Arth's Corner Singletrack

Trailhead of Arth's Corner on the Gemini Bridges road. Photos and description based on a ride by Bruce and buddies on April 13, 2011. Latest trail update June 2020.

Arth's Corner

Arth's Trail is a lovely little singletrack trail just below Gemini Bridges north of Moab. The first (classic Arth's Corner) section is 1.5 miles long, connecting the Gemini Bridges road to the Metal Masher road. The second 1.7 miles (new in 2020) continues further downhill to join the Gemini Bridges Road just above the Gold Bar 4x4 fork at Little Canyon. The riding on Arth's is intermediate in tech requirement, but suitable for experienced young riders and advanced beginners.

Arth's has a small trailhead on the Gemini Bridges road 0.15 mile below the lower turn-off to the Gemini Bridges parking area. 100 feet from the trailhead, Arth's connects to the downhill ends of Getaway and Bull Run . Across the road from Arth's trailhead is Great Escape . Lots of riding options here.

Bruce rolls down Arth's in 2019.

Heading toward the La Sal Mountains on the lower segment of Arth's that was added in 2020.

There's also a small unofficial parking spot at the lower end of Arth's on the Gemini Bridges road. It's located 100 yards downhill from where Arth's crosses the road to Little Canyon, just past the cattle guard on the downhill side of the road. There's room for maybe 3 cars. You might use this spot if you're riding Arth's with a shuttle.

The trail starts at 5100 feet elevation and drops 400 feet over its course. The recommended riding direction is west (the upper Gemini Bridges end) to east (ending on either Metal Masher for Arth's Corner or on the Gemini Bridges road for the full trail).
Below I describe a 3.4-mile beginner's loop ride of Arth's Corner (the easier upper half) starting from Gemini Bridges parking and returning via the gravel road.

Gene takes a look into the big hole at Gemini Bridges. You aren't allowed to bike the 0.2 miles to the arches. Bike parking is provided right at the hiking trailhead.

Derek heads out across the slickrock. Much of the trail surface is as you see here -- easy cruising on Entrada. The La Sal Mountains form the background. In the middle background are domes of Navajo sandstone of the upper Moab Rim with the fins of Behind the Rocks at far right.

Arth's Corner (the upper half of Arth's singletrack) is the second segment of the Magnificent 7 epic ride. The Mag 7 route is 26 miles long, beginning with Bull Run The next trail section after Arth's Corner is Little Canyon Singletrack , located right across the Gemini Bridges road from the end of Metal Masher.

Many riders like to start with a look at Gemini Bridges. To start your ride from the Gemini Bridges parking area, head your bike east downhill. About 0.15 miles after rejoining the main road at the Y fork, the Arth's Corner singletrack forks off on the left at a small trailhead. Keep to the right as Bull Run and Getaway join on your left. It's well marked. There are yellow paint spots on the rock to show the way. You won't get lost.

There are occasional views, such as Bull Canyon which forms Bruce's backdrop for this photo.

Gene follows the trail as we near Metal Masher.

When the trail hits the Metal Masher road, decide whether you're going to hit the Little Canyon Singletrack for the classic Mag 7, or continue downhill on Arth's Trail to the Gemini Bridges Road. (At the bottom of Arth's, you'll can take the lower Little Canyon singletrack to reconnect to the Mag 7 route.)
To connect to the top of the Little Canyon trail, turn right on the Metal Masher dirt road. Pedal a short distance back to the Gemini Bridges road. Cross the road to the continuing Little Canyon singletrack.

To take Arth's further downhill, cross the Metal Masher road to the newer Arth's extension. You will descend 1.7 miles, dropping a bit more than 200 vertical feet. Like upper Arth's Corner, there are occasional short uphill spots. (Doing all of Arth's trail top to bottom, there's just under 100 feet of climbing.)

The lower half of Arth's is very slightly more technical than the upper. The slickrock is broken up more, and as you reach the bottom there's a bit more dirt.

The lower half of Arth's has a bit less slickrock and more dirt.

The lower section rides much like the upper half. The slickrock sections tend to be shorter and there's a bit more twisting around. The riding will feel a bit more techy than the upper part.

When you hit the Gemini Bridges Road, consider your next option. Many riders do a "partial Mag 7" and hit the Gemini Bridges road here for the trip out. Grinding up the road for a loop ride is another option. Or you can cross the road to the Little Canyon trail.
The Little Canyon singletrack heads east then south above the Gemini Bridges Road and the Gold Bar 4x4 road junction. The combination of Arth's, the lower half of Little Canyon, then Great Escape makes a very nice loop ride. This loop is 8 miles with 700 vertical feet of overall climbing.

Bouncing through the ledges and rock of the lower half of Arth's.

Descending Arth's Corner...

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Short Beginner Loop ride from Gemini parking area:
Take a walk and see the bridges
0.0 East from parking N38 35.233 W109 42.604
0.2 Join main GB road N38 35.253 W109 42.411
0.4 L into Arth's TH area N38 35.247 W109 42.240
       (R off road = Great Escape)
       N on Arth's Corner ST
       R at immediate fork (L = Getaway and Bull Run)
1.9 R on Metal Masher road N38 35.856 W109 41.653
2.0 R on Gemini Bridges N38 35.773 W109 41.625
       Mag 7: Straight across road
       Enter Little Canyon singletrack
3.2 Back at road fork, L
3.4 Back at bridges parking

Looking 200 feet down through the arch window.

Map of the Arth's Corner area

Getting there: From I-70 and Crescent Junction, drive south on US-191 for 20 miles (about 9 miles north of the Colorado River if you're driving out from Moab) to Highway 313. Drive 13 miles on 313 to the Gemini Bridges sign and turn L onto dirt road. (For the Mag 7 ride, start here.) Drive down the gravel road 6 miles then turn right to the Gemini Bridges parking area. Or continue a bit further to the new Arth's Corner trailhead on the Gemini Bridges road. There's room for perhaps 6 cars, and it fills up fast on weekends.
Alternate: Two miles south of the 191-313 junction, cross the railroad tracks to the Gemini Bridges road. (Note: the road will be scary, narrow, and steep path as it passes over the skirts of the hill.) Follow the road 7 miles to Gemini Bridges.