Class 1 6.4 miles Minimal gain 2-4 hrs Out + Back Nov 4, 2019
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Arrow Canyon GPX Track

I need to offset my substantial website costs somehow! You can download a hike/drive GPX to assist you here. Before sharing my GPX tracks with others, please remember my site is otherwise a free resource.

Tara and I hiked through Arrow Canyon on the way to Swamp Cave, the name of a climbing crag toward the end of the canyon. The road leading to the trailhead was just rough enough for a 2WD to have some issues, so we walked a fair amount. I marked the attached trailhead as the end of the decent road before it deteriorates. Regardless of where you start, follow the dirt road to the official Arrow Canyon Trailhead, then enter the wash. Arrow Canyon winds through tall cliff faces and along the gravel bed before it opens up for a bit, and then narrows into the pretty part. The narrows of Arrow Canyon really are spectacular, and if you continue all the way to the end, you'll get to the base of the historic 1930s Arrow Canyon dam.

Tara and I did not continue to the base of the dam (therefore, no pictures at the base), but I returned on another day from the west side in order to get to the top of the dam. To reach the top of the dam coming from the west, navigate to here (36.75242, -114.81415), accessible via most non-4WD vehicles. Hike along the road past this point, which winds around a bitto the dam, but enters a no motor vehicle zone. There are apparently petroglyphs hidden amongst the silt buildup behind the dam, but we didn't know to look for them at the time. The dam was actually much larger than expected, and a fixed rope was in place. We opted not to down-climb because the bottom was just thick mud.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!

Poor road, which required us to walk it for a while.
Poor road, which required us to walk it for a while.
Image 1 from gallery
At the 4WD trailhead, entering Arrow Canyon.
At the 4WD trailhead, entering Arrow Canyon.
Image 3 from gallery
Arrow Canyon.
Arrow Canyon.
Narrows ahead.
Narrows ahead.
Arrow Canyon narrows.
Arrow Canyon narrows.
Image 7 from gallery
Image 8 from gallery
Image 9 from gallery
Image 10 from gallery
They were very pretty.
They were very pretty.
Image 12 from gallery
The canyon opens slightly for a bit.
The canyon opens slightly for a bit.
Image 14 from gallery
Tara and I stopped here to rock climb, but the dam is shortly up the canyon from here.
Tara and I stopped here to rock climb, but the dam is shortly up the canyon from here.
Almost to the dam. No photos at its base.
Almost to the dam. No photos at its base.
Dam from above.
Dam from above.
Fixed line, but very muddy down there.
Fixed line, but very muddy down there.
Top of the dam, view back toward the western route.
Top of the dam, view back toward the western route.
If coming in from the west, here's a view of the top of the dam.
If coming in from the west, here's a view of the top of the dam.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!