Canyon's namesake		 This is wilderness! (toys left in the stream canyon)
This is wilderness! (toys left in the stream canyon)		 Streamside vegetation (Sacred Datura [Datura wrightii] ?)
Streamside vegetation (Sacred Datura [Datura wrightii] ?)		 View up the canyon just after exiting the culvert---what delights lie around the bend?
View up the canyon just after exiting the culvert---what delights lie around the bend?
The route by=-passes the puddle on a rock shelf
The route by=-passes the puddle on a rock shelf		 Looking down-canyon at a pour-off
Looking down-canyon at a pour-off		 Tree
Tree		 Bedrock galore
Bedrock galore		 Ant lion holes in sand under a rock shelf
Ant lion holes in sand under a rock shelf
Looking down-canyon
Looking down-canyon		 Not exactly a paved path...
Not exactly a paved path...		 Yellow flower
Yellow flower		 Buttresses
Buttresses		 Wall looming over the canyon
Wall looming over the canyon
The pour-off that forced me to scramble out of the canyon
The pour-off that forced me to scramble out of the canyon		 Above the canyon and the dead-end pour-off
Above the canyon and the dead-end pour-off		 Up the slope above the streambed I found this trail, but it faded out soon
Up the slope above the streambed I found this trail, but it faded out soon		 Weirdly-shaped rock
Weirdly-shaped rock		 Break time near a tower
Break time near a tower
Looking up (duh!) at Gold Bar Tower
Looking up (duh!) at Gold Bar Tower		 Wall near Gold Bar Tower
Wall near Gold Bar Tower		 View across the valley from the base of the tower
View across the valley from the base of the tower		 Boulder-like end of a butte
Boulder-like end of a butte		 Large pour-off
Large pour-off
Gold Bar Tower, as seen from the top of the pour-off of the previous picture
Gold Bar Tower, as seen from the top of the pour-off of the previous picture		 Shelf route that turned out to be a dead-end
Shelf route that turned out to be a dead-end		 View south from the shelf of the previous photo
View south from the shelf of the previous photo		 Honeycombed rock layer about 18 inches (46cm) thick
Honeycombed rock layer about 18 inches (46cm) thick		 Rock shelf, wall, and the Jeep Arch massif
Rock shelf, wall, and the Jeep Arch massif
Rock shelf was fascinating but a dead-end; Jeep Arch (hidden) is in the middle of the massif
Rock shelf was fascinating but a dead-end; Jeep Arch (hidden) is in the middle of the massif		 180-degree pano from 8 images, showing my hiking route
180-degree pano from 8 images, showing my hiking route		 Pontiac chieftain? near end of dead-end shelf
Pontiac chieftain? near end of dead-end shelf		 Looking toward the Colorado River; rain is falling in the distance
Looking toward the Colorado River; rain is falling in the distance		 Bush and ripples
Bush and ripples
That brightly-lit undulating plateau is calling to me; it will be a long hike to reach it
That brightly-lit undulating plateau is calling to me; it will be a long hike to reach it		 Curves
Curves		 Rock shelf that was a dead-end, with the tower at far right
Rock shelf that was a dead-end, with the tower at far right		 First view of Jeep Arch...now to descend the end of this white shelf
First view of Jeep Arch...now to descend the end of this "white shelf"		 What the !*#?*#%!---the light-colored rock is another dead-end
What the !*#?*#%!---the light-colored rock is another dead-end
First look at Jeep Arch
First look at Jeep Arch		 Sandstone massif containing Jeep Arch (I must go around the right side)
Sandstone massif containing Jeep Arch (I must go around the right side)		 Panoramic view (threee images) of first dead-end shelf (at center) and Gold bar Tower
Panoramic view (threee images) of first dead-end shelf (at center) and Gold bar Tower		 Close-up of the first dead-end shelf, and Gold Bar Tower
Close-up of the first dead-end shelf, and Gold Bar Tower		 Weird rock
Weird rock
Jeep Arch from back side of the massif
Jeep Arch from back side of the massif		 Getting close to Jeep Arch
Getting close to Jeep Arch		 Under Jeep Arch
Under Jeep Arch		 Cell phone image of Jeep Arch (also called Gold Bar Arch)
Cell phone image of Jeep Arch (also called Gold Bar Arch)		 View east from Jeep Arch: stream basin in Culvert Canyon
View east from Jeep Arch: stream basin in Culvert Canyon
Lunch break at Jeep Arch
Lunch break at Jeep Arch		 View of Jeep Arch from its back (west) side
View of Jeep Arch from its back (west) side		 My equipment (Joe Tripod at right)
My equipment (Joe Tripod at right)		 Interesting webby rock layer (blue pencil gives scale)
Interesting "webby" rock layer (blue pencil gives scale)		 Weird rock about ten feet tall
Weird rock about ten feet tall
Storm approaches...
Storm approaches...		 Lightning, thunder, and rain
Lightning, thunder, and rain		 Storm has passed over me and is now behind this ridge
Storm has passed over me and is now behind this ridge"		 Bird in streambed
Bird in streambed		 Getting close to the trailhead
Getting close to the trailhead
End of hike: tired but satisfied
End of "hike": tired but satisfied

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Guest 13-Feb-2008 22:54
Great shots all the way through
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