MOAB
Activity: Day Hike
2.5 miles, 485′ elevation change, 90 min duration, rated Moderate
Date: 3-17-23
This hike is a must do while in the Moab area. It is in the canyon lands of Utah just outside Arches National Park on BLM land and carries the designation of a National Recreation Trail. These two arches, Bowtie Arch and Corona Arch are fabulous and that is coming from someone that just completed Arches National Park which has more arches than anywhere else and these two are stupendous as well. Plus the bonus is there is no charge and it does not have the big crowds like a National Park.
To gain access to the hike you will make your way along Potash Road which runs along the Colorado River. The hike starts out pretty steep right off the bat out of the trailhead. The trailhead has a good amount of parking and a descent national park pit-toilet style bathroom. As you gain altitude you will have some nice views of the Colorado River below before making your way further back into Bootlegger Canyon.
The hike is made up of slickrock benches and there is a particularly steep and somewhat exposed section that has a chain to aid your climb and right after the chains there is a ladder to navigate. At that point you will have marvelous views of Bowtie Arch and then Corona Arch. The setting with it’s rugged red rock is as if you stepped into one of your favorite Old Time Westerns.
As you close in on the arches the first one is Bowtie Arch. It is a pothole type of arch. It was formed when a pothole above erodes down into the alcove below. When you view this rather unusual formation straight on it has the appearance of a bowtie and thus the name.
Corona Arch is close by and it stands 105 feet tall and 140 feet across. The arch is composed of Navajo sandstone and is sometimes referred to as “Little Rainbow Bridge”. I hiked through and then beyond the arch and perched myself on a slanted portion of the canyon wall and just sat back in awe of this magnificent scene.
YouTube Channel
Corona and Bowtie Arch Trail
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Thanks for joining me in Moab while ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure. Moab is the quintessential desert canyon playground, a place I have wanted to visit for sometime ever since watching the movie ‘127 Hours’. I tried to get a hold of James Franco to give me a hand with the planning, but got no reply. As I gazed upon this fragile rock formation, seemly balanced in the sky, I couldn’t help but reflect on the Balance that viewing this Monument of Nature brought to me. I took a breath and traced the bridge of rock with my eyes which brought a huge smile to my face. There is more adventures ahead and I invite you to stay with me by doing this: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW and SHARE. The menu above shows the many locations that PBTA travels to across this great West. The menu is categorized by location and sometimes activity. Each is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. The hat I am wearing in the video is part of my Adventure Wear Collection, and carries the PBTA Logo. If I sell just 5,000 of them I might pay for the gas for this Utah Road Trip. So hurry over to SHOP APPAREL and pick yours up today.
Happy Trials-
Roger Jenkins
Pursuing Balance Through Adventure
Utah Hiking Pursuing Balance Thru Adventure 