Grandstaff Trail is a 5.7 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Moab, Utah that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and bird watching and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
A beautiful hike. The arch is amazing and the hike is a nice moderate mix of easy trail, stream crossings, and scrambles. Pay attention, especially when crossing the river, it’s easy to get off track (but pretty hard to get completely lost). Some of the water crossings are tricky, so a stick and waterproof shoes are recommended for cold weather. Note that there are many different types of terrain: mud, sand, loose rock, rock scrambles and walking along the edge of the creek on sandstone. It’s all worth it for the view at the end! Take a lunch or a snack to eat in the shade under the arch. At the end of this hike you come to Morning Glory Natural Bridge (note there is a lot of poison ivy under the bridge and along the trail.) The arch is only separated from the cliff behind it by 15 feet, so it is not as spectacular or photogenic as some other arches in the area that are not as big. When you stand directly underneath the span 75 feet above you, it is a very impressive piece of rock. On the list it is ranked 5th largest span in the world.
Moab Field Office: 82 East Dogwood Moab, UT 84532 Email: blm_ut_mb_mail@blm.gov Phone: (435) 259-2100 Fax: (435) 259-2106
Hiking boots might be better and a dry change of shoes for afterwards are highly recommended! Be aware of the poison ivy on this trail.
The trail head is located 3 miles from Highway 191 on U-128. Start from downtown Moab, Utah. Drive north on US 191 to the junction with UT 128 at the Colorado River. Then turn right and drive apprx 3 miles to the trailhead on the right.
March 4, 2021fun trail and the arch at the end was nice to sit under and take a snack break!
March 2, 2021super fun out and back with a beautiful box canyon at the end where our dog had a ball running around. she also really enjoyed all of the river crossings and opportunities to get her feet muddy. got out there before 10am and were rewarded with few people, and a nice mix of sun and shade. it was a little confusing getting back because there are spurs that go off to explore interesting areas of the canyon.
February 28, 2021Beautiful everywhere you look. Easy trail along mostly sand with simple stepping stone water crossings. The arch is amazing as are the canyon walls!
February 25, 2021Fun trail and a great reward the natural bridge.
February 24, 2021February 23, 2021Wonderful trail! Super easy and amazing views along the way! There are several "little" variations to the trail. Whatever version we took had us cross the creek 10 times on the way out. We were able to keep our feet dry though! if you're not stable on little rocks crossing the creek then where gortex!
February 22, 2021The reviews don’t do this trail justice! It was one of our favorites the entire trip. Beautiful views the entire way and interesting terrain to keep you busy. We had to help our puppy get up and down a few tall rocks. She loved it tho and the arch at the end is a great reward!! Don’t miss this one.
February 20, 2021Great trail, easy to follow. Pretty views and eat features.
February 15, 2021It's cool how many of the world's largest arches are in Utah, including Morning Glory. Beautiful canyon and arch.
February 14, 2021February 14, 2021Great trail! We did this hike in the rain which made for some great waterfalls! The ice flows along the way were cool. You cross the river quite a few times and some parts are slippery.
February 6, 2021February 2, 2021Great easy hike!!
January 31, 2021The whole route is beautiful, don’t hike just for the end goal (even though the arch and cave are pretty cool). It wasn’t as long as I expected, under 2.5 miles to get to the arch. Did not have spikes and were fine this week. Did the hike late afternoon and the light in the way out was beautiful. Some hills but nothing hard, really dog friendly as well. MULTIPLE stream crossings, but water wasn’t high.
January 29, 2021Went on a Wednesday, only passed three people the entire trip. Had the end to ourselves. Wear boots with good traction and you may get your feet wet when crossing the creek so waterproof boots if you have them, my whole foot went in the water and I was thankful for my boots and socks. Icy at some points so just use caution!
January 24, 2021January 23, 2021Really fun little trail, loved the bridge at the end
January 17, 2021Great out and back trail. Easy to moderate in difficulty if you have the correct shoe wear. There’s some ice and only Little Rock scrapple towards Morning View arch that’s not too bad. Overall, highly recommend. Pretty view.
January 17, 2021Great day on the trail!
January 17, 2021Beautiful walk, not too tough to avoid getting feet wet, just slick in some areas
January 6, 2021Great hike and the weather was perfect. Glad I had my Yak Tracks and waterproof boots. A couple of places the trail was not well marked and I made a couple of decisions following what appeared to be a trail that turned out hitting several dead ends. The Morning Glory Natural bridge was worth the hike.
January 5, 2021Slippery--crampons are a must--and a number of stream crossings mean you need waterproof boots. But absolutely gorgeous, peaceful, and the right level of challenging.
