Overview

Natural Arch Road is a rarely maintained dirt road that normally is suitable for 2WD-HC vehicles. The road starts from Coal Valley North Road and zig-zags east and west as it runs north about 3 miles to the Natural Arch. This and other roads continue out into the desert.

Natural Arch Road starts out rather overgrown with weeds and there are some deep ruts, but the road improves farther out. Towards the Natural Arch, the road crosses some rocky spots, but overall, it remains a 2WD-HC road. For people with unsuitable vehicles, the road makes for a nice, 6-1/2-mile, round-trip hike.

This little used road primarily provides access to the Natural Arch.

Link to Area Map or Road Map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about driving in the desert, ...this road is pretty safe, but be sure that your vehicle is in good working condition, carry plenty of water (radiator and drinking), and pack a lunch. This road could easily require 4WD after heavy rains.

While out, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. This road goes into a remote area, so be sure to bring the 10 Essentials. Cell phones work along parts of this road.

Getting to the Road

Natural Arch Road is located in the northeast part of Basin and Range National Monument, about 4-1/2 hours (164 miles) northeast of Las Vegas driving directly via Seaman Wash Road, or about 3 hours (58 miles) north of the intersection of Highway 93 and Highway 318.

From Las Vegas, drive north on Interstate-15 21 miles to Highway 93. Turn left onto Great Basin Highway (Hwy 93) and drive north past the towns of Alamo (95 miles from Las Vegas) and Ash Springs (102 miles) to the intersection of Highway 93 and Highway 318 (107 miles). Gasoline is available in Alamo, Ash Springs, Rachael, and Lund.

Turn left onto Highway 318 and drive west then north for 17.4 miles to Seaman Wash Road on the left. On Seaman Wash Road, drive northwest 26.5 miles to a fork in the road (stay "straight" at all forks and side roads to this point). At this fork, stay right and cross to the other side of Water Gap where the road forks again (this is a big triangular intersection). Stay right onto Timber Pass Road and drive east 0.9 miles to Coal Valley North Road, on the left.

Drive north on Coal Valley North Road 9.5 miles to Natural Arch Road, on the left. Watch for a single wooden fence post on the left shortly before the turn.

The Road

From Coal Valley North Road (Table 1, Site 1613), Natural Arch Road angles left to run northeast through the bottom of Coal Valley. Water runs in the road here, parts are badly rutted, and the road is overgrown with weedy vegetation, making this section tricky without high clearance. This part of the road could easily become 4WD only after rains, but it gets better after a few hundred yards.

At about 1.5 miles out, the road forks (Site 1616). Here, Natural Arch Road turns left to run northwest. The road runs up the gentle hillside, winding among tall sagebrush, and climbs onto a low saddle. In this area, a tall, isolated, rocky crag becomes visible ahead in the distance. Natural Arch sits on the northeast corner of this crag. Powerlines also become visible.

The road eventually curves to the northeast where a faint side road merges from the left (2.4 miles out). Continuing northeast, Natural Arch Road makes a hard bend left (2.6 miles out) to run north and passes a barely noticeable dirt road on the right. Just ahead, at 2.7 miles out, the road passes under the powerlines at yet another dirt road to the left. This side road, the powerline road, seems like it might be a better road for the return; it is not.

Natural Arch Road continues north towards the rocky promontory. Approaching the base of the crag (3.2 miles out), the road reaches a T-intersection (Site 1617). Natural Arch Campsite Road turns left and runs west 100 yards to a nice camping area, then continues for no apparent reason to end on a hillside about 0.2 miles out. The campsite is the best place to park when visiting the Natural Arch, especially if there is more than one vehicle in the party. The arch is north of this point, not farther out the useless road to the west.

Past the campsite road, Natural Arch Road stays straight (north) to just beyond the crags. At that point, the road dips left to cross a gully packed full of Basin Wildrye Grass (Leymus cinereus), and forks (3.3 miles out). Here, the right fork continues north along the powerlines, while the left runs up along the side of the Natural Arch crags.

Staying left along the crags, there is a bush-covered parking area on the right. This is the best place to park for the Natural Arch on this side of the crags.

Continuing, the road forks again in another 200 yards. This fork is a good place for a single vehicle to turn around and park. Park in the road, as it is unlikely that anyone else will be using the road.

The left fork continues along the crags, and in another 30 yards forks again. Here, the left fork is just a parking place useful for turning around. The right is very lightly used. From anywhere in this area, it is a short walk to the Arch.