Willow Springs Road

Ran this out of the park back to the highway. It was pretty fun, park side is a lot of sand and flats, the middle is pretty rocky, and the highway side is just a gravel road. I aired down which made some of the slickrock a little easier, but probably could have gotten away with not. I'd recommend this if you're looking for something different coming into / out of arches. The dinosaur tracks were super cool.

Scenic and enough slick rock to be interesting, but not nearly enough to scare passengers who aren’t familiar with off roading. The Arches side is narrower and rougher, but the BLM side is easy enough for RVs and passenger cars. Don’t get fooled and think you should continue on into Arches in the wrong vehicle.

Fun moderate difficulty trail. No traffic, however if there was it would be a bit challenging given thick brush bordering the narrow path for sections of the trail. The higher speed sand areas are a blast. Great way to get to the park, and if you go this way I’d highly recommend swinging by the Whales Eye trail. Very worth it.

Brilliant way of getting in and out of Arches Nationalpark. There are a few ledges that require some clearance and – ideally – 4 Low. A scenic and fun drive with the bonus of having cool dinosaur tracks.

This is a great way to visit Arches NP. The road is pretty easy with just a few minor challenging rocky sections. It also has lots of higher-speed sandy areas which is a blast, especially right after some snow or rain which keeps the dust down. This will be my go to way to visit the park in the future.

I wouldn’t say it’s the most scenic of the trails in Moab but it’s a nice one to get in our out of the national park. The entrance side doesn’t have any kind of visitor center - so if you continue on into the actual national park, make sure and have your pass with you. Did it in a lifted 80 series Land Cruiser. Generally steady with a few slightly more technical spots.

Great free camping just outside Arches.

Seriously one of my favorite spots for sunset

We came in via US 191. It was a nice trail. A little crowded through the campgrounds then thinned out. Trail ends near the Balanced Rock turn off in the park.

Willow Springs Road is a hidden gem. It is a fairly easy trail with some technical, rocky parts as you reach the Arches National Park boundary. These obstacles are definitely meant for 4x4 capable vehicles. We watched a full-size truck attempt one obstacle and turned around. This trail is a great way into Arches National Park, and avoids the long lines at the gate and making sure you have a reservation during peak season. It took us about 45 min to an hour to complete with stops at the Dinosaur Tracks and NP sign. This is a great way to enter the park and takes roughly the same amount of time as waiting in the gate traffic. Plus the scenery is better. Overall, this trail is fun and enjoyable. Highly recommend!

Great trail and an excellent way to enter Arches National Park. The trail gets rocky and rough near the park boundary and we saw a full-size pick-up truck turn around. The NPS does not require a reservation to enter the park from this direction, but they will start if ill-equipped vehicles attempt to enter this way and end up causing issues. 4-wheel drive and high clearance is required to complete the entirety of this road. Overall, great trail, great views, and not too busy.

Ran in reverse from guide. Great back way into Arches. I much rather be on a bouncy dirt road than stuck behind a motorhome on pavement.

This was a fun little trail even in the rain! The storm clouds and lightning added to the adventure (be aware of your surroundings in these conditions please). The Dino prints are really neat! Really nice way into Arches if the height of the front entrance intimidates some folks.

A bit boring, but the dinosaur tracks were pretty cool!

Pretty straightforward although there are some surprisingly rocky bits just after the NP boundary heading west. Fun trail. The dinosaur tracks were a cool bonus. Sneaky back way into Arches ;)

Nice road. Enjoyed the dinosaur tracks. Used this road as a connector to connect to Tower Arch and Eye of the whale. Eventually out on Salt Valley road.

Fun, easy road into Arches National Park. Mixture of sand and slip rock; some smaller obstacles to climb over. Great fun with some open, straight areas as well. I've heard there are pay stations as you come into the park from this side road, but no one was there when we came in on this day. I had an America the Beautiful pass so all set into the park. Best part was no line while the front entry was 15-20 cars deep :).

I drove this road last year on Memorial Day weekend to bypass the main entrance to Arches and avoid the line. It is an excellent scenic 4WD back route into the park that most people don't even know exists, despite the fact that it was the original park entrance. Since Arches National Park is now requiring timed entry permits, people should be aware the permit requirement does NOT apply to Willow Springs Road and Salt Valley Road. I emailed the park asking about it in December when the permit system was first announced, and this is the reply I got from the NPS Public Affairs Office: "The park is only requiring reservations to access the paved scenic drive. At this time, that means the 4-wheel drive, high-clearance Willow Springs Road and unpaved Salt Valley Road will not require reservations. However, if the park starts seeing unmanageably high levels of use on these roads, or if there is a significant increase in emergency response needs (flat tires, stuck vehicles, etc.) the NPS may make the decision to close these gates in the future. If the gates are closed, we would announce the closure on our website and social media pages." Based on that statement from the NPS, a timed entry permit is only required to enter the park by the main entrance and not the back entrances on dirt roads. That probably shouldn't be publicized too widely or else they'll have to close the Willow Springs entrance when too many people get their Prius stuck driving up the 4WD road trying to get into Arches when they don't have a permit. But for now, 4x4 drivers have our own secret way into Arches that circumvents the permit requirement. Use it wisely!

Fun trail with great views towards the end and Dino tracks at the beginning. Lots of rock, a few steps, and a few obstacles that required proper line selection. Approach, breakover,, and departure angles could cause trouble if not taken correctly. A few sandy spots that might catch the unwary out but we'll worth the drive.

Scenic and enjoyable way to bypass the zoo that is the main entrance of Arches NP. Stopped to check out the dinosaur tracks. Overall a great trail with a mix of sandy sections and small rock obstacles to keep the driver engaged.

Most of the trail is pretty easy (I'm in a lifted Subaru forester). There is one section between section 10 and 11 that required a little line thought but not bad at all. Trail conditions were 99% dry across the whole trail.

Dry and easily done in 2 wheel drive. Very pretty though and the Dino tracks are neat. Bumpy for Jeeps but a raptor could really move out here.

We were looking for a trail that wasn't all muddy from the snowmelt and offered the views Moab is known for. We ran the trail from the highway into the park (in reverse). We really enjoyed the views of the surrounding cliffs and spires. The trail was super easy all the way through. I never needed 4x4, but ground clearance is mandatory. I wouldn't drive a camper van too far on this route. We stopped at the dino tracks and hiked around Arches Park after completing the trail.

Excellent way into the park without waiting in line at the main entrance. Some lovely vistas along the way

I'm a big fan of this road. It's easy and provides some great views. I have always ran it west to east (reverse of this guide). The number of campers along the far west side has been absolutely insane the past year. Please remember when you disperse camp here, you are required to carry out all solid human waste.

Good trail to do before Eye of the Whale. Stock 2019 Tacoma.

Easy trail. Great way to get into Arches. The only difficulty could be if there's a flash flood coming down the Courthouse Wash. That water and silty sand can get moving pretty good.

Easy trail. Lots of cool sights to see. Willow springs dispersed area was full of people. Not my type of dispersed camping. Ran this trail from eye of the whale.

A few of the more difficult sections look like they have been filled in with gravel recently. Additionally, a sign has been added by the dinosaur tracks. As always, this is a great way into Arches National Park and the premier picnic location to watch the sunset against Balanced Rock.

Fun and beautiful trail into Arches National Park. We took this trail to Eye of the Whale and then into the rest of the park, it was a lot of fun. If you are taking this trail to Arches Scenic Dr. it will be relatively easy with SUV's that have some clearance. We took a detour off Willow Springs to see Eye of the Whale and right before you get to it there is a steep hill with large ruts. I definitely recommend 4WD and grippy tires for that part. Our Subaru was able to make it with the right line, but the Jeep behind us changed their mind and turned around. It was well worth is to have Eye of the Whale all to ourselves for an hour. There are a lot of spots for hiking, mountain biking and camping a long the way. Beautiful trip and the only proper way to enter the NP in my opinion. 2018 Subaru Crosstrek 1.5" ADF lift 235/75R15 Toyo AT2

Definitely a fun way to enter or exit Arches NP. It can be done in a stock high clearance vehicle, and 4 Low is helpful.

I ran this opposite direction of how it's listed in this guide and my whole purpose was to get up to Balanced Rock picnic area for some sunset shots of the rock structures. After a long week of EJS I got to the Balanced Rock area around 4:30 pm and quickly realized I was way to sleepy to sit around until 8 for sunset. I hung out for about an hour, ate an early dinner and made it back to my hotel where I quickly fell asleep shortly after sunset.

I've done this trail several times on my way into Arches N.P., but this time I came in for the sole purpose of camping. There are a ton of camping spots south of waypoint 17, and there is even a pit toilet building there. The spots have fire rings and are very well marked off. It's crowded, but still a great location if you are looking for somewhere to pitch camp for the night.

When you only have a few hours and want to take in the beauty of the area, this is the perfect trail. Not hard and not to boring.

We visited Arches NP earlier this year with the family and completed this route in our AWD Honda Pilot. We loved the dinosaur tracks! Be sure to throw some water in there to see the tracks better.