Walking Wild & Free

Little Arches Canyon 1

Little Arches Canyon

Little Arches Canyon 2

Little Arches Canyon 3

Little Arches Canyon 4

Little Arches Canyon 5

Little Arches Canyon 6

Little Arches Canyon 7

Little Arches Canyon 8

Little Arches Canyon 9

Just north of Palmer Canyon is Little Arches Canyon, which (unsurprisingly) features two good-sized arches, narrows, and a boulder scramble.

Total Distance: 7.2 miles out & back	Elevation Gain: 2,538ft. (897ft. to 1,870ft.)
Difficulty: Strenuous	5-10 Mile Difficulty: Very Strenuous
View Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars3.0	Author’s Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars3.0
Visitor Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0]	Visitor Difficulty Rating: (Click to rate) [Total: 0 Average: 0]
Pets: No	Horses: Yes
Best Seasons: November-April	Special Permits: None
Water Availability: None	Overnight Options: Dispersed camping permitted at least 1 mile from Fall Canyon
Trailhead Amenities: Primitive restroom	Crowd Factor: Solitude
Trailhead Access: 1.2 Graded gravel road; suitable for low-clearance vehicles
Uses:	Trail Surface:
Features:	Hazards:

Mile-by-Mile: Little Arches Canyon

0.0 Fall Canyon Trailhead (933ft.). Follow the route to Palmer Canyon until you drop into Palmer Wash. (36.8221167°, -117.1740667°)

2.0 Drop into Palmer Wash (1,370ft.). Turn left to walk west down (as in downstream) Palmer Wash, then turn right to pass between two badland hills (approx. 36.841662°, -117.184526°) that look like they were once a wall, but running water has broken through to create quite a massive wash. Follow a steep and gravelly wide wash north and down into Little Arches Canyon. (36.840880°, -117.181261°)

2.6 Mouth of Little Arches Canyon (1,178ft.). Turn right (northeast) into Little Arches Canyon. Hug the right-hand wall to see the arches. (36.8440460°, -117.1856840°)

2.8 Arch 1 (1,293ft.). Shortly after entering Little Arches Canyon, about the time the canyon veers sharply left, the first arch will be on the right. It is in a white-ish hillside just after passing a small sidewash on the right. The arch is above eye level but not by a lot. (36.8479080°, -117.1846240°)

2.9 Arch 2 (1,307ft.). A short way upcanyon is the second arch, high on the north canyon wall on the right, still in a white-ish hillside. After this, the badlands on the right end as the canyon narrows a bit, alternately passing through narrower and wider sections with great scenery all around. (36.8482680°, -117.1851080°)

3.4 Boulder Gorge (1,690ft.). While the hiking up to this point has been mostly easy over gravel, the boulders between the narrow canyon walls pose a serious obstacle. They can be scrambled with care, though ducking under and through may be necessary at some points. There are also a couple of small dryfalls to scramble. Once finally through the boulders, the canyon shifts to shallow but beautiful red narrows. (36.852527°, -117.183920°)

3.6 Red Dryfall (1,870ft.). This is the end of non-technical travel in this part of Little Arches Canyon. Retrace your steps to the trailhead. (36.853956°, -117.182989°)

History & More

Don’t underestimate the difficulty of this hike. The ridgeline portion in particular can be difficult to navigate.

When hiking between Palmer Canyon and Little Arches Canyon, stay in the wash and take the break in the badlands wall. One of my group members tried to go overland as a shortcut and… well, I got to the arches, and he did’t in any kind of a timely manner.

Despite the name “Little Arches,” the arches in this canyon are pretty good-sized. However, at least one of them is likely a natural bridge rather than an arch – but why be too technical?

Little Arches Canyon was informally named by Steve Hall after his trip to the area in February of 2014.

Some hikers have opted to return to the mouth of Little Arches Canyon and then take a long and arduous bypass above Palmer Canyon into the upper part of Little Arches Canyon (bypass begins approx. 36.843740°, -117.185497° and heads generally east and then north; begin down into the canyon approx. 36.861330°, -117.171217° and end the bypass in the upper canyon approx. 36.861622°, -117.174339°). In the upper canyon, hikers can walk downstream to the top of another dryfall (approx. 36.858459°, -117.179655°) or upcanyon to a set of narrows that begin approx. 36.863729°, -117.171201°.

I’ve seen some photos of the upper part of Little Arches Canyon, and while it’s beautiful, it’s also fairly technical. It’s unlikely you could walk too far downcanyon without a rope and knowledge of rock climbing.

An alternate route begins on the Scotty’s Castle Road (North Highway) north of Milepost 18 (approx. 36.8289667°, -117.2193000°). Hike toward the mouth of Little Arches Canyon (which at this point looks like heading for some tan hills to the left of the canyon entrance). This route is approximately 2.1 miles each way to the canyon mouth. The benefit of this route is that you get some nice views of Mt. Palmer while walking up the alluvial fan. The downside is that the terrain is loose, with prickly plants.

Download Route Map

Coming soon!

Driving Directions

Take Scotty’s Castle Road to the exit of the Titus Canyon Road (14.9 miles north of CA-190 and 18.3 miles south of the Grapevine Ranger Station). Turn east on the gravel Titus Canyon Road for 2.6 miles to the Titus Canyon Trailhead and Fall Canyon Trailhead parking.