Arches National Park: What to Know Before Visiting
My 2013 trip to Utah, and Arches National Park, really lit my interest in visiting national parks. With less than 48 hours for our Utah road trip, my friend said a hike in Arches National Park is a must-do. We only had time for one hike at Arches, so we followed the trail to the iconic Delicate Arch. From the moment I saw the Delicate Arch, I knew I wanted to go back.
Fast forward to 2022, I finally made my second trip to Arches National Park a reality. Almost 9 years later, and this national park did not disappoint in the slightest. The iconic Delicate Arch was still as magnificent as ever. So here’s your first “thing to know” – you will be hard pressed not to find yourself not saying “wow” while visiting this national park!
Arches National Park: What to Know Before Visiting
- Plan Your Visit – No Really, You Have to Schedule It!
- Hiking Tips for Arches National Park
- A Few Must-Visit Sites in Arches National Park
- Final Thoughts on Arches National Park
Plan Your Visit – No Really, You Have to Schedule It!
Despite being reasonably far removed from major cities, Arches National Park draws in a considerable volume of visitors every day. If you are planning a trip between April 1 – October 31, you will need to purchase a timed entry pass in addition to a standard park pass, much like other parks such as Glacier National Park in Montana, and Rocky Mountain and Mesa Verde National Parks in Colorado.
The Good About Timed Entry
- The earlier your entry time, the better chance you have at securing parking spots
- The earlier your entry time, the less chance for excessive crowds. Trust me, when you get to any of the iconic formations in this park, you want to have as few people a possible obstructing your photo!
- While an additional cost above your park pass, it is *only* $2.00 (can you even buy a pack of gum for $2.00??)
- You have a grace period of about an hour after your designated entry time to enter the park
- There is no designated time for you to leave; you can spend all day in the park if you wish
- If you’ve already purchased a special-use permit (e.g., camping, backcountry hiking, etc.), you don’t need to worry about getting a Timed Entry permit on top of that
The Less Favorable About Timed Entry
- It is still an additional cost above a pass you’ve already purchased.
- Tickets are released with a few months of lead-time (e.g. in January, you can only purchase entry tickets for April). Tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis. Getting your desired time slot on short notice may be difficult.
- There is no app for timed entry tickets (or way to add it to your Apple Wallet). Be sure to bookmark that email!
- Since there is no designated time for visitors to leave, the population of visitors can build up through the course of the day. This can make it more difficult to find parking and enjoy the quiet of the park.
Hiking Tips for Arches National Park
With two trips to Arches under my belt, I’ve got a few tips for future visitors (including myself):
- Plan to hike early in the day. On clear days, especially May – September, temperatures get hot fast during the day. You’ll want to try to get a timed entry ticket for as early in the day as possible to avoid baking in the sun while you are on your hike.
- Plan to bring lunch & snacks. If you manage to get an early entry time, plan to bring lunch and snacks with you if you are planning to hike through til the afternoon. While there is a visitor center close to the entrance, you won’t be able to purchase food once you’re in the park. You will, however, be able to refill water at the visitor center if need be!
- Keep at least 32 oz of water. Don’t forget you’re hiking in the desert! 32 oz of water will go by fast and you’ll hardly notice. You’ll be happy if you bring even more! A sports drink may also come in handy.
- A baseball cap may be handy. Shade is not always plentiful in Arches National Park. The Delicate Arch trailhead had few small trees to hide under. A baseball cap may come in handy to provide a little bit of protection from the sun!
- Don’t forget to put on a layer of sunscreen. With little shade and relatively lengthy trails, you’ll want to make sure you’ve applied a layer of sunscreen to protect your skin from burning!
- Beware the wind! With this part of the country largely shaped by the elements, it should come as no surprise that it can get windy in Arches! Be sure to secure any light, loose items you may have so they don’t blow away and create litter in remote parts of the park.
- Hiking shoes and hiking poles can come in handy. While most of the trails are rated as easy-to-moderate, it may be useful to wear hiking shoes with good grip and keep hiking poles to navigate the steeper sections of any trail.
- Look out for the trail markers. One of my favorite parts about the Delicate Arch hike (at least the first time around) were the trail markers – little purposefully stacked stones. There was even one stacked like an arch! While the troves of people will show you the way, these markers are a fun way to know you’re on the right path!
A Few Must-Visit Sites in Arches National Park
With over 2,000 natural arches and primarily easy-to-moderate hiking trails, this park offers visitors much to explore! Below are a few highlights from my trips to Arches over the years.
Delicate Arch (Moderate, 3 miles out-and-back)
First and foremost, a trip to the Delicate Arch is a staple if visiting Arches National Park! This standalone 52-foot arch will leave you breathless (perhaps in more than one way). The hike itself takes approximately an hour and half from the parking lot to the arch, with stops. With a sizable portion of this trail being an uphill trek on a relatively steep hill, I paused every so often to catch my breath and drink some water.
As my friend described the Delicate Arch & its hike – you don’t see [the arch] until you see it. The trail takes you up through the rolling sandstone hills. It’s not until you round a sandstone wall at the end of the trial that your view opens up to this magnificent arch. The arch sits proud and tall atop a sandstone rim. The canyon drop on one side and a steep panhole on the other only add to this arch’s grandeur.
Both trips, my friends and I carefully made our way around the sloping rim for pictures of the arch. However, sitting midway between the trail entrance point and the arch, you get an incredible panoramic view of the park.
Delicate Arch Overlook from Twisted Doughnut Arch
For the extra adventurous folks, there is a rewarding overlook to the Delicate Arch found in the aforementioned sandstone wall. If you are comfortable to scramble up a steep (70-80 degree incline to the ground) sandstone surface, you’ll find yourself in the Twisted Doughnut Arch. A different angle and viewpoint to the arch, it’s another great spot to soak in the landscape. While the scramble is difficult (I slipped a few times on my own attempts), there is no shortage of people waiting to step into the overlook.
If you only have time for one hike during your visit to Arches, then make it the Delicate Arch hike!
For those who also have an interest in history, there is a short walk off of the main Delicate Arch trail to view some Petroglyphs.
Balanced Rock (Easy, 0.3 miles loop)
On the way to the Delicate Arch, you’ll be hard pressed to miss a view of the Balanced Rock formation. If you need a quick stretch and relatively easy walk, Balanced Rock will provide you with just that! A 0.3 mile path around the rock gives different vantage points of this formation. Walking around it myself, I found that the rock looked like something different from each angle. A mushroom cloud on one side, a rock on display from another.
From the grounds of balanced rock you can also see into southeast corner distance of the park. You may even find a few arches tucked away in the scenery!
Park Avenue (Easy, 1.8 miles out-and-back)
Think Park Avenue is only found in New York City? Think again! Check out nature’s version of Park Avenue at Arches. While there are no arches on this trail, with tall standstone formations lining either side of a canyon, you’ll certainly get the feeling of being amid New York City’s giant skyscrapers on this trail. This trail can either be hiked as a thru-trail (you’d need to designate someone to pick you up on the other side) or as an out-and-back trail. If you’re short on time, you can also stick to the Park Avenue overlook for a flavor of the trail.
Final Thoughts on Arches National Park
If you haven’t caught on from our prior posts – national parks are a huge part of our yearly travel itinerary. In 2022, I managed to hit 11 national parks across the country. All so vastly different in what they offer and their beauty – how does one compare national parks? From the history and rolling green hills of Theodore Roosevelt National Park to the hot springs and canyon of Yellowstone to the arches and other natural geological formations found in Arches National Park.
Perhaps it is the spark that my 2013 visit to Arches and Bryce Canyon ignited in me. Perhaps it’s the perspective I feel seeing the free-standing Delicate Arch in front of me. Whatever it is, Arches continues to hold the top spot as my favorite national park. Arches, I look forward to visiting you again very soon!!