Utah trails · Primitive Loop
Primitive Loop
A 3.5-mile network in Utah, with 266 ft of climbing. Reaches Oval Canyon Natural Bridge and other arch destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the middle third — 69% of the ascent, between mile 1.2 and mile 2.4. It gives back about 472 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Oval Canyon Natural Bridge (arch)
- Double O Arch (arch)
- Partition Arch (arch)
- Wall Arch (historical) (arch)
- Black Cave Arch (arch)
- Landscape Arch (arch)
- Box Arch (arch)
- Top Story Window (arch)
- Navajo Arch (arch)
- Piano Leg Arch (arch)
Heads up
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:59 a.m., the sun rises at 7:26 a.m. and sets at 6:41 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:08 p.m. (MDT) — 11 h 15 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 3.5-mile route takes roughly 1 h 27 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:53 a.m. — 9 h 48 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Landscape Arch + Primitive Loop + Devils Garden — 4.9 mi loop, 703 ft gain
- Primitive Loop + Private Arch + Devils Garden — 5.4 mi loop, 805 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Devils Garden — 1.9 mi