Arches National Park is so beautiful! It's one of the most popular parks in Utah, along with Zion, and for good reason. There are literally thousands of natural arches in the park! We love hiking around and taking lots of photos here. However, we like to go in the spring when it's less hot, there aren't as many people, and we can enjoy it stress free. This park is known to overfill fast and close at capacity.
Arches was officially made a national park in 1971. It gets close to 2 million visitors per year! Arches was originally made a national monument in 1929. There are more than 2,000 arches in the park! The Arches in the park are formed, like most national parks in Utah, by water. It used to be part of a sea millions of years ago, leaving behind a salt bed. The rock and sandstone has eroded overtime creating fins, which also erode into arches. It's a pretty cool place. Let's check it out!
Things to do at Arches National Park:
1. Drive through the scenic route through the park! Although I highly recommend hiking for most of your time in Arches, there is a scenic drive through the park that is pretty cool! It goes from the entrance all the way to Devils Garden in the back. There are plenty of overlooks and roadside stops on the way to step out and get some photos! Photo below is La Sal Mountains Overlook.
2. Hike the Windows Arches / Turret Arch Trail! Windows Trail is a super easy, 0.7 mi round trip trail. It starts out at the Windows Arches, North Window and South Window. These Arches are in the same fin of rock and are right next to each other! You can head back from there or continue to Turret Arch, a smaller arch right across from the windows. All of these arches can be hiked up to!
3. Hike to Double Arch! Right across the street from the Windows Trail is Double Arch! It's a duper cool, well, double arch! It's another super easy 0.5 mi round trip hike, and you can also climb under the arches. It's so gorgeous in the arches!
4. Landscape Arch! Another super fun hike! It's about 1.9 miles each way, but this hike is a lot easier than the hike to Delicate Arch that's about the same distance. You'll have some elevation gain, but not as much. Landscape Arch is a beautiful horizontal arch! It's also connected to a much longer trail if you want to spend more time in Devil's Garden.
5. See the Pioneer House! At the Delicate Arch Trailhead, there's an original pioneer house! You can read about it on the signs nearby. It was super cool to see! There's also a little creek nearby.
6. Hike to Delicate Arch! The main attraction: Delicate Arch! You may know it as the license plate for Utah! This is a moderate 3 mile hike that goes uphill for quite a bit. You're walking on a big rock formation for most of it, and even on a small cliffside trail! It's such a cool hike. Bring lots of water, and don't hike this when it's hot. You'll need to look for the trail signs to stay on course! And of course, take lots of photos. So worth the hike!
7. View Delicate Arch from the Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint! If hiking isn't your thing, drive to the Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint where you can see the arch from a distance! You won't get a close up photo without a zoom lens, but it's such a pretty, far away view of Delicate Arch and it's surroundings.
8. Visit the Visitor's Center! I love Visitor's Centers. Like a lot. This one doesn't disappoint! Grab some stickers, clothing, toys, etc. while you're there. And don't forget your National Parks Passport stamp! There are also lots of opportunities to learn about the park.
9. See the Fiery Furnace! There are two ways to experience one of the coolest parts of the park, the Fiery Furnace. Get a hiking permit to hike inside it, or drive to the viewpoint! Go at sunset to see the rocks glow! There are no trails in the fiery furnace, and you'll need a special permit to hike in it. We had a couple snacks at the viewpoint and it was super fun!
10. Get professional photos taken! Moab area is such a great place for photo sessions. From senior to family to wedding, your photos will look AMAZING. Bring your fancy clothes and have photos taken in the red rocks. I am always up for traveling to Moab for sessions! You can see my website & portfolio here and email me here to book a Moab / Arches session.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope your Arches National Park trip is absolutely terrific. Comment if you have any questions or thoughts! See more on my Instagram and Pinterest. Below are our other Moab recommendations!
Lodging:
Sage Creek at Moab, Moab UT
Moab Red Stone Inn, Moab UT
Adventure Inn Motel, Moab UT
Local camping on BLM land.
Food:
The Spoke
Moab Diner
The Blu Pig
Zax Restaurant
Pasta Jay's
Family / Wedding Photography:
Abigail Erin Photography - Click here to see their website.
Nature Photography:
Abigail Erin Photography - Click here to see their website.
Souvenirs:
Arches Visitor's Center
Arches Trading Post
Moab Rock Shop
Simply Moab
Moab Gear Traders
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