From the far side of the road at the small lot by the tunnel's east end, Canyon Overlook Trail runs a half mile to a fenced viewpoint above the Great Arch, facing the main canyon. The 2,450-foot trail was designed by Harry Langley and built by the CCC in 1933. NPS rates it moderate, with 163 feet of climbing, sandstone steps and a handrail above a dark slot. It is open all year and needs no reservation, and pets are not allowed. Pit toilets are in the lot, which NPS calls extremely limited and closes to vehicles over 19 feet. Pine Creek below is a half-day canyoneering route that takes guides, permits or technical experience.
The Canyon Overlook lot comes right after the tunnel, on your right, and it's tiny. It holds ten to fifteen cars, and in summer it can fill by eight in the morning. If there's a space, take it, and if I cut out when you shut the car off, tap play, because the trail and Boone's three-minute tale come next. If there isn't, don't wait in the road. Be ready to try more than once. More pullouts run along the road just past the lot. The park closes Canyon Overlook parking to anything over nineteen feet, so a rig that fits the tunnel may still be too long to park here. Canyon Overlook Trail starts across the road on your left, so cross with care. It's one mile round trip and rated moderate, with about a hundred and sixty-three feet of climbing. It goes up sandstone steps with a metal handrail, and there's a slot-canyon drop beside you, so hold on to small hands. Then the rock opens up, and the trail ends at a fenced cliff edge facing the Towers of the Virgin. The Civilian Conservation Corps built it in nineteen thirty-three, and it was first called the Great Arch Trail, because that viewpoint sits directly above the arch. You may catch people rappelling into the Pine Creek slot. Pets stay behind on this one, and there are pit toilets in the lot. When you leave, head right out of the lot to carry on east.
Photo: Óðinn, own work (Wikimedia Commons), February 23, 2012 · CC BY-SA 2.5 Canada