Moab Utah's Arches National Park is a great place to visit. Arches National Park preserves over two thousand natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations. In some areas, faulting has exposed millions of years of geologic history. A striking environment of contrasting colors, landforms and textures highlights the extraordinary features of the park, including balanced rocks, fins and pinnacles. Your Moab Utah Vacation Destination.
HOURS
The park is open year round, 24 hours a day. Peak visitor season runs from mid-March through October.
LOCATION
Arches National Park is located in southeastern Utah, just 5 miles north of the town of Moab, on Highway 191.
ENTRANCE FEES
Pass |
Fee |
Valid For |
Time Valid |
Vehicle
Pass |
$10 |
1
vehicle and all passengers |
7
days |
Individual
Pass |
$5 |
1
individual |
7
days |
Local
Passport |
$25 |
Entrance
into Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Hovenweep
National Monument and Natural Bridges National Monument. |
1
year |
National Parks Pass or Golden Pass (Age, Eagle and Access) are accepted.Hiking Trails
Arches offers 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 TRAILS
| Easy Trails |
Length | Time Required | Description |
| Balanced Rock | .3 mi (5. km) round trip | 15-30 min | A loop trail around the base of a fragile, picturesque rock formation. |
| Broken Arch | 1.2 mi (2 km) round trip or 2 mi (3.2 km) with loop | 30-60 min | From the Sand Dune Arch parking area, the trail cuts across a large meadow to the arch and continues to the campground. Loop trail leads through fin canyons with sand dunes and slickrock. |
| Delicate Arch Viewpoint | 100 yards (91 meters) round trip | 10-15 min | In addition to the short accessible trail, another (moderately strenuous) hiking trail climbs one-half mile (0.8 km) toward Delicate Arch and ends at the rim of a steep canyon that separates the viewpoint from the arch. (This is not the popular trail to Delicate Arch, which starts at the Wolfe Ranch parking area. See below.) |
| Desert Nature Trail | 0.2 mi (0.3 km) round trip | 15-30 min | Discover the adaptations of plants and animals in the desert on a self-guided nature walk. Trail guide available at the trailhead near the Visitor Center. |
| Double Arch | 0.5 mi (0.8 km) round trip | 15-30 min | A relatively flat, sandy trail leads to the base of two giant arch spans which are joined at one end. |
| Landscape Arch | 2 mi (3.2 km) round trip | 30-60 min | A relatively flat, gravel-surfaced trail leads to a spectacular ribbon of rock, whose span is more than a football field in length. Short side trips to Tunnel and Pine Tree Arches. |
| Sand Dune Arch | 0.4 mi (0.6 km) round trip | 15-30 min | Trail leads through deep sand to a secluded arch among sandstone fins. Kids love the sand! |
| Skyline Arch | 0.4 mi (0.6 km) round trip | 10-20 min | A short hike on a flat, well-defined trail. |
| The Windows | 1 mi (1.6 km) round trip | 30-60 min | A gentle climb up a gravel loop trail leads to three massive arches (North and South Windows and Turret Arch). An alternate return, slightly longer, is by way of the primitive loop around the back of the two Windows. The primitive loop trail starts at the South Window viewpoint. |
| Moderate Trails |
Length | Time Required | Description |
| Park Avenue | 1 mi (1.6 km) one way | 30-60 min | From Park Avenue parking area, the trail descends steeply into a spectacular canyon and continues down the wash to the Courthouse Towers parking area. If you have a shuttle driver, you can begin at one parking area and be picked up at the other. For round-trip hiking, retrace your steps along the trail. |
| Tower Arch | 3.4 mi (5.6 km) round trip | 2-3 hrs | The trail climbs a steep, but short, rock wall, then cuts across a valley and then meanders through sandstone fins and sand dunes. An alternate, shorter trail (0.3 mile [0.4 km] one way), begins at the end of the four-wheel-drive road on the west side of Tower Arch. This unpaved road washes out quickly in rainstorms; inquire at the visitor center about road conditions before heading out. |
| Long Trails |
Length | Time Required | Description |
| Delicate Arch | 3 mi (4.8 km) round trip | 2-3 hrs | Take at least 1 quart (1 liter) of water per person! There is no shade. Open slickrock with some exposure to heights. The first half-mile is a wide, well-defined trail. Upon reaching the slickrock, follow the rock cairns. The trail climbs gradually and levels out toward the top of this rock face. Just before you get to Delicate Arch, the trail goes along a rock ledge for about 200 yards. Elevation change: 480 feet (146 meters) |
| Devils Garden Primitive Loop | 7.2 mi (11.5 km) round trip | 3-5 hrs | Longest of the maintained trails in the park, the Devils Garden Trail leads to eight awe-inspiring arches. Expect narrow ledges with rocky surface hiking and scrambling on slickrock. Not recommended when rock is wet or snowy. |
| Double O Arch | 4 mi (6.4 km) round trip | 2-3 hrs | Beyond Landscape Arch, the trail becomes more challenging as it climbs over sandstone slabs; footing is rocky; there are narrow ledges with exposure to heights. Spur trails lead to Partition and Navajo Arches. Dark Angel is one-half mile (0.8 km) farther. Trail guide available at trailhead. |
| Fiery Furnace | The Fiery Furnace is a labyrinth of narrow sandstone canyons and fins. There are no marked trails. Visitors who want to explore the Fiery Furnace must obtain a hiking permit at the visitor center (fee charged) and watch a minimum impact video. All groups are encouraged to sign up for a ranger guided hike. See below. |
