Pinto Arch and Magic Theater Arch: Two Hidden Arches Near Moab
Hidden arches near Moab, at a glancePinto Arch and Magic Theater Arch are both real, named arches on BLM land a few miles south of Moab, Utah, not inside Arches National Park. Neither has a maintained trail. Two other arches people search for in this cluster, Stimper Arch and Protractor Arch, are not actually near Moab: one is roughly 75 miles south near Cedar Mesa, and the other is in Colorado. We checked federal map data before writing this, and we are telling you what we found rather than inventing directions to arches that are not where people assume. Our Utah Mighty Five road trip itinerary covers the arches you can reach on a first visit.
Pinto Arch
Pinto Arch is listed in the federal geographic names database in Grand County, Utah, a few miles southwest of Moab on the far side of the Colorado River, in the general area known as Behind the Rocks, BLM managed land rather than National Park Service land. There is no maintained trail to it and no official trailhead sign. This is backcountry BLM terrain: fins, slickrock and washes with route finding required, not a walk-up arch. If you want to attempt it, start at the Moab Field Office for current access information and any seasonal closures, since conditions and road access in this area change with weather and can require a high clearance vehicle to even reach the approach.
Magic Theater Arch
Magic Theater Arch is also listed in Grand County, close to Pinto Arch and in the same general stretch south of Moab on BLM land. Like Pinto Arch, we found no maintained trail, no official trailhead and no park service documentation, because it is not a park service feature. Treat any route to it the same way: confirm current access with the BLM Moab Field Office, bring real navigation, and do not expect cairns or signage.
Arches We Could Not Confirm Near Moab
Three names that turn up in the same searches do not belong in a "near Moab" guide, and we would rather say so than give you wrong directions.
- Stimper Arch is real, but it sits in San Juan County, roughly 75 miles south of Moab near the Cedar Mesa and Grand Gulch area, a different region entirely with its own permit rules. It is not a Moab day trip.
- Protractor Arch is real, but it is in Mesa County, Colorado, near Grand Junction, not in Utah at all and not close to Moab.
- Octopus Arch does not appear in the federal geographic names database under that name. We could not confirm it exists as a named, mapped feature, so we are leaving it out rather than guessing.
How We Checked These Locations
Named natural features in the United States, arches included, are recorded in the U.S. Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System, the federal database that assigns each one a county, state and coordinate. We checked all five names against that database before writing anything. Two came back in Grand County near Moab. One came back 75 miles away in a different county. One came back in a different state. One did not come back at all. That is a more useful answer than a list of five arches with directions to places we have not confirmed, and it is why this guide only covers two.
Leave No Trace on BLM Land Near Moab
The land south of Moab around Pinto Arch and Magic Theater Arch has the same cryptobiotic soil crust you find inside Arches National Park: a living layer of moss, lichen and cyanobacteria that a single footprint can damage for years. Stay on rock, in washes, or on an established route. Do not create a new shortcut across open ground to save a few minutes. Pack out everything, including toilet paper, since there are no facilities out here.
Plan a Moab Trip With Us
If you want the easy pullout arches too, our Utah Mighty Five road trip itinerary covers those as part of the full loop. Tell us how much off-trail hiking you actually want to do in Moab and we will build the plan around it, the easy pullout arches and the real backcountry ones both included. Planning is free, and we earn only if you book through us.
