Four-Wheel Driving: Utah

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Quick Facts

Tower Arch Four-Wheel Drive Road

Beginning Elevation:	4,980 Feet (1552.4 Meters) Salt Valley Road
Difficulty:	Moderate
Elevation Gain, One-way:	250 Feet (77.9 Meters)
Ending Elevation:	4,880 Feet (1521.2 Meters)
Length:	3.1 Miles (5.17 Kilometers)
Recommended Season:	Fall
Usage:	Light
Vehicle Accessibility:	High-clearance, 4WD Vehicle

Guidebooks and Maps

General Description

This four-wheel drive road extends westward three miles from Salt Valley Road. In a mile and a half it meets Four Wheel Drive Road and continues westward a short distance before turning northward. The route leads northward for one mile to meet the western terminus of Tower Arch Trail. This road is usually in fair condition, but a four-wheel drive vehicle with high clearance is necessary to use it. Tower Arch Road leaves Salt Valley Road at an elevation of 4,980 feet. It climbs slightly to 5,100 feet then descends 240 feet to the junction with Four Wheel Drive Road. From this junction the roadway descends slightly, crosses a drainage and turns northward. After turning northward the roadway gains elevation slowly reaching 4,960 feet before descending 80 feet to the trailhead.

Directions from Main Park Entrance: Drive 16.7 miles northward along the Main Park Road to Salt Valley Road. Turn left and follow Salt Valley Road 7.7 miles to Tower Arch Road. Turn left on to Tower Arch Road.

Seasonal Information:
Normally Open: Year-round (NOTE: This route is not maintained extremely slippery conditions may exist after heavy rains or snow.) .

		Current Conditions & Trip Reports
		Add your own trip Report! Newly re-released feature. One of the most popular features on Wildernet, trip reports allow you to share your experiences with others. This is an invaluable resource for determining what to expect on your outdoor adventure, so please participate! To prevent spamming, you must be a registered user of Wildernet in order to submit a trip report Date: September 11, 2009 Filed By: D Driver (We are on the road. No address., UT) Time of Day: 12:00 noon Length of Time: 3 hours Difficulty: Hard Number of People Encountered: 0-10 ppl Recommend to a Friend: Not Recommended Report: This is a serious trip report. If we knew this, we would not have taken this road. Unlike other National Park warnings for 4x4 vehicles with high clearance, this one should have a very stringent warning. The road is very technical and required us to get out of the truck to go figure out how to navigate around several obstacles including steep ascents, descents, boulders, sharp rocks, rollover potentials and deep sand. Conditions: Utah in September is very dry and hot. It was 90 degrees and sunny. For people who are used to Extreme four wheel driving, it would be a great challenge. The signage on the road does not prepare drivers for what they will encounter... with no going back or easy way to turn around. Water Availability: None. We complated what we would do if we had to abandon our Toyota truck, if it got stuck. It's at least 10 miles back to civilazation, which would have been a long, hot hike. Calling a tow truck there would not have helped.

Recreation Opportunities

Activity		Remarks	On Site
	Geology	Tower Arch Road	Yes
	Hiking & Walking	Tower Arch Road - Tower Arch Trail	Yes
	Mountain Biking	Tower Arch Road	Yes
	Four-Wheel Driving	Tower Arch Four-Wheel Drive Road	Yes

Related Activities

Four Wheel Drive Road Four-Wheel Drive Road - This road leads ten miles from the Klondike Bluffs area of Arches National Park to Willow Flats Road. It provides a challenging four-wheel drive route for visitors.

Salt Valley Road Improved Road - The Salt Valley Road is a gravel and dirt serviced road passable by two-wheel drive vehicles in good conditions. It leads northwestward from the main park road.

Tower Arch Trail - This route leads through the little-used Klondike Bluffs area of the park. It provides access to Tower Arch and the Marching Men.

More Information

Contact Information:

Utah Travel Council, Council Hall, P.O. Box 147420 , Salt Lake City, UT, 84114, Phone: 801-538-1030, travel@utah.com

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