Arches National Park

The world's largest concentration of natural sandstone arches.

Located just 5 miles (8 km) north of Moab is Arches National Park, which contains the world's largest concentration of natural sandstone arches. Although over 2,000 arches are located within the park's 76,518 acres, the park also contains an astounding variety of other geological formations. Colossal sandstone fins, massive balanced rocks, soaring pinnacles and spires dwarf visitors as they explore the park's viewpoints and hiking trails.  A paved scenic drive takes visitors to many of the major viewpoints within the park.  The park’s rock formations delight children as well as adults, with many easy trails providing opportunities for kids to get out of the car and explore the arches up close.  Hikers can choose from a wide variety of trails, from short twenty minute walks leading right up to many of the largest arches in the park, to more adventurous hikes into lesser seen areas.

Suggested Activities

Getting Around

A paved scenic drive takes visitors to all of the major viewpoints within the park.

An 18 mile paved scenic drive leads to all the
major viewpoints and trailheads within the park.

Location

The entrance to Arches is located only 5 mi (8 km) north of Moab, along Hwy 191.

Camping

The Devils Garden Campground is located eighteen miles from the park entrance and is open year-round. Facilities include potable water, picnic tables, grills, as well as both pit-style and flush toilets. There are no showers. Bring your own wood or charcoal for the grills. Some sites will accommodate RVs up to 30 feet in length.Telephone and on-line reservations for both group and individual sites may be made through recreation.gov. Reservations are not accepted by the park, and the park does not maintain information about site availability.

• Individual Sites

The campground has 50 individual sites which are $20 per night and will accommodate up to ten people.  These sites may be reserved for nights between March 1st and October 31st.  Reservations must be made no less than four days and no more than 180 days in advance. There is an additional $9 booking fee for reservations. To make a reservation, visit recreation.gov, or call (877) 444-6777, (877) 833-6777 (TDD), or (518) 885-3639. During the winter months (November 1st to February 28th) sites 1 - 24 are available on a self-serve basis at the campground.  

• Group Sites

The campground has two sites for groups of eleven or more people. The Juniper Basin campsite will accommodate up to 55 people; the Canyon Wren campsite up to 35. The group camping fee is $3 per person per night, with a $33 per night minimum. No recreational vehicles or trailers are permitted in the group sites. The Canyon Wren group campsite may be reserved year-round. Juniper Basin is available from March 1st to October 31st. Reservations must be made no less than 4 days and no more than 360 days in advance. There is an additional $9 booking fee for reservations. To make a reservation, visit recreation.gov or call (877) 444-6777, (877) 833-6777 (TDD), or (518) 885-3639. Unreserved group campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of arrival.

Lodging

No lodging is available within the park. The closest lodging is located within the town of Moab, just 5 miles south of the entrance to the park.

Moab has hotels & motels, bed & breakfasts, resorts and a large variety of guest houses and condos. Several property management companies can even take the hassle out of finding the right accommodations. Click here for a complete list of all the lodging options available in the Moab area.

Hiking

One of the more rewarding ways to see the park is on foot. Arches features a wide variety of hikes, from short 10 minute walks (suitable for all ages) to 4 hour hikes into some of the remote sections of the park.

Hiking in the Windows Section

Ranger Guided Fiery Furnace Hike

Fiery Furnace Ranger Guided Hikes

Fiery Furnace walks are offered daily, spring through fall. These three hour hikes wind through terrain that requires scrambling up and through narrow cracks and along narrow ledges above drop-offs. Children under five are not permitted. Main-season tickets (March - October) may be reserved at recreation.gov or by calling (877) 444-6777; off-season tickets (February and November) must be purchased in person at the visitor center. Walks are limited to 25 people and often fill in advance.

Other Guided Walks

Rangers also lead easy, one-hour walks each day at different locations throughout the park. Evening Programs Join a ranger at the Devils Garden campground amphitheater (next to Canyon Wren group campsite and across the road from campsite #25) nightly. Programs last about forty-five minutes. A current schedule is available at the Arches Visitor Center.

Photography

Arches National Park is a paradise for photographers. Under conditions of constantly changing light, the red rock landscape provides limitless photographic opportunities.

Often, the difference between an average photograph and an exceptional photograph is good lighting. Low sun angles at sunrise and sunset can add brilliant color to the red rock. Scattered clouds can also add depth to an image and a passing storm can provide extremely dramatic lighting.

Below are some of the best times to photograph the major features at Arches National Park:

Delicate Arch - Not Just for Photographers

Over one million people visit Arches National Park every year, and just about everyone wants to see all of the major views within the park.  One of the most heavily visited arches is Delicate Arch. As a result of its popularity, you should always expect to see people surrounding this world famous arch. Although it may occasionally happen, it is unrealistic to expect a solitary experience around Delicate Arch.  Be courteous to other visitors during your visit to the arch, and do not expect people to move away from this world famous landmark during your photographs. Remember that not everyone who visits this arch is a photographer. Most people simply want to experience the joy of standing next to such a beautiful landmark.  People can add scale to any photo of Delicate Arch, so make your visit a great shared experience for everyone involved. 

Try not to limit your creativity by simply capturing images of iconic places using the same composition as countless photographers before you. Arches National Park contains thousands of arches and vast expanses of breathtaking scenery just waiting for you to introduce your own personal style and interpretation. For those seeking solitude, Arches has much to offer beyond its iconic places. For example, consider a hike to Double O Arch, returning via the Primitive Trail, for some of the most spectacular scenery in the park. Just remember to bring enough memory cards to capture all of the great views!

Park Publications

The following National Park Service publications are identical to the ones that you will receive at the entrance station to the park.

Arches Newspaper	Arches Map

Park Updates

2013 Fee Free Days

America's Best Idea - the national parks - gets even better with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees. Upcoming fee free days this year will be Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 21), National Park Week (April 22-26), National Park Service Birthday (August 25), National Public Lands Day (September 28), and Veterans Day weekend (November 9-11).

Park Highlights

Balanced Rock

A short paved trail leads visitors to the base of Balanced Rock. The landform's total height is 128 feet, with the huge balanced rock rising 55 feet above its base.

Landscape Arch

The longest natural rock span in the world, this arch's opening is 306 feet wide - 6 feet longer than a football field. A nine story building would easily fit beneath this thin span. In 1991, a massive slab of rock fell from its underside, resulting in an even thinner ribbon of rock.

Spring Wildlfowers

April and May bring a variety of desert wildflowers to Arches.

Double Arch

Located in the Windows Section of Arches National Park, Double Arch was used as a backdrop for portions of the 1988 movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade". Numerous other movies have been filmed in Arches National Park, including Thelma and Louise in 1991.

Delicate Arch

A 1.5 mile trail (500 foot elevation gain) leads to the base of Delicate Arch, possibly the most famous natural span in the world. The La Sal Mountains are visible through the opening in the arch.

Park Avenue

From Park Avenue parking area, the trail descends steeply into a spectacular canyon and continues down the wash to Courthouse Towers. If you have a shuttle driver, you can begin at one point and be picked up at the other. For round-trip hiking, retrace your steps along the trail rather than walk along the park road.

Arches in Winter

Winter brings a blanket of pristine snow to Arches, providing dramatic contrast to the surrounding red rocks.

Family Hiking

There are many family friendly hikes in Arches, including the hike to Turret Arch in the Windows Section.

Park Contact Info

Mailing Address
Arches National Park
P.O. Box 907
Moab, UT 84532

Website
www.nps.gov/arch/

Email
archinfo@nps.gov

Phone
General Info
(435) 719-2299

General Info TTY
(435) 719-2319

Group Campsite Reservations
(435) 259-4351

Where to Stay

No lodging is available within the park. The closest lodging is located within the town of Moab, just 5 miles south of the entrance to the park.

Moab has hotels & motels, bed & breakfasts, resorts and a large variety of guest houses and condos. Several property management companies can even take the hassle out of finding the right accommodations. Click here for a complete list of all the lodging options available in the Moab area.

Nearby Campgrounds

In addition to the campground located within the park, there is a great selection of additional campgrounds in the surrounding area. Moab has many commercial campgrounds with RV hookups in addition to a huge assortment of BLM public campgrounds in extremely scenic locations. Click here for a complete list of all the camping options available in the Moab area.

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