Pritchett Arch, Moab.
A few weeks back a group of us spent a weekend in Moab to do a little biking, celebrate a birthday, and escape the unsettled weather spring has brough to the Western Slope. In an effort to get some longer training days in on foot, I swapped out one of our scheduled biking days, laced up the trail shoes, and headed out for a solo loop southwest of town that had long been on the wish list.
Among the vast expanse of routes and trail systems Moab has to offer, some are definitely better for biking while some are obviously better for hiking/running. As a lover of loops, I’d earmarked the Pritchett Canyon/Hunter’s Rim loop as one of the higher rated and more interesting loops in the area. Clocking in around 14 miles and over 2,000 feet of gain, it makes for a nice moderate length outing through some of Moab’s more beautiful canyon country. It’s also the route used by the Moab Half Marathon, which generally takes place in early-November.
The loop starts off the Kane Creek Road and assuming a clockwise direction, follows the Pritchett Canyon 4×4 road as it snakes south through the landscape, then turns back north along the rim of Hunter’s Canyon with an optional stop at Pritchett Arch. Click to enlarge.
I’ve always loved the desert, especially in spring after a cold winter in Colorado. The heat, red rocks, canyon walls, unique views and landscape offered up by the Utah desert is simply tough to beat.
A few miles in along the Pritchett Canyon 4×4 road. Rated one of the more extreme roads in the area, it thankfully sees little vehicle traffic.
At the turn south, still on the Pritchett Canyon Trail.
An unnamed arch to the east.
Once the route wraps to the south, it’s only about a 25 minute side jaunt to check out Pritchett Arch. With a little extra time and always down to visit the namesake feature of any trail loop, I decided to break off from the main route and pay it a visit.
A small scramble up a gully leads to a sandstone plateau, after which a short traverse north eventually lands you at Pritchett Arch, which spans 121 feet across and is one the larger arches in the Kane Creek area.
After taking a few photos of the arch from different angles, I high tailed it back down to the Pritchett Canyon Trail, making sure not to miss the Hunter’s Canyon trail split not long after.
From there, the route heads north again, weaving in and around a large ledge system with high rock walls to the east and the lip of Hunter’s Canyon to the west. A friendly reminder: always be sure to keep an eye out for snakes, as at one point I jumped off a small ledge and nearly landed on top of a rather large Diamondback rattler.
Hunter’s Canyon and the rim trail, which takes the ledge system seen on the left.
Desert friends.
The Hunter’s Rim trail with the canyon on the left.
The end of the loop felt hard-earned despite the actual distance traveled, as I ran into a routefinding error or two and even found myself cliffed out on the descent down to the Kane Springs Road. From there it’s a mellow mile or two jog back down to the trailhead, sandals, and eventually, a cold margarita on the patio.
If you’re ever in the area and looking for a medium-length loop run through the heart of Moab’s canyon country, check out Pritchett Canyon to Hunter’s Rim. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.