HIKING HAPPENINGS - January 2025

This formation may not eat lunch with the cool kids, but Pinto Arch is a moderate, 1.2-mile hike branching off the main trail to its more popular geologic cousin, Corona Arch. And January 6 is indeed National Bean Day, marking the death of the Austrian-Czech monk and genetics biologist Gregor Mendel (1822–1884). Mendel worked with peas and beans to establish rules of heredity, the basis for modern genetics.

The most popular bean grown in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, the pinto (Phaseolus vulgaris, Pinto Group) is cooked and eaten whole, or mashed and refried. In Spanish, this freckled bean is frijol pinto. The town of Dove Creek, Colorado (population around 700), about 80 miles southeast of Moab, is the self-proclaimed Pinto Bean Capital of the World.

To view this beany arch opening, on a recent chilly, sunny morning, I head north out of Moab on Main Street/Highway 191 and continue for 1.3 miles to the signed “Potash” road (State Road 279). I swing left/south, skirting the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) project, and follow 279 for 10.1 miles along the west side of the Colorado River. It’s a bit chilly to see rafters, canoeists, or kayakers, but I do pass numerous people setting up ropes and racks of gear at the Wall Street cliffs climbing area. I arrive at the signed Corona Arch trailhead on the right and pull into a large gravel parking lot.

< I zig and zag up rocky steps and the brushy, boulder-strewn path to the potash train railroad tracks. I look both ways, then walk about half a mile up the twisty main trail. A sign (thanks, BLM!) indicates the spur trail veering left/west to Pinto. I transition onto the slickrock section, working my way toward several alcoves looming to the south, following dashes daubed onto the rock in a color I’d describe as smoky teal. This morning, I welcome the opportunity to lollygag along, stopping often, snacking on peanuts, raisins, and a gluten-free brownie (celebrating my January birthday), as I anticipate the star power of an introverted, geologic legume.

I sit for another break and, raising my Gatorade to my lips, suddenly realize—like I’m in a B movie with the cameraman dollying in on my face—I’m staring up at the arch itself! Morning shadows and my hat brim had obscured it until this very last cinematic moment. The stunning blue sky through the opening sets off the rock, the alcove, the Mormon tea, and the Utah juniper trees. Some hanging garden plants and a drooping singleleaf ash survive off the seep dripping down the alcove wall, leaving a wide, charcoal-gray stain. It’s possible pinto (Spanish for “painted”) refers to this wash of color against the sandstone.

This doesn’t have to be your only destination from this trailhead of course. You can backtrack to the main hiking path, heading north to Bowtie and Corona Arches. However, on this cold snap of a morning, I never saw another hiker on the Pinto trail and had the arch all to myself. Crowds of people and dogs only appear once I rejoin the main trail. As I return to the railroad tracks, I enjoy the bonus of watching the potash train’s two locomotives and 27 ore cars clickety-clacking south to the Intrepid mine.

I recommend trainspotters and hikers wrap Pinto Arch into the great burrito of their trail repertoire. Better yet, bring along an actual bean burrito from one of Moab’s restaurants or food trucks. And, since avocados are in season, mash yourself a side of guacamole to go with some chips or crackers, and ¡ahí está! A fabulous brunch under a shy arch amid desert shrubbery and crisp cerulean skies. And if Mendel had needed a break from his lab and greenhouse, he would have loved this hike!