Living up to its name, Arches National Park boasts more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, along with other remarkable formations such as soaring pinnacles, rock fins, and enormous balanced rocks.
Located just five miles north of Moab in eastern Utah, this park is relatively easy to get to compared to some other national parks. As a result, it’s also more crowded, so it’s wise to carefully plan your trip to get the most out of your visit. This destination offers an opportunity to marvel at — and photograph — incredible natural formations as well as experience stunning sunsets and star-filled night skies.
How to Get to Arches National Park
If you’re planning to fly into the area and rent a car, the closest large airport is in Salt Lake City, which is 236 miles away. However, Grand Junction, Colorado, has a regional airport. If you can arrange to fly into Grand Junction Regional Airport and rent a car, it’s only 110 miles away.
If you’re traveling by car in the Four Corners Region, Arches National Park is about 163 miles from Durango, Colorado, using Highway 491 to Highway 191.
There’s plenty to explore along this route, like Mesa Verde National Park, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Hovenweep National Monument, and Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum.
The Best Time to Visit
Most visitors — more than a million per year! — plan to arrive in Arches National Park during the spring or fall primarily due to the pleasant weather during these two seasons. In contrast, the summer daytime temperatures can reach the 90s and higher, making outdoor activities less enjoyable, and winter weather can be quite chilly, so bring layers and warm clothes.
If you do visit in the summer, plan to get to the park very early and do your hiking first thing before it warms up. Take plenty of water with you to hike in this desert environment any time of year: the Park Service recommends one quart of water for every two miles that you hike.
Things to Know
Whichever route you take, once you arrive at the national park, you can expect to pay an entry fee for your vehicle unless you have an America the Beautiful Pass or another annual pass. Check the prices ahead of time, as they are subject to change. The park is open year-round, 24 hours a day (allowing the opportunity to stargaze the stellar dark skies), but the visitor center will be closed on some holidays.
Due to Arch’s extreme popularity, a timed entry ticket is required for visits between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. from April 1 through October 31.
You must purchase your ticket online and enter the park during the hour for which it was assigned. There will most likely be a line of other people waiting to enter the park during the same time slot (You can even check a webcam to see what the wait is like at the entry station).
This plan eases congestion and makes the experience more enjoyable for visitors. Once in the park, you can stay as long as you like.
If you come before 7 a.m., you don’t need a pass or to wait in line as there won’t be a ranger on duty. Many of the cars pouring in before 7 a.m. are heading to the trail to Delicate Arch to watch the sunrise behind this iconic formation. There is also no pass needed after 4 p.m.
You may find that some parking areas are full once you arrive, so you may have to reroute and return later in the day to find a parking spot. The National Park System has some helpful tips on traffic and travel within the park.
Even though your dog is most likely part of your family, your pooch will not be allowed on any hiking trails. You can take them on leashed walks in parking lots or roads. Here’s more park information about pets and where they are allowed as well as safety tips.
Bring (and use) sunscreen, a hat, plenty of water, and snacks. There are no restaurants in the park, but restrooms are available in the visitor center, and vault toilets throughout the park.
The only water is at the visitor center, so fill up your bottles before heading out on your adventures. While there, you can ask for up-to-date information, watch a video, pick up a Junior Ranger booklet (for interested kids and adults in your group), stamp your National Park Passport, and purchase a memento of your trip. Ask about ranger programs, too.
Throughout Arches National Park, you may see biological soil crust, delicate soil made up of microorganisms. Stepping on it damages it, and it may take decades to repair. So, stay on the trail rather than walking on biological soil. Be sure to follow all park regulations while there, especially those that remind you not to walk or climb on the arches.
The Famous Arches and Other Formations
The formation of the arches began millions of years ago with the deposition of sandstone layers. Over time, the earth’s surface uplifted, and the sandstone layers cracked due to the immense pressure. Erosion played a crucial role, as water, ice, wind, and temperature changes gradually wore away the softer rock layers, leaving the harder rock intact. This process sculpted the stunning arches and other unique sandstone formations we see today.
Here are a few of the most famous formations.
Park Avenue
Not far after you go through the main entrance, stop at the Arches National Park visitor center, and then navigate your way up the switchbacks, you’ll come to the first area of rock formations: Park Avenue, with a viewpoint and a trailhead. Park Avenue trail is 1.8 miles round-trip and is considered moderate due to the steep descent into the canyon. Here, you’ll gaze up at formations that remind people of the skyscrapers in New York.
Delicate Arch
Delicate Arch is the symbol of Utah and is considered one of the most famous geologic features in the world. It’s difficult to see this arch from the main road. You can walk short distances from two vantage points to get a good look or hike three miles round trip to experience this natural wonder up close. If you hike there, you’ll pass the Wolfe Ranch cabin and a wall of Ute Indian petroglyphs.
Balanced Rock
Another famous formation is Balanced Rock, which is not actually balanced at all, just a trick of geology. It appears that one rock is on top of a pedestal, but erosion has simply worn away the rock to create the structure you see. This feature can be seen from the road, but you might want to hike the short distance from the parking area to see it up close. It’s a popular place for photography and star gazing. A nearby picnic area has some tables and great views.
Devils Garden
Hiking the Devils Garden Trail is a popular activity in Arches National Park. Here, you’ll find spires, arches, and narrow rock walls called fins, which form when rainwater erodes parallel fractures in the rocks. Fins will, over long periods of time, erode and form arches.
There are several sections to this trail. This first part is a graded gravel path. In almost a mile, you arrive at Landscape Arch, one of the longest natural arches in the world, with a light opening of 306 feet (and only 11 feet thick at its center). On the way is a short side trail to Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch.
After Landscape Arch, the trail continues but becomes difficult with steep, sloping sandstone surfaces (called “slickrock,” which can be slippery) and narrow ledges with close proximity to drop-offs. This part of the trail takes you to Partition Arch and Navajo Arch on a side trail, then the main trail takes you to Double O Arch (four miles round-trip from the trailhead) and almost a half-mile further away, Dark Angel.
Another option is a primitive trail, which has fewer markers as well as steep slopes, narrow drop-offs, scrambling, and a seasonal water crossing. It loops away from the gravel trail just before Landscape Arch and joins the trail again near Double O Arch. Taking this route includes a side trail to Private Arch.
On primitive trails, the markers are cairns, which are rock piles. Don’t disturb them or build your own, which can confuse other hikers and send them in the wrong direction.
Driving Arches National Park
While hiking will get you up close and personal with many of the park’s dramatic arches and other formations, there’s still plenty to see if hiking isn’t in your plans. The park’s paved scenic drive has side roads to the Windows Section, Delicate Arch Viewpoints, and ends at the Devils Garden Trailhead.
It is estimated that you can drive the entire park road and spend 10 minutes at each viewpoint in three hours. Add a few hours if you’d like to try some of the shorter hikes, such as at the Windows Section to see the North and South Window, Turret Arch, and Double Arch.
Accessibility in Arches National Park
There are plenty of places to explore for people with mobility impairments, including the visitor center, Park Avenue Viewpoint, Delicate Arch Viewpoint, Balanced Rock Viewpoint, and the Wolfe Ranch Cabin/Petroglyph Panel. Some short trails are paved, and others are level, hard surfaces.
In addition, large print and braille publications of the park brochure and a rentable audio tour are available. At the trailhead for Devils Garden, there’s a small sculpture of the formations that gives people with low vision or who can’t hike the trail an understanding of the grandness of the landscape.
Photography Tips for Arches National Park
The National Park Service is well aware that Arches National Park is a big draw for photographers. With that in mind, they’ve put together information for photographers with tips on which formations are best photographed in the early morning and which are better in the late afternoon.
Just after sunrise and sunset are the times that photographers love: the Golden Hours. Light is softer and warmer during these windows of opportunity, and there are no harsh shadows to ruin your photos. If you plan ahead, you can pick your bucket list photo and be there when the light is just right.
National Park Service says the Double Arch is best captured in the early hours, as is the Landscape Arch, the longest arch in North America.
In the evening Golden Hour, try Park Avenue, Courthouse Towers, or the North and South Windows. They also suggest photographing Delicate Arch in the late afternoon; it’s also very popular to photograph early in the morning and, honestly, all day long.
What Else to Do Near Arches National Park
What to do before or after you visit Arches National Park? The Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park is quite close to Arches, so there’s no reason not to add this beautiful destination to your itinerary. You’ll want to explore Moab, too, famous as the gateway community to outdoor activities in this part of Utah.
If you want to explore the difference between natural arches and bridges, be sure to visit Natural Bridges National Monument, a smaller, less crowded destination 140 miles south in southeastern Utah.
Lodging and Dining
Devils Garden Campground
This is the only campground in the park. It has 50 sites available by reservation from March through October and first-come, first-served from November 1 through February 28. The campground has drinking water, picnic tables, grills, and both pit-style and flush toilets, but no showers or RV hookups. If you want a spot, reserve it early. You can make reservations online at Recreation.gov up to six months in advance.
Other Options
Nearby Moab has budget-friendly to upscale hotels. Several RV parks in and near Moab from which to choose. Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park have campgrounds.
After a busy day spent visiting Arches and subsisting on picnics and snacks, you might enjoy a meal out in Moab as well. The city has plenty of culinary options to suit any diner, including plenty of brewpub options.
Enjoy your adventure in Arches National Park, one of our country’s most popular national parks! Don’t forget to make your timed entry reservation in advance.
