Abbey’s Triple Arch (Rob’s moniker, “Abbey’s Triple Flush Arch”)
This great looking arch is located where the South Fork of Horse Canyon
meets the other forks of the Maze to the east of Brimhall Point . The South
Fork, continues N to meet with Horse Canyon proper. The shortest hike to
the arch is to take the trail starting at The Maze Overlook (Trail No. 5 on the
Trails Illustrated/National Geographic Map No. 246). A 4wd trail leads to a
parking area at the Maze Overlook. This is a difficult trail requiring a lot of
scrambling and transit of narrow cracks, pour-offs, short drops and
precarious steps. The trail descends into the bottom of the South Fork of
Horse Canyon where it meets the trail going down (N) South Fork. Turn left
and hike north looking for the arch at UTM 12S 588389E, 4232383N; WGS
84. From its appearance, with one opening above the other, the steep wash
may have acted like a flume, directing flood water toward the three fins;
and eventually eroding openings in all three . The arch was discovered
by Edward Abbey, in May, 1962.
A less difficult but longer trail follows the South Fork of Horse Canyon. Drive the 4wd trail which passes “The Wall”and “Chimney Rock”, and ends at “The Doll House”. Drive this 4wd trail approximately to UTM 12S 585029E, 4224482N and look for a foot trail which goes north into South Fork of Horse Canyon. Hike this trail, winding down into the top layers of sandstone for about 0.7 miles to Mystery Bridge qv, and Mystery Peeper Arch, qv. Continue down to the Canyon floor, hiking another 1.4 miles from Mystery Bridge to Maze-48 Arch, qv. Before reaching Maze-48 Arch, you will pass little Bagel Bit Arch, qv. As you continue hiking down the Canyon, you will encounter the Upper Spring, complete with pour-off and reeds to wade through. Walk another mile down-canyon from the spring to the viewpoint for Single Flush One Arch. This little pothole arch is 400 ft. NE on the canyon rim. Another 0.2 miles down-canyon takes you to a viewpoint for Single Flush Two Arch , qv. Continuing north, and nearing the Lower Spring, you will come to an area where you get glimpses of the Chocolate Drop formation. In this area, look for the ”mystical” Spotlight Arch, qv. Look for Abbey’s Triple Arch when walking the well-trodden trail from the base of Maze Overlook toward the Pictograph Fork. For the view in the photo, hike down into the main drainage to the base of the Arch.
To return, Rob and his companion hiked the Ridge Route which parallels the South Fork Horse Canyon trail. The difficult climb requiring ropes to access this route makes this an option only for the experienced climber.
See Rob’s Trip Report of this hike Triple Flushing the Magnificent Maze 2010 - Exploring the South Fork Area of the Maze
