One Day in Arches National Park: Complete Itinerary

Planning a journey to Arches National Park? In this guide to planning your schedule at Arches National Park, we’ll go through exactly how to spend one day at Arches National Park, including what experiences and sights to enjoy, how to arrive there, when the best time is to visit, and all the other helpful information you’ll need to actually organize your trip.

Including how to navigate the brand new timed entry reservation system, which is entirely novel for 2022.

Arches was our initial stop on our Utah National Parks road adventure. We came from Denver, arriving in Moab in the autumn after a summer of evergreen forests, mountain lakes, and mountainous terrain in Washington and Oregon.

The area surrounding Moab in southern Utah presented quite a contrasting landscape. Standing beneath the towering formations visible in Arches National Park truly delivers an impactful experience, demonstrating how awe-inspiring and diverse the terrains within the United States can be.

Even just a few miles away, you’ll find the deep, winding canyons of Canyonlands National Park, which is a completely different experience despite being just a few miles from Arches.

We truly enjoyed Arches, and think you will too. Here is exactly how we would spend one day in Arches National Park as per our own experience exploring the park.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post, like hotel links, are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, we make a little bit of money if you click through and book. That being said, we would never recommend something to you that we don’t stand behind 100%.

Arches National Park: Navigating the New Timed Entry System

Starting in 2022, Arches National Park has launched a test of a new timed entry system similar to models implemented in places such as Rocky Mountain National Park and Glacier National Park to address huge increases in visitor numbers.

According to the National Park Service, the number of visitors to Arches has significantly increased over the past ten years, growing more than 65% from approximately one million tourists annually to well over 1.6 million.

Therefore, when we visited Arches National Park during the off-peak period, congestion from approximately 10:00 am to 2:00 pm meant we were unable to enter the park, even with a camping reservation in hand.

In 2022, if planning a visit between April 3 and October 3, you will require a timed entry authorization (one per vehicle) to access the park between 6:00 am and 5:00 pm.

The intent here is to lower crowding during the busiest parts of each day. You do not need a reservation to enter the park outside those hours (read below to understand one of the major impacts of this alteration).

An exception exists for individuals with a reservation to camp at Devils Garden Campground, the sole and premier campground within the park, or a backcountry permit. Both provide entry to the park. An exception also applies to people with a Fiery Furnace reservation.

How to Make a Timed Entry Reservation for Arches National Park

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And, please, if you notice any inaccuracies (we strive for perfection but aren`t infallible), kindly point them out in the comments so we can address them promptly.

Reservations for a specific entry time can be made by visiting Recreation.gov.

Reservations are made available in three month blocks three months in advance, with tickets for a given month released together.

That`s perplexing, what we comprehend. The blocks started January 3rd, 2022, when tickets were discharged for the month of April. On February 1st, 2022, the tickets for May will be discharged. On March 1st, 2022, the tickets for June will be discharged. And so on.

Tickets will be made accessible on the first day of each month at 8:00 am in the Mountain time zone for the subsequent three months.

There is a $2 per ticket reservation fee. Which is somewhat disappointing. That cost DOES NOT include your entrance to the park itself.

If you’re planning on visiting at minimum 3 national parks throughout the next year, we would advocate investing in an America the Beautiful Pass, which gets you access to all federal recreational land across the country, like national forests, national parks, and national monuments.

It proves worthwhile if you visit three or more national parks, and you’ve got Arches and Canyonlands National Parks right here in Moab, so there’s a rather good chance you’re going to do exactly that.

Get your pass in ahead from REI, or buy it on arrival at the entrance to Arches.

What to Do if You Don’t Get a Timed Entry Reservation

Without a timed entry reservation booked in advance, you basically have two options, aside from “don`t visit Arches”.”

Firstly, a limited number of entry permits are released daily at 18:00 Mountain Standard Time one day in advance. For instance, to visit Arches National Park on a Wednesday, you`d need to log on to Recreation.gov precisely at 18:00 MST on the preceding Tuesday evening to try reserving your entry spot.

Secondly, you can enter the park prior to 6:00 am or after 5:00 pm, which is not exactly ideal.

The Unintended Consequence of the Timed Entry Reservations

Based on our knowledge from experience in Glacier National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park over recent years, the timed entry reservation structure possesses a major flaw that no one seems to have satisfactorily addressed.

As far as we know and have heard, you can freely enter the park between the hours of 5:00 pm and 6:00 am. Obviously the NPS doesn’t have the ability to staff the entrances 24 hours a day.

So it turns out that everyone without a reservation does the following: They arrive before 6:00 am, which means the parking lots will be full at remarkably early hours. Really, in Rocky Mountain National Park, parking lots at popular trailheads were full by 6:00 am. It was quite a sight. The same held true of Glacier in the summer of 2021.

Don’t be amazed if that becomes the norm in Arches during the timed entry reservation period (April to October). It’s a good reason to get a super early start for both the best light and a chance to actually get a parking spot.

Tips for Visiting Arches National Park

There are a few things that are good to know before you visit Arches National Park. If you have another query that you don’t see the answer to below, you might find it over in our Moab schedule, which covers Arches.

If not, send us a message – we’re always willing to provide assistance!

Presented here are some rapid tips for visiting Arches National Park.

• Entrance Costs: To enter the park, you’ll need to either pay the $35 entrance fee, covering entry for your vehicle and occupants for 7 days, or show a valid America the Beautiful Pass (that’s the US National Parks pass).
• Should you acquire the America the Beautiful Pass? If planning to visit three or more national parks in the next 12 months, the pass will save money. It costs $80 for a year, valid 12 months from purchase. If visiting Arches National Park as part of a broader Utah National Parks road trip, it likely makes sense to buy it. You can get it from REI.
• Stay Hydrated, Friends! Due to the heat, be sure to drink ample water. We love our ultra lightweight and portable Platypus water bottles, having traveled literally around the world with us, including our Utah adventure. Each of us carry two bottles, and on longer hikes, usually also carry their 70 oz water bottle as well.
• The Sun is Intense:Even if not visiting Arches National Park in the heat of summer, the sun will still be intense. Sunscreen and a good sun hat will go far preventing heat exhaustion and nasty sunburns. Partial to Sun Bum, preferring to smell as if bathed in coconut milk. The body sunscreen favored, and the face sunscreen.
• Sturdy Footwear Crucial: Hiking primarily on loose dirt, gravel, and occasionally slick rock, stout footwear with good traction desired. Partial to Adidas Terrex Hiking Shoes(Alysha almost solely used them for seven years), Keen Hiking Boots (the Keen Targhees preferred hiking boot), and Alysha recently acquired the Columbia Newton Ridge hiking boots, balancing style, thrift, and quality.
• Pack a Meal:No food options within the park, thus advisable to pack lunch to avoid over an hour drive to Moab for lunch and back to the park.

The Best Things to Do With One Day in Arches National Park: A Complete Arches National Park Itinerary

And now, let`s talk about how to ideally spend one full day exploring Arches National Park thoroughly. It`s worthwhile noting that we spent multiple days there, and this is our suggested plan to experience everything essential in one amazing day.

Though, we should be clear that you truly can’t fit EVERYTHING into a single day, and there are a number of cool things to do in Moab outside the park. For that reason, you’ll find two sections at the end of this guide – one on what to do in Arches National Park with more time, and one on what to do near the park.

Early Morning at Delicate Arch

Start your morning early with one of the park’s highlights – the hike to Delicate Arch.

We did this hike in the afternoon and stuck around for sunset, and it was very crowded. Hundreds of people were gathered around the little bowl that’s immediately in front of the arch, and the line to get a picture was taking 15-20 minutes.

We were sitting beside a nice elderly woman who we began chatting with, and she mentioned that she had actually come up in the morning a few days before and had the place almost exclusively to herself.

This hike is recommended early in the morning rather than later in the day due to reduced crowds and a sense of solitude being worthwhile tradeoffs compared to better light later, when the arch would be essentially backlit depending on the time of year.

Unless photographing the perfect shot is a priority, in which case we’d wait until later in the day (any time in the afternoon will offer improved views over the morning).

The hike itself requires moderate effort. You start from the parking area (linked here on Google Maps) and meander somewhat before the trail really begins to ascend upwards. Eventually, you’ll undertake an ascent across a moderately steep rock face that can be difficult if you’re not using appropriate footwear, or if it has rained recently.

Near the end of the trail, there’s a portion where you hike along a narrow stretch with a steep drop-off on one side. Cling to the wall and hold hands with your children if you’re uneasy with heights.

At the end, you emerge into a circular area with Delicate Arch prominently positioned on the opposite side, with mountains in the background.

Find more trail information and recent trail reports here.

There are a few alternate perspectives from underneath that you can also hike to – it’s an less difficult hike, but the view isn’t nearly as nice because the arch is really, really far away. More information here.

The Devils Garden Trail and Landscape Arch

Trekking the Devils Garden Trail was a highlight of our excursion to Arches. We really enjoyed this hike, and think it has much to offer thanks to its diversity of different route selections that can be scaled up or down based on your fitness and experience levels.

Regardless of which variation of the hike you opt to undertake – the various possibilities will be explored shortly – they all commence from the identical location: the Devils Garden Trailhead ( here on Google Maps). It’s opposite the Devils Garden Campground, which renders it an ideal hike for individuals camping inside the park.

Doing the Full Loop

Completing the full hike of approximately 7.9 miles is an option, though it does not involve extensive climbing. The complete loop presents some challenges as it lacks shade and requires navigating an unpaved trail at times, yet rewards hikers with views of eight arches along the way.

We’d traverse the loop in a clockwise direction, starting with the more developed trail and returning via the primitive trail.

The journey begins with the climb towards Landscape Arch, which is one of the longest natural stone arches globally, spanning over 304 feet. Part of the arch crumbled in the 1990s, and it`s best not to linger near when the remainder may collapse (as researchers are fairly certain will happen but cannot predict the precise timing).

From there, continue clockwise and take the offshoot trail to the left to briefly detour to Partition Arch and Navajo Arch before continuing out to Double O Arch. This is the endpoint for the out-and-back hike (more on that in a second), and the beginning of the primitive trail.

The estimated driving time between Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef was about two and a half hours (~110 miles).

From Double O Arch, pick up the primitive route and start the journey back to the trailhead. You’ll pass Private Arch, which is difficult to see and involves some scrambling and route finding to get to, and then you’ll follow the stacks of rocks that mark the trail – the little piles of rocks that mark the trail – back to the main trail just before Landscape Arch.

On the return, stop by Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch, situated near the trailhead on a small spur trail.

Additional trail facts and most recent trail reports can be found here.

Doing a Shorter Version of this Hike

For those not up to the full hike, here are two shorter alternative routes that provide a nice sample of what this trail has on offer.

Second is the hike directly to and from Double O Arch, which eliminates the portion of the loop that is the primitive trail, which can be somewhat intimidating for beginners and novice hikers. The direct hike to and from Double O Arch is clearly marked and has all but one arch along the way. More information here

Break for a Late Lunch Near Devils Garden

For lunch, we highly recommend packing meals because there are absolutely no dining options within the park. Traveling all the way back to Moab just to get food and then return will consume over an hour each way.

There’s a nice little day use area with picnic tables just across the road from the Devils Garden Trailhead ( here on Google Maps), or you can simply find a pull off or parking area to appreciate your pre-packed lunch before carrying on your day.

Be sure to drink adequate water and try to find some shade, particularly if you did the full loop (which would imply you’ve now hiked around 11 miles or so).

Broken Arch and Skyline Arch (Optional)

Later in the afternoon, if up for an additional hike, consider the brief route out to Broken Arch, so named because of a fracture directly through the center poised to eventually cause its collapse. We certainly don`t condone this theme.

If you’re camping at Devils Garden, you have the option of starting this loop directly from the campground ( here is the access point inside the campground). We did it this way, and you can also easily detour to Tapestry Arch along the route. More trail information here.

If outdoor accommodations are not being used, the connecting trail from the Sand Dune Arch trail must be employed to meet up with the circular path. Additional trail information for that route can be found here.

It’s also worthwhile heading over to the Skyline Arch ( here on Google Maps), which is a very brief, level hike from the small parking area along the road.

The Windows, Turret Arch, and Double Arch

After Delicate Arch and the Devils Garden Trail, this was our favorite section of the park. In this one area, you’ll find three distinct rock formations that are among the best you’ll see in the park.

We did this on our last trip, and it was one of the best experiences of our 2 days in Amsterdam.

The first geological formation is Double Arch, which consists of two massive rock spans that have merged together. It’s a brief, simple walk from the parking area out to the arches. This is the tallest arch in the park, a sight you undoubtedly don`t want to miss.

Second are the windows, which feature a brief loop allowing views of the northern window and southern window.

Third, located near a large tower is the Turret Arch, which is a small archway.

As you leave the Windows area and head back towards Moab, it’s worth stopping at Balanced Rock, which is exactly what it implies and isn’t far at all from the parking lot.

From there, continue along the Scenic Drive, stopping to admire the perspectives as necessitated.

What to Do with More Than a Day in Arches National Park

Here are some additional activities to engage in at Arches National Park if you happen to have more available time.

• Fiery Furnace: The Fiery Furnace is a series of fine sand structures that shape a hard maze that nearly experiences like a slim gorge once you’re inside it. It’s a brief, smooth hike (though it does necessitate some route finding, which likely makes it more midpoint than smooth), and is exclusively available by either make available or ranger-led tour. Trail information here, make available information here.
• Park Avenue: We wanted to incorporate this into the essential Arches itinerary above, but felt like it was just too much hiking for a single day. This is a relatively short and easy hike, though it does enclose some climbing. You’ll enter a gulch and emerge into a valley to some quite breathtaking views of the southern segment of the park, which incorporates the Courthouse Towers. More trail information here.
• Explore the area near Tower Arch: This division of the park necessitates a high-clearance, preferably 4WD vehicle, so we didn’t make it there in our minivan. The hike is cool because you can’t see Tower Arch from the trailhead, and you need to climb over a sand dune to attain it. More information here.
• Take a Jeep Tour: If you don’t have a suitable vehicle for getting off the main road, this is a good solution for seeing some of the less-visited parts of the park with a knowledgeable guide who can teach you about the various landscapes and topography you find in the park. This half day tour covers Tower Arch and some other parts of the park that are largely undiscovered.

Where to Stay near Arches National Park

If camping, you have a variety of great options near the park. If not camping, your best choice is to search for lodging in Moab.

We have an entire guide focused on finding a great location to lodge in Moab.

Camping Inside the Park

Within the park, there exists a single camping option: Devils Garden Campground. It`s a relatively small campground that understandably attracts a lot of interest.

We camped there for three nights during our trip to Arches National Park, and every single day we saw people come into the campground and ask the host if they had any sites available.

Getting a campsite without a prior reservation was nearly impossible, unless embarking very early indeed and getting exceptionally fortunate.

Advance planning is important – places become accessible approximately half a year ahead at 10:00 am eastern time

Camping Outside the Park

There are several excellent first-come, first-served campgrounds situated just outside the park, and most are either low-cost or free of charge.

The initial cluster is alongside the Colorado River. Along Highway 128, which runs parallel to the river, there are a sequence of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) campgrounds starting with Goose Island Campground that are accessible on a first come, first served basis.

The good news with the campgrounds near Moab is that they have reasonable prices (you`ll need cash or a check to pay for your site – they’re $20 a night). However, the bad news is that the sites are small in size, and they`re very popular destinations. Don`t plan on showing up on a Saturday afternoon and assuming there will be an open spot.

Be aware some campgrounds lack water access, necessitating personal containers for filling up in Moab (a spigot exists at Lion’s Park).

The second cluster is on the western side of town along Highway 279 and Highway 313. Additional information about camping on BLM land near Moab here.

Staying in a Hotel or Vacation Rental

If you don’t want to camp, the best option is to stay in and around the town of Moab.

We had planned to stay in a hotel in Moab for one night to shower and take a break from the weeks of sleeping in our van, but later opted to remain at a campground for an extra night instead.

There were exactly three places on our list of hotels that we wanted to lodge in.

The first option involves the Moab Springs Ranch, accommodating a range of rooms from bungalows to more lodge-style. An excellent coffee shop, Horsethief Coffee, resides onsite. Unfortunately for the dates involved, accommodations were unavailable (book in advance). Given the chance, this would`ve been selected.

The second location we booked then later canceled is the Exploration Lodge. It’s in a great spot along the main street in Moab, and it appears nice. It’s motel style, which was what we were searching for during the summer of 2020, and it has some retro touches like the mint green mini refrigerators in the rooms. They also have some special room configurations, like two queen bunk beds, which are nice for a traveling family (nobody enjoys sleeping on the cot on a hotel room floor). Oh, and there’s a pool, which is always a bonus.

The last choice was the Moab Under Canvas, which provides an outdoor camping experience with some hotel conveniences. This permits staying under the stars while still having certain comforts usually found in lodging. It appears exceptional.

For more lodging suggestions near Moab, Utah, read our guide on discovering excellent accommodation options in the area

When to Visit Arches National Park

While most people visit Arches in the summer, when temperatures often exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit and children are out of school, we`d prefer spring or fall instead. Arches, as well as the entire Utah National Parks route, makes a great spring break destination!

Fall and spring in southern Utah, where the national parks exist, have fairly comparable qualities. We`ve traveled there in October and April over the previous year, and the two seasons were both quite pleasant occasions to be present. However, the climate is undoubtedly less foreseeable than midsummer – one day it was 80 degrees and bright, and the next day when we traveled in April it snowed.

During our road trip to the Mighty Five in the fall month of October, we observed temperatures in the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit throughout the day, and between 50 and 60 degrees at night.

Summer can be highly crowded and uncomfortably hot. In the United States, many families intend vacations during summer as that is when children are freed from schooling. The result? Parks are brimming with people, camping reservations are seldom available, and acquiring a parking spot at the busiest trailheads in the park is quite difficult.

Winter in Arches is on our agenda – it is much colder then, but the crowds are substantially thinner also.

The climate at the park could allow for some light snowfall during your visit, creating a scenic backdrop for viewing the sandstone arches. It would be wise to bring protective outdoor gear such as a warm insulated jacket and insulating layers similar to what was worn each night during the road trip, as well as warm base layers. Taking these basic precautions will keep you comfortable despite any change in conditions.

You might even get to see snow dusting the parks, a stunning sight. If planning a winter visit, I’d avoid camping (although we once camped in Yellowstone with temperatures below 20 degrees) and instead choose hotels and vacation rentals along the way

How to Get to Arches National Park

The entrance to Arches National Park is located approximately 15 minutes north of the center of Moab, an interesting adventure town in southeastern Utah.

A car is absolutely necessary to visit Arches. There is no shuttle system like those present in locations such as Zion or Bryce Canyon, so a personal vehicle remains your sole option.

You have a few options for getting to the park depending on the rest of your trip, and it largely relies on where you’re traveling from.

If you’re just wanting to explore the area surrounding Moab, you have the option to fly into and out of Moab’s small airport, Canyonlands Field Airport. To get there from most cities across the country, you’ll likely need to connect through Salt Lake City.

Your other possibilities involve flying into either Salt Lake City or Las Vegas and driving to Moab. Along the route, you’ll pass by Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Capitol Reef, which makes this an ideal circuit to view the Mighty 5 national parks in Utah. Moab makes an excellent first or final stop on that road trip, depending on your specific route.