Trip Report - Rifle Arch Hike

Just north of the town of Rifle is little pull-off parking lot. It is literally just off the highway. It is not well marked...it just has a small brown sign with an arrow on it to mark the start of the trail. But, if you park there and go through a little cattle gate, you will find yourself in the middle of a sagebrush flat and on your way to one of the coolest things in Colorado - the Rifle Arch. This natural arch is pretty well camouflaged against the sandstone cliffs around it, so if you are blasting by in a car, you'd likely miss it. You shouldn't. It is well worth stopping! The trail is fairly flat - just a slow, steady climb to the base of the arch through sagebrush and pinon trees. (If you go, go in spring, fall or a cool-ish summer day. There isn't a lot of shade, and it can get scorching!) It has been a super wet spring, so when we went the second week of June, the many cacti had all bloomed bright yellow and orange. Once you get to the base of the arch, you can stop and rest at the bench and take photos from there, or you can scramble up the rocks to get right up under the arch. Grubby Guy and I decided to scramble up to the arch. The views were spectacular! I got a little panicked by the height and had to gingerly make my way back down pretty quickly, but I was glad I chose to go up to the arch. The whole hike took about an hour and a half, including posing for photos and my brief panic attack. A fabulous, moderate afternoon hike.

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GG