Note: on Google Maps, this canyon is called Hunters Canyon.  On the USGS topography maps, this canyon is called Hunter Canyon.  For this Trek, I have named this canyon from the USGS.

Hunter Canyon Arch has been on my to-do list for about a year now and I now seriously wonder why it took me so long.  The canyon is beautiful, steep, narrow, rugged, and a fun place to explore! This is a great fun adventure that anyone would love!  I’ll start off by saying that the arch is difficult to see from the trail below just because the front of the arch is facing you, so you can’t really see it unless you see it from the side.  This means, you need to climb up a little ways in order to see it well.   I discovered I could kind of see the arch from the canyon at certain spots below, but other people may have difficulty even seeing it at all.

This is why I rated this hike a 4 out of 10 for difficulty.  The trail in the canyon is very easy, fun, and exciting!  But, the hike up to the arch is steep and it requires a bit of a scramble.  It’s not dangerous, just steep and the trail isn’t always clear.  The trail to the arch is also fun and seeing the arch up close is its own reward, but it may not be for everyone!

The trail begins right at the Hunter Canyon Campground.  I noticed the campground already full of tents and equipment even though it was Tuesday afternoon! It seemed like a great place to camp and the creek provided a good amount of white noise to cover all the off-roaders going by down Kane Creek Boulevard.  This is a busy access road BTW.

Immediately, you will need to cross over the creek.  I found tons of small rocks that made it easy to cross.  You will be hiking through the campground for a little bit and follow the creek until you get to the part where you hike up to the arch.

I LOVED this part.  The trail goes under tall cottonwood trees and scrub oak and the creek was nice and cool!  I had already did a few hikes before Hunter Canyon and it felt good to splash water on my face to clean off the dirt.

This canyon is impressive and it made me feel like I was somewhere in Capitol Reef or Escalante.  There weren’t many people on this hike too, which was a nice change.  The people I did encounter had no idea there was even a large arch in this canyon!  I asked two separate groups if they had seen the arch and both their responses were “what arch?” It is easy to miss, but the arch is located around the first bend and near the very top of the canyon.

At this point, I saw a spur trail head up the side of the cliffs.  I followed for a ways until I came to a steep obstacle.  It wasn’t too tricky, but some people may not want to climb up this. 

From here, the trail kind of disappears and I couldn’t quite tell where the best route was.  I just made up my own route until I got closer to the arch.  It isn’t much farther and I finally arrived underneath the large natural arch!

From the sides, this is a very picturesque arch that I consider a Moab hidden treasure!  Even though it was windy during my visit, I spent about an hour flying my drone around here trying to get the best angles of it.