Arches is one of the Mighty 5 National Parks in Utah. With over 2,000 natural arches cut into vertical rock fins, it’s a stunning geological landscape. Here’s how to spend one day in Arches National Park.
By: Mark Barnes | Last Updated:
Arches National Park is a geological wonder. Over 2,000 natural sandstone arches stand amongst the desert landscape. Some are giant holes in vertical rock fins; others are free-standing arches left behind after millennia of erosion.
It’s the largest concentration of natural stone arches in the world.
Beside the arches, there are towering pinnacles and spires, strangely shaped boulders balanced on narrow pillars, and wave upon wave of colourful slick rock. The red and orange rocks are a visual delight, particularly at sunrise and sunset, when the whole park seems to glow.
Arches National Park is not that big, and the highlights can be comfortably explored in one day.
Here’s our one-day itinerary in Arches National Park. We cover all the best arches and hike the most interesting trails. There’s a map, details for getting permits, and tips on where to stay.
Map: Arches One-Day Itinerary
Arches National Park is relatively small. The main road through the park (imaginatively called Main Park Road) only takes about 30 minutes to drive from one end to the other. But there are several short dead-end offshoots to explore along the way.
The map below shows all the highlights on this 1-day itinerary.
- Morning (Red) – Devils Garden & Fiery Furnace
- Afternoon (Purple) – Windows Section & Park Avenue
- Sunset (Orange) – Delicate Arch
Click on the top right corner to open our map in your Google Maps app. Click the star next to the title to save it to your Google account.
Arches National Park Itinerary
Start: Devil’s Garden
Try to get an early start to beat the crowds, catch the best light, and make parking easier. Drive all the way to Devil’s Garden Trailhead parking lot at the far end of the park (don’t worry, we will come back to the sights we have driven past).
Devil’s Garden is the best area to explore in the morning because the sun lights up all the wonderful rock formations, which you can see in the image below.
There are a few wonderful hikes we recommend to get the day started.
Option 1: Hike to Landscape Arch
This hike is one of the best in the park. As an out-and-back walk, you can make it as easy or hard as you like.
It heads between the wonderful, sheer-sided fins of rock to Landscape Arch. At 306 feet, it is the longest arch in North America and appears extremely fragile, measuring only 6 feet wide at its narrowest point.
The hike is 1.8 miles round trip and took us around 1 hour.
An optional side trail (add 0.5 miles and 15 minutes) brings you to Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches.
Option 2: Hike to Double O Arch
This medium-difficulty hike heads past Landscape Arch (above), climbs onto the fins of rock, and makes its way to Double O Arch.
The trail is uneven with a couple of narrow ledges and steep drop-offs, but the views are more spectacular. It’s a 4-mile round trip, which took us around 2.5 hours.
Make sure you stop at Black Arch Overlook.
An optional side trail (add 0.8 miles and 25 minutes) brings you to Navajo & Partition Arches.
Skyline Archway
After the hike, hop back in the car and drive to Skyline Archway. This arch is high up on the archway wall, and it’s only a 0.4-mile (15-minute) round-trip walk to the arch. Although the photos from the parking lot are pretty good, too.
Sand Dune Arch
Next, drive to the Sand Dune Arch trailhead. There’s no viewpoint from the parking lot, but it’s worth the short hike (0.4 miles, 15 minutes) to Sand Dune Arch.
Tucked in a cleft between two tall sandstone walls, it’s a picturesque, shady spot to sit and have a break. The trail is mostly on sand and has a wonderful desert feel.
Fiery Furnace
Fiery Furnace is a labyrinth of narrow sandstone canyons, fins, and towering spires. The maze-like passages through the walls of rock can be narrow and disorienting. It’s an easy place to get lost, so you can only enter on a Ranger Guided Tour or with a Self-Guided Exploration Permit.
The tour lasts 2.5 hours and must be booked in advance. Demand can be high, so it’s very difficult to get tickets.
Note: Our itinerary assumes you didn’t get tickets for the tour – if you do, then you’ll need to adjust the rest of the day.
Even if you don’t have tickets, pull off at the Fiery Furnace parking lot and peer over the rocky labyrinth of passages.
Lunch
There are no restaurants or lodges in Arches National Park, and it’s a waste of time heading all the way back to Moab, so bring a packed lunch with you.
There are plenty of spots to sit and have a break.
We recommend either Panorama Point or the spot just opposite Balanced Rock (blue on the map above). Both areas have picnic tables and restrooms, making them good lunch stops today.
Double Arch
Geographically, it makes sense to see Delicate Arch next. But this arch is best seen at sunset, so it’s better to explore the rest of the park in the afternoon and come back to Delicate Arch in the evening.
Start the afternoon by taking Windows Road to the Windows Section of the Park.
First up is the impressive Double Arch, consisting of two arches joined together. One is the tallest arch in the park (112 feet), and the other is the second-longest (144 feet). It’s an easy 0.6-mile (20-minute) round-trip hike from the trailhead.
Windows Viewpoint & Turret Arch Loop
Just across the road from the Double Arch parking lot, a very pretty loop takes you past three more features.
North Window is a massive hole in a fin of rock which has great views stretching across Arches National Park. Stand beneath it and use the arch’s shape to frame a photo of the desert landscape.
Next to it is South Window, another gigantic hole in the same fin of rock. Finally, you reach Turret Arch. Its slender and elegant shape is reminiscent of a castle turret, and in the afternoon, it produces a beautiful silhouette.
The loop is 1 mile and takes about 40 minutes.
Garden of Eden & Balanced Rock
Get back in the car and return along Windows Road, stopping at the following viewpoints.
Garden of Eden has some medium and small-sized arches to explore and good views of Balanced Rock and the road leading to the Windows section above.
Turn left on Main Park Road and pull off at Balanced Rock – a giant lump of rock precariously balanced on a thin pedestal. From so close underneath the rock, it’s striking how well-balanced it must be.
Courthouse Towers
Continue along Main Park Road (back towards the park entrance) and stop at Courthouse Towers.
This section of the park has a cluster of massive sandstone towers, monoliths and pinnacles which loom over the desert valley floor.
Keep an eye out for the Three Gossips (a trio of slender rock towers resembling gossiping figures), Sheep Rock (which, from certain squinted angles, looks like a sheep) and the imposing Tower of Babel. In the distance, the La Sal mountains shimmer on the horizon.
Park Avenue
The final afternoon stop on this 1-day Arches itinerary is Park Avenue.
The walls of this one-mile-long canyon are colossal vertical fins of rock. It gets its name from the skyscrapers that surround Park Avenue in New York, and it looks like a scene from Monument Valley.
The best views are from the viewpoint right next to the trailhead, but to get an impression of the sheer scale of the canyon walls, walk down into the canyon and explore.
Sunset: Delicate Arch
Sunset in Arches National Park is magical, and the best place to be is Delicate Arch.
Widely recognised as the symbol of the state of Utah, Delicate Arch is the largest free-standing arch in the park. When it’s hit by the last rays of sunlight, it glows a wonderful burnt orange.
It is difficult to see Delicate Arch from the road, and the best viewpoint involves an out-and-back hike.
The walk is 1.5 miles each way (3 miles total) and takes about 50 minutes (100 minutes in total). It has just under 500 feet of elevation gain, and after a long day, it can be a bit tiring, so make sure you have saved some energy.
There is a large car park at the Delicate Arch trailhead (a 20-minute drive from Park Avenue), but it can still get busy. It’s best to arrive at the arch about 60 minutes before sunset. Leave it too late, and the sun will have disappeared behind other rocks.
So, plan on starting the walk about 2 hours before sunset, which also gives you enough time to get back to the car before it’s too dark.
Planning & Logistics
How Long to Spend at Arches National Park?
One day is the perfect amount of time in Arches National Park. Plan your itinerary well, and you can see almost all the best arches and hike to the most interesting parts of the amphitheatre.
Avid hikers may want to spend a second day and explore Tower Arch and the Klondike Bluffs. Alternatively, if you get up at dawn (which we did), you can squeeze them into this one-day itinerary.
Arches National Park Permits
It costs $30 per private vehicle to enter the park (valid for 1 month), or it is free with an America the Beautiful Pass ($250 per person per year for non-US residents; all US National Parks).
You no longer need to pre-book a timed entry for Arches National Park. The park is open 24 hours a day, but it is especially busy between March and October. If you are travelling at this time, it’s a good idea to arrive before 8 am.
When to Visit Arches National Park
The best time to visit Arches National Park is from April to May and late September to early November. The days are warm and the evenings mild, providing the most comfortable conditions for hiking.
From June to August, the daily highs can reach well over 90°F (32°C). With little shade throughout the park, a day in Arches can be long and tiring.
In winter, temperatures can drop below freezing, snow can cover the trails, and some of the unpaved side roads become impassable.
Where to Stay Near Arches
There is no accommodation in Arches National Park. The nearest town is Moab, which is only 5 miles away. Often considered the ‘Adventure Capital of the West, it’s a great base for spending a day in Arches and also exploring all the best things to do in Canyonlands.
Here are a few recommendations of where to stay:
- MainStay Suites Moab – An affordable and well-appointed hotel in the centre of Moab, MainStay Suites offers a pool, a 24-hour fitness centre, and free parking.
- Moab Springs Ranch – Wonderful bungalows and cabins just north of Moab. Moab Springs Ranch is well-equipped with a swimming pool, gardens, and an on-site café.
- Radcliffe Moab – Great boutique hotel in the heart of Moab. The Radcliffe has a smart modern design with great facilities, including an outdoor pool. It’s a short walk to the centre of Moab.
- Hoodoo Moab Curio Collection by Hilton – Luxury modern hotel with an outdoor pool, full-service spa, and an interior design paying homage to the surrounding Western landscape.
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Thanks for your support // Paul & Mark