Bar-M Loop

With some 4 wheel drive road, some doubletrack and even some slickrock, this loop makes for a great outing for families and beginners, and is an easy introduction to the Moab area. The loop travels over rolling desert terrain, with long views into Arches National Park to Balanced Rock, the Windows and the Klondike Bluffs. This loop can be done in either direction, but this description is for the clockwise loop: From the Moab Brand area parking lot, go west along the access road, turning right when you hit the fence. Follow this gravel road north past the exit to 191 as it turns into a 4 wheel drive road. After 1.75 miles, the trail branches off to the right and curls around to head southwest, soon passing the head of lower Sevenmile Canyon. It's definitely worth stopping to check out the views down into the canyon from this impressive pour-off. Continue south along the doubletrack as it hugs the edge of the slickrock, passing the 4-way junction with North 40 and Circle-O, then the southern spur to Circle-O and Rockin' A. This is the most engaging section of the trail, weaving back and forth between dirt and slickrock surface. Almost 4 miles beyond the pouroff, the trail reaches another 4WD road and turns nearly 180 degrees to follow this road 1.2 miles to the Moab Canyon Paved Path. This basically marks the end of the hike; follow the path north for a mile then take a right onto to the access road back to the parking lot. Many trails enter and exit at various points in the loop, creating endless options to extend it into a longer or more challenging hike. Junctions are signed to aid with navigation, but keep in mind that these signs can be very small and discreet.