Arches National Park is home to over 2,000 arches as well as a myriad of other astounding feats of nature. Conveniently placed near Moab, outdoor enthusiasts of all backgrounds find themselves drawn to explore the curious rock formations. Whether you’re planning an Arches-only trip or hitting up all the parks in Utah, you won’t regret adventuring to Moab and discovering the wild west that Arches showcases with such grandeur.
Not only are the various arrays of arches just incredible to see and stand under, but the views from the park, with the La Sal mountains in the backdrop, are astounding as well. Arches National Park is an incredible testament to the power and simple beauty of nature.
Fast Facts About Arches National Park
Size: 76,519 acres
Visitors: 1,806,865 (data from 2021)
Highest elevation: 5,653 feet at Elephant Butte
Distance from Moab: 13 miles — 20 minutes
Distance from Salt Lake City Airport: 240 miles — 4 hour drive
National Park Initiation: November 12th, 1971
While you could totally spend a week in Moab, between Arches, Canyonlands, and all the other fun Moab is known for, one or two days planned specifically for Arches National Park is enough to hit the highlights and feel like you robustly experienced the park. We tend to enjoy an action packed day, so the ideal itinerary might vary from person to person. Fitness level, time of year, and one’s desired Arches bucket list are all going to be factors that dictate just how long you should allot for this astounding and fantastic park. Below we have detailed how to ensure you are allowed into the park, our favorite hikes, the best spots to stargaze, and the scoop on camping in the park— as well as a handful of tips and tricks to ensure you have the best time.
Securing Your Timed Entry
Where to start? Let’s make sure you make it in the door! From 2009 to 2019, visitation to Arches grew over 66 percent, with most people arriving during the same peak hours each day. Due to this influx, the park has integrated an initiative to spread arrivals out (from 7am to 4pm) from April 1st – October 31st. The aim of the timed entry program is not to reduce the quantity of individuals visiting the park but to more evenly disperse their arrival throughout the day.
What exactly does timed entry mean? Prospective park visitors can reserve a 1 hour slot in which they will enter the park. These openings range from 7am-8am to 4pm-5pm. It is important to arrive at the park within your window otherwise your entry may be denied. Taking a last minute trip and worried you won’t be able to get in? Additional tickets are made available at 6pm MDT the calendar day prior. If you are having technical difficulties and are unable to secure any timed entry tickets, your other option would be arriving at the park before 6am or after 5pm.
Hike It Out
We actually almost skipped the Delicate Arch Hike because we thought it would be overcrowded, and I am so grateful we didn’t. While the park is home to a myriad of arches, Delicate Arch just might be the most iconic. Not only is Delicate Arch massively impressive, but the La Sal Mountains in the backdrop make it a beyond picturesque view. My favorite moment in the park was standing under Delicate Arch, looking out at the mountains. If you only have time for one hike, this should be it!
The Devil’s Garden Hike is quite the catch-all trail as it leads to an array of different arches. We utilized this trail to go all the way down to the Double O Arch, stopping at the Dark Arch, Landscape Arch, and Navajo Arch along the way. The viewpoints were certainly beautiful, but this hike was worth doing just for the views of the horizon. We also found some of the climbing and scrambling to be fun and adventurous.
It cannot be said enough, be sure you pack yourself enough water. Due to the long, unshaded nature of this trail, going earlier in the day is especially advisable, but if you are hiking in the afternoon, ensure you are prepared.
Campgrounds
Devils Garden Campground is the only campground available at Arches National Park. As such, its busy season is quite busy, and the 51 campsites go like hotcakes. Campsites can be reserved up to six month in advance between March 1 and October 31. In the low season, campsites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Campground facilities include drinking water, picnic tables, grills, and everyone’s favorite… flush toilets!
Hankering for a Snack
There is no lodge or restaurant in Arches, so be sure to bring along all the snacks and meals you might need. Arches’ close proximity to Moab makes tracking down sustenance daily easy. Grocery stores like City Market are the perfect way to make sure you have everything you need before embarking on your adventure. When you’re done exploring, nothing hits the spot like a cold treat on a hot day. There’s a handful of tasty-looking shops, but we can confirm that Moab Frozen Yogurt is a delightful little dessert desert oasis.
Starry Eyed
On a clear night, you can see the stars almost anywhere in the park. Areas off the main road prevent the headlights or people coming and going affecting your night vision and photographs. The farther north you drive into the park, the darker the sky will be. We initially drove to the Petrified Dunes Viewpoint but found the light pollution from Moab to be disruptive, so we hopped in the car and drove a bit farther to the Balance Rock picnic area.
While these points aren’t terribly far from one another, it made a huge difference in visibility. The best spots to stargaze are at Balance Rock, just past Balance Rock at either the Windows section or the Garden of Eden, and at Panorama Point.
If you have a flashlight or headlamp with a red light setting, bring it along! White lights can be harmful to your night vision, but the red lights are much more gentle. This is also respectful to any photographers out trying to capture pictures of the stars. Due to the long exposure necessary to photograph the stars, extraneous white light can be disruptive. If you have any star identification apps, they may be able to help you find constellations as well as the Milky Way.
As a note, Canyonlands National Park is about 45 minutes away from Moab, and therefore the light pollution of Moab. If you are a night owl with the evening flexibility, the stars will be even more amazing at its gold-tier International Dark Sky status.
How are Arches Made?
To be considered one of the park’s 2,000+ official stone arches, an opening of at least three feet must exist. This hole can stretch in any one direction, and there’s no requirement for width. For this reason, many of the arches in the park are so narrow, you might walk right past them as though it’s just a small hole in a stone.
The rock that makes up much of Arches is different layers of sandstone. Water takes advantage of cracks in rock surfaces and wears the sandstone down into fins. The park only receives 8-10 inches of precipitation per year. This doesn’t sound like much, but if the park were to receive too much more rain, the sandstone would potentially erode so quickly that the arches wouldn’t be able to form. The rain and snow that fall at Arches is a perfect quantity to erode the underlying rock at a sustainable pace to create the gorgeous sandstone arches.
The picture below are from the Arches Visitor Guide, which provides a more thorough explanation. If you have any additional questions about arches or any other geological features, be sure to ask a park ranger. We happened upon one whilst out on the Devils Garden trail, and found she was a wealth of information regarding various questions we had accumulated along our hike.
Pets
Everyone loves their furry friend, but pets can be quite disruptive upon entry into a new ecosystem. For this reason, pets must be on a leash 6 feet or less, and owners are responsible for picking up after their pet all areas in the park. The only places pets are welcome is on established roads or in parking areas as well as in the campgrounds and picnic areas. They are not allowed on any other trails, overlooks, wilderness areas, or in public buildings in Arches. (Service animals are the exception to these location restrictions.)
While Arches isn’t terribly pet-friendly, nearby Dead Horse Point State Park and the La Sal National Forest are both more accommodating.
Planning Ahead
The Elements
If you are going to be out hiking for any length of time, you should ensure you have packed sufficient water. Doing a longer trail? It’s never a bad idea to pack a snack or two to ensure you can keep up your stamina. If you’re not used to heat and elevation changes, it can fatigue you even more quickly on an empty stomach.
Get out early to avoid the heat of the day and the crowds. If you are an early bird, the earlier the better to afford you a bit more tranquility in the park and perhaps a stunning sunrise view. For any and all that do their best work in the afternoon, heading to the park around 3pm or 4pm will allow you to miss both the strongest UV rays of the day as well as all the morning park-goers.
Come Prepared
Pack your sunscreen… and perhaps a hat as well. Even if you are getting after it before the sun has reached its peak, the rays are strong, and sustained exposure will leave you burned!
Layers, layers, layers!! Despite the scorching hot temperatures during the day, the early mornings and evenings can still be quite chilly– plus the temperature can vary by elevation or lack of sun exposure (i.e. deep in a canyon). Even when visiting the summer, be sure to pack a few warmer layers!
A walking stick or trekking poles are never a bad idea. These are beneficial for any hike, but I was especially grateful to have mine when hiking Devil’s Garden!
While all national parks are home to outstanding feats of nature, Arches is perhaps the most uniquely mysterious. While science has a perfectly logical explanation as to how arches are formed, it still feels like nothing short of a miracle to stand under Delicate Arch, looking up. We hope you have a chance to make it out west and enjoy Arches in all its glory.
written by Hannah
Hannah has learned the hard way to be careful what you wish for— sometimes happily ever after lands you with a husband and puppy… in the Midwest. Despite leaving Florida to move to Wisconsin, Hannah maintains her bossy big sister role with regular phone calls to keep up with all the little sister shenanigans. Notoriously chatty with her patients as well, Hannah stays busy as a physical therapist, but loves spending weekends exploring newfound hikes.
