Best Things To See At Arches National Park
Arches National Park in Utah is a red rock wonderland. You’ll find hiking trails, unique rock formations, and jaw dropping views in this National Park. Take in the beautiful hoodoos, the stunning glow of sandstone, and a whopping 2,000 arches. Our recent travels there did not disappoint. Planning our future travels I am sure Arches National Park will be on our list again.
Pack up your RV or camper and head to Utah. You cant’ go wrong with all the amazing scenery all over Utah. One of the 5 national Parks in Utah, Arches will not disappoint. Here are the best things to see at Arches National Park.
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I Expected Arches, Not Blue Ground
Arches National Park is really special. It features hiking, camping, mountain biking, and spectacular stargazing. What I did NOT expect to see was blue ground. A little geology will help before we get into the park details, and history is important to understanding the park itself.
Arches National Park was formed over 100 million years of erosion by water and ice, extreme temperatures and underwater salt movement formed the arches this park is known for.
The land continues to change, sometimes dramatically.
Scenic Drives in Arches National Park
There is a single road that travels through Arches and that is Arches Scenic Drive. It’s 19 miles in length and will take you about 30 minutes to drive. Don’t rush it, take in the arches, stop at various viewpoints, and hike some trails.
Visit Park Avenue
Distance: 1 mile
Difficulty: Easy
This short and easy hike takes you past some truly gorgeous rock formations like Three Gossips and Courthouse Towers. There are no arches on this hike but don’t let that stop you from visiting Park Avenue.
Landscape Arch
The park contains over 2000 arches. The arches range from a three-foot opening to the largest of these beauties, Landscape Arch. Landscape Arch is a staggering 306 feet from base to base and is one of the most recent dramatic changes to the park. In 1991, a rock slab 60 feet long, 11 feet wide, and 4 feet thick fell from the underside of Landscape Arch. I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine a slab that size, much less to have it fall.
Even more amazing to me, is that Landscape Arch continues to stand as the thinnest section appears fragile.
Most changes in the park happen much more slowly than this change to Landscape Arch.
Landscape Arch is one of the park’s most iconic features.
It is easy to see why. Landscape Arch is the longest arch at almost 306 feet across. Landscape Arch is very fragile and is almost gone. There are 2,000 arches and counting in Arches National Park.
I was pretty impressed by Double Arch.
Scale helps
It is difficult to imagine the size of the rock structures in Arches until you have the opportunity to actually SEE them, or have something to compare for size. Courthouse Towers provides an excellent opportunity to do that.
There are several geologic structures in the Courthouse Towers Viewpoint and Fiery Furnace that are mammoth-sized. The photo on top above is zoomed in to show scale. If you look at the base of Courthouse Towers in the photo on the right, you can see the man – he is barely a speck.
The general landscape was pretty incredible. One of the things I was most impressed with, was the colors of the ground. I expected variations in rock colors, but we saw blue hills, green, tan, brown hills… all mixed together. Incredible. Our YouTube video has some great examples of the landscape colors – check it out!
The view of the La Sal Mountain range finishes up the drive out of the park. Seeing the mountain’s white caps against the brilliant blue sky was pretty breathtaking.
Marvel At Balanced Rock
This famous formation is a must see in Arches National Park. Although you can see it from the scenic drive on the main road, this is worth pulling over for a better view.
Seriously looks as if the rock will fall at any minute, but yet, it’s been there for years.
Hike Delicate Arch
Distance: 3.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 141 ft
Difficulty: Easy
One of the main attractions at Arches National Park is the Delicate Arch. It’s actually the state symbol and it’s featured on the Utah license plate. Expect big crowds and a busy trail here. The best time to photograph Delicate Arch is at sunrise or sunset. If you want to avoid the crazy crowds, get an early start.
Check Out The Window And Turret Arch
Distance: 1.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 154 ft
Difficulty: Easy
On this short and easy hike you will see 3 very beautiful and cool arches: North Window, South Window, and Turret Arch. For a cool photo opportunity you can capture the Turret Arch through the North Window Arch. Take the Primitive Trail back to the trailhead.
This image is just a beautiful panorama view I captured. I honestly can’t remember what arches are what as I took a lot of pictures and just soaked in my day.
Wander The Garden Of Eden
The Garden Of Eden is worth a stop to take in these stunning hoodoos and sandstone rock formations. And just before you reach this area there is a viewpoint with panoramic views of Windows and Turret Arches against the backdrop of the La Sal Mountains, don’t miss this!
Visit The Tallest Arch – Double Arch
Distance: 6 miles
Elevation Gain: 95 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Double Arch is the tallest in the entire park, making it a can’t miss destination at Arches. It’s located in the Windows area, and gets it’s monicure from the fact that it consists of two arches that share a foundation stone.
Check Out The Fiery Furnace
Named after the red glow this area gets during sunset, the Fiery Furnace is one of the most unique spots in all of Arches National Park. There are 3 ways to experience this area: from a viewpoint, on a Ranger led hike, or on your own. However, if you go it alone make sure to get a backcountry permit before you set out on your adventure.
Take A 4×4 Tour in Arches National Park
If hiking isn’t your thing but you want to fully experience all that Arches National Park has to offer consider taking a 4×4 Tour. Take a guided tour if you are looking to get off the beaten path and see things that you wouldn’t on your own. This is a great option for an adventure lover.
Play In Devils Garden
Distance: 7.8 miles – 1.6 mile to Landscape Arch
Elevation Gain: Varies
Difficulty: Moderate – Easy to Landscape Arch
On the amazing Devils Garden hike you get to see a breathtaking 8 arches. You’ll experience some of the best landscape that Arches has to offer. Take in Landscape Arch, Tunnel Arch, and Navajo Arch among others.
Hike Sand Dune Arch
Distance: .3 miles
Elevation Gain: 108 ft
Difficulty: Easy
Sand Dune Arch lives up to its name, covered in a blanket of red sand resembling a beautiful beach. The arch is shaded for most of the day making it the perfect spot to relax and take in all the beautiful scenery.
Top 5 Arches To See in Arches National Park
Delicate Arch
Windows Section
Double Arch
Landscape Arch
Sand Dune Arch
There are so many amazing things to see in the wonderland that is Arches. This list of the best things to see at Arches National Park is a great way to make the most of your visit.
Arches version of trees.
Did you know Juniper trees grow for centuries and self prune?
By its size and dead branches, this specimen has been around for a while. According to our guide, it is not unrealistic to believe this guy could be 1000 years or older. Truly amazing!
Things to do in Arches Include Exploring Moab.
Moab lies just outside the borders of Arches National Park and Canyonlands and is an experience on its own. I just can’t talk about Arches without including Moab.
A visit to Moab wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the Moab Rock Shop. Moab Rock Shop was founded in 1960 by Lin Ottinger, and has been family-owned and operated for over 50 years. Lin’s knowledge of rocks, minerals, and fossils, along with his discoveries, has earned him the title of The Dinosaur Man.
Many of his dino discoveries have been donated to museums and universities, including Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.
Many of his dino discoveries have been donated to museums and universities, including Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.
He found at least four species of dinosaurs in the Moab area.
Cool right!
These finds include Saurapods (Apatosaurus / Brachiosaurus), Euoplocephalus, Utahraptor (Jurassic Park’s Velociraptor was modeled after this guy), and Iguanodon Ottingeri. Since this was the first Iguanodon found in the US, it is named after the shop owner, Lin Ottinger.
Yep, dinosaurs are definitely part of the Moab experience. If you have a future archeologist-in-the-making, a visit to Moab, Arches, and Canyonlands may just be in the cards for you.
And if the Rock Shop isn’t for you, check one of the city’s numerous posted trails just outside of town so you can look for dino relics of your own. The kiddos love this stuff.
Ever Heard of Uranium?
Who hasn’t? In the 1950s Moab became the so-called “Uranium Capital of the World”. We even drove by the mine. No lie.
Fun Facts About Arches and the Surrounding Area
- The name “Moab” comes from an ancient Biblical kingdom. The name “Utah” comes from the Ute language, meaning “people of the mountains”.
- Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch gang got into many robberies and shootouts with Moab’s lawmen. Their Robbers Roost hideout was in a wild maze of canyons east of town. I think we drove through those canyons…
- Moab is a mountain biking mecca. Local Slickrock Bike Trail is one of the most technically challenging bike trails in the world.
- The yearly average rainfall in the Moab area is 9 inches.
- The Moab dirt is alive! A living crust called “biological soil crust” covers much of the surrounding area. Composed of algae, lichens, and bacteria, this crust provides a secure foundation for desert plants.
- Airplanes aren’t allowed to fly over Arches National Park because the vibrations from the planes could potentially break delicate arch features.
- To be classified as an arch, the arch’s opening must measure at least three feet across.
What are other things to do in Arches National Park?
This may sound weird, but I missed an amazing opportunity to photograph a raven. I always thought they were “less than attractive” birds, and mysterious to those who are superstitious. According to the local folks, ravens are extremely intelligent.
Close up I realized they are much more attractive than I thought, with their black feathers glistening in the sunlight. We saw quick glimpses of small reptiles (lizards maybe) and quick flashes of jackrabbits, but they weren’t sticking around for any photos.
Critter sightings were rare, but pretty cool when they happened.
Will you find things to do in Arches National Park?
Yep. You betcha.
Of course, you will find arches here. Lots and lots of arches. And towering spires, and pinnacles. Balanced rocks – yep, those too.
Beautifully colored hills, seemingly with all colors of the rainbows. Hiking trails – easy AND difficult. I did not make it to Delicate Arch along the hiking path. I could come up with all sorts of excuses – I ran out of drinking water, didn’t have the right kind of shoes, had no hiking poles, and we started out too late in the day…
The truth is the truth. Delicate Arch is a difficult trail.
We did hike to Pine Tree Arch, Tunnel Arch, Landscape Arch, North and South Window Arches, Turret Arch, Double Arch, and my favorite, Sand Dune Arch. Parking lots made visiting Fiery Furnace and Courthouse Towers very easy.
4-wheeling, camping, and mountain biking are also popular activities in the park.
What can you NOT do in Arches?
As beautiful and enticing as the arches are, climbing on the arches is prohibited, but some trails allow for areas to climb. No climbing is allowed on spires or hoodoos either. Sand Dune Arch is one area where climbing is allowed – and is really fun! You can see visitors playing in approved arch settings in our YouTube video.
Visitors are also highly discouraged from walking on the crypto-soil. If a trail isn’t clearly marked, don’t take off across the countryside. You may be causing centuries of damage with each footstep without even realizing it. Not to mention surprising an unexpected slithering creature sunning on a rock. Just don’t do it.
Drones and quadcopters aren’t allowed to fly over the park, and no airplanes are allowed to fly over the park. Papa Joe also didn’t do well with flying his drone in Moab either.
Final Thoughts on Arches National Park
One of my favorite arches or views was this one that sorta looks like Africa. Love the uniqueness and how the sun came shining thru at the time I took the picture. If ever in doubt about visiting Arches National Park, I hope this post helped you see how it’s a must see. I shot a video leaving Arches National Park from the truck as we drove down.
When traveling through Utah, make sure you visit Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park as well. You can also visit ones I haven’t, like Canyonlands National Park and
Ready to buy your Arches National Park pass yet?
No matter what time of year you decide to visit Arches, it is truly beautiful. However, if you don’t care for cold, don’t go in the winter because it is very cold. See the snow.
In the winter months you are more likely to see the park covered in a light dusting of snow and overcast sky.
If you are not RVing to Arches National Park, you can find great lodging in Moab so you can stay a while. Also, don’t forget to grab food at the local Moab restaurants.
Time for Advice
Arches National Park has easily navigable roads and is a short drive from Moab. It contains multiple pull-offs and parking for easy access to the sights. The National Park Service has done a good job in making this park and all its miraculous features accessible.
We learned the National Park Service would be implementing a shuttle bus system for the park in Arches. This isn’t the first park we have visited that offers this mode of transportation. I anticipate there will be frequent stops, and utilize a hop-on, hop-off feature that allows the same access available today. On both trips, we visited the National Park in the low season and experienced full parking lots throughout the park, so this is probably a wise implementation.
Considering the pollution and traffic congestion during peak season, a shuttle system may end up being a win-win for visitors, the park service, and the environment.
Regardless of the park, make sure to stop at the visitor’s center. It is always a good practice to talk to park rangers and look at the park information being handed out. Get a stamp for the park if you keep a passport book – I also like to buy a sticker for each park to go with my passport stamp. A visit here is literally a 2 for 1 with Canyonlands and Arches basically being across the street from each other.
Check out this fun video my friend Denise and her husband made just for this post.
