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Dog Friendly Hiking in Moab

written by Amanda April 23, 2013

We love national parks. Unfortunately, they don’t love our dog. For some reason they think he’s a crazy wildlife terrorizing, poop dropping machine who can’t handle himself in the company of others. While this may be partially true (there was that one incident with a skunk back in Minnesota, although truthfully I think the skunk was the one doing the terrorizing), I can’t help but think that if they took the time to get to know our sweet old man dog, surely they would realize just how civilized he can be on a hiking trail. Alas, since this is unlikely to happen, the poor guy has to stay behind while we enjoy the national parks.

dog friendly hiking in moab

Who needs national parks when you have a river like this?

Fortunately here in Moab there are plenty of super dog friendly hiking options outside of the national parks. The best resource we’ve found for hiking with your pooch around Moab is this site: DiscoverMoab.com. We haven’t done all the trails listed on this site, but here’s our take on the ones we have hiked.

Negro Bill Canyon:
This is the ultimate dog hike. The easy 5 mile trail winds along the canyon bottom following, and in many cases crossing over, a shallow, fast moving river. Phineas enjoyed this hike so much that we did it twice.

dog friendly hiking in moab

Over the river and through the canyon

dogs friendly hiking in moab

One of the spots where we crossed the river

The trail ends at the Morning Glory Bridge. This bridge spans the back of the canyon, with only a narrow separation from the rock wall behind it. From a distance it doesn’t look very spectacular, but up close and from below it’s a pretty impressive sight.

dog friendly hiking in moab

The Morning Glory Bridge

dog friendly hiking in moab

Under the bridge

Moab Rim Trail:
This is a trail shared by hikers, bikers and 4×4 vehicles. We’re calling it dog friendly even though Phineas stayed home for this one. At 13 years-young his little legs simply can’t handle a hike of this length and difficulty anymore. Younger dogs would probably love this hike though. We only saw one pair of mountain bikers and one group of ATVs, which leads me to believe that it’s not a high traffic area where you need to worry about you or your dog getting run over by over zealous thrill seekers. There are a couple different variations to the trail, but the route we took clocked in at eight-miles round trip. This is one of those trails that starts off strong- really strong. The first one-mile is a thigh burning climb up steep slickrock that gains 900 feet of elevation.

Dog Hike Moab

Looking down on the Colorado River

After the exhausting climb we were rewarded with a view of the Moab Valley and Arches N.P. way off in the distance to the north.

hike dog moab

The view from the rim

The trail left the rim and headed south, rolling up and down the slickrock and dirt tracks offering amazing views in all directions.

dogs hiking moab

Rolling terrain with a view

In many areas the rocks were stained black from the countless 4×4 tires that have struggled up and down this arduous track.

dogs hiking moab

Tim wondering if the Tundra could handle this trail- ha!

A final steep section of loose, jagged rocks brought us to a rocky outcropping with another awesome view of the Moab Valley and the La Sal Mountains to the south.

dogs hiking moab

Tim taking in the view

Corona Arch:
An easy hike to a really impressive arch that rivals any of the ones you see in the national park. The Corona Arch is huge. It measuring 140-feet tall with a 105-foot opening. Part of what makes this arch special is the stunning surrounding landscape.

dogs hiking moab

First view of the arch from afar

dog friendly hiking in moab

That’s one huge arch!

Once again Phineas did not get to join us on this hike. While it’s a short one, only three- miles round trip, there is one section with a ladder and another steep climb with cables that we didn’t think he could handle. We saw quite a few other dogs on the trail though and I watched one young pup scamper up the steep rock next to the ladder with ease.

dog friendly hiking in moab

Tall Tim looking not so tall

dog friendly hiking in moab

The steep section with cables- notice the dogs at the top

 

Don’t let this picture full of people scare you away from this hike. I am sure it’s a popular one, but on the day we went a school group of at least 50 kids also decided to make the trek to the arch. Without those kids we wouldn’t have seen more than 20 other hikers in total.

dog friendly hiking in moab

So many kids!

The hike to the arch is a very easy gradual climb across sandstone. I only took a few photos along the trail because our camera lens has been acting up lately, and after limping along for about a month now finally decided to stop focusing altogether. Luckily I was able to take some phone photos, but they don’t capture the scene nearly as well as a real camera.

Hunters Canyon Trail
Similar to the Negro Bill Trail, this hike follows along a canyon bottom winding alongside and crossing over a stream. With no steep sections or ladders to climb, Phineas was happy to join us on this hike. The trailhead is located at the Hunter Canyon BLM Campground on Kane Creek Rd. It’s a small campground with about a dozen tent sites. Half are walk up sites tucked back in the canyon alongside the river. Back in our tenting days we would have loved this campground!

dog friendly hiking in moab

Some really nice tent sites

dog friendly hiking in moab

A natural tunnel

The trail is an easy four-mile trek through the canyon. At times we ducked under rocks…

Stopped for a quick swim…

dog friendly hiking in moab

A swimming hole just the right size for Phineas

Enjoyed the view…

dog friendly hiking in moab

Heading back to the canyon

Passed cool rock formations…

dog friendly hiking in moab

We love rocks

And spotted a cactus in bloom!

dog friendly hiking in moab

A cactus in bloom- finally!

The end of the trail is rather anti-climatic. There’s no big arch, natural bridge or grand view. After about two-miles the brush thickens, the boulders grow too large to scramble over, and the trail ends. From here we turned around and headed back. This was a great trail for dogs and kids with lots of water access and really easy terrain.

dog friendly hiking in moab

End of the trail

So there you are, four dog friendly hikes in Moab.

dog friendly hiking in moab

Enjoying a much needed nap after a day of hiking

13 comments
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Amanda

previous post
Arches, Balancing Rocks and a Trip Down Park Avenue
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Sand Flats Campground- Moab UT

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13 comments

John and Pam Wright April 23, 2013 - 8:00 pm

We hiked to the Morning Glory Bridge in Negro Bill Canyon today and I couldn’t help thinking Phin would love this trail! While it wasn’t very crowded, several people had wet dogs hiking along.

So glad you found a cactus flower, too!! So pretty.

As a former teacher, I can’t imagine taking a school group to the Corona Arch. But I guess if you live out here, you are use to climbing rocks.

Reply
Amanda April 24, 2013 - 10:05 am

We saw quite a few other wet dogs on the trail to Morning Glory Bridge as well. I think it’s a popular doggy spot.

The kids seemed pretty well behaved, and the ratio of chaperones to students was very high. I don’t remember ever going on a field trip that cool when I was in school!

Reply
Stella April 24, 2013 - 3:23 pm

I’ve been following you for a while and am trying to figure out how we can make a part time traveling lifestyle possible. Sure enjoy following your adventures. Thanks for sharing!

Reply
Branndon April 29, 2013 - 10:27 am

Thanks for the great pictures. I wish I could be there with my Golden Retriever, he’d love the hike and swim. I’ve saved a couple of your photos in my “future adventures” folder.

Reply
Amanda April 29, 2013 - 12:01 pm

If you do make it here with your pooch be sure to visit Mill Creek. We’ve been twice this week and it’s like doggie heaven!

Reply
Avis July 2, 2014 - 6:15 pm

Thank you for this! We are taking our rugged cockapoo to Moab with us this summer and I’m researching dog friendly adventures. ‘Hike’ is one of his favorite words, and he’s been on many, but mostly in our home state of Iowa.

Reply
Marsha October 22, 2015 - 12:59 pm

Thanks for the post I am headed to Moab with my two pups and was very grateful that I can hike with them, enjoy the beauty of the landscape, and their company also.

Reply
Danielle April 5, 2016 - 7:45 pm

Great list! We happened across Hunter Canyon at random looking for somewhere to set up camp a couple years ago. Gorgeous!! Just a warning for others, we left our camp to explore the rest of the canyon and our tents and packs were chewed through and torn apart by aggressive squirrels! Make sure to take anything with a scent out of your tents before you leave them unattended! Happy trails :)

Reply
Derek Johnson August 10, 2016 - 1:34 pm

Thanks for the heads up. And I agree. For any dog that loves water, negro bill canyon is a must. My old lady ran around that trail like she was 3 again.

Reply
Derek Johnson August 10, 2016 - 1:39 pm

Wanted to add, from what I can tell, the blu bar is the only real dog friendly patio. If you are camping and want to eat out, this seems to be the best option. The car is not an option here.

Reply
Martha February 27, 2017 - 6:43 pm

your pictures are wonderful! What type of camera do you use?

Reply
Amanda March 6, 2017 - 11:59 am

Thanks Martha! The camera we have is a Sony DSCHX80/B.http://amzn.to/2mNH3EA

Reply
Conor McCartney May 3, 2017 - 7:47 pm

Thank you so much, doing a cross country trip and this blog was EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED!!!

Reply

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About The Watsons

About The Watsons

This is the story of Tim & Amanda. Since 2012, we have traveled the U.S. while living and working from our renovated 25-foot Airstream. Follow us on our crazy journey in search of beautiful scenery, fun adventures, interesting people, tasty foods, and more…

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