Ready to explore incredible rock formations filled with natural stone arches, hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive rock fins, and giant balanced rocks? Arches National Park is the perfect place to unplug and explore the beautiful American Southwest. Arches National Park is home to over 2,000 stone arches, soaring pinnacles, massive rock fins, and giant balanced rocks. Seeing all the major sites during one day at Arches National Park takes strategy and planning. Follow along for the perfect one-day itinerary.
Preparing to Visit Arches National Park
Arches National Park has the world’s largest concentration of natural sandstone arches! New arches are constantly forming and existing arches continue to weather until they eventually collapse.
This is a very popular destination, so the park uses a timed entry system to control crowds. So you must secure a timed entry pass for entry from 7 am to 4 pm between April 1 and October 31. The park will release tickets first-come, first-served on Recreation.gov. Passes are released three months in advance in monthly blocks at 8 am MST/MDT. So for example, April entry is reserved in January. You can enter before 7 am or after 4 pm without a timed entry. These sell fast! So I recommend being online, logged in and ready the morning of the release.
Visitor Information
| Address | 5 miles north of Moab, Utah, on US 191 |
| Entrance Cost | National Park entrance pass required (included in your America The Beautiful annual pass), plus timed entry pass ($2 fee paid online) from 7 am to 4 pm between April 1 and October 31 |
| Hours | 24 hours |
| Tour Time | Varies greatly! We spent about 10 hours in Arches NP |
Disclaimer: Always make sure to check out the latest information from the park website before you arrive.
One day at Arches National Park – Stop #1:
Devil's Garden Area
I recommend hitting the most exposed trail and popular area where the parking area fills up the quickest first. So once we entered, we drove all the way to the back of the park to the Devil’s Garden Trailhead.
Landscape Arch
From the trailhead hike to the Landscape Arch. The trail is well marked. It twists through sheer sandstone walls that hide views of the arches from the trailhead.
Landscape Arch is a long thin arch that stretches 306 feet across the sky. This makes it one of the longest stone arches in the world. In 1991 a large slab of the rock fell, leaving some narrow sections.
We visited a couple viewpoints and then hiked up the rocks as far as we felt comfortable with the girls. The drop-offs were more than a little scary. So Spider Monkey and I hung back about mid-way up, while Dustin and Buttercup climbed to the summit.
Pine Tree Arch
On our hike back from Landscape Arch, we took the spur trail to the Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches. The spur branches after about a quarter mile to the different arches. Go left to Pine Tree Arch. Pine Tree Arch is named after the Ponderosa Pine trees that grow nearby
Tunnel Arch
Then on the return trek, we turned right to Tunnel Arch. Tunnel Arch is known for its unique shape, which resembles a tunnel or passageway through the rock.
Devil's Garden Trail Details
| Start | Devils Garden Trailhead Parking Area |
| Distance | 1.8 miles; out-and-back (taking the spur trail to Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches adds 0.5 miles out and back) |
| Difficulty | Easy; well-maintained trail of sand and rocks |
| Approximate Time | 1-2 hours |
After leaving the Devil’s Garden area, we slowly made our way back towards the entrance of Arches National Park. Along the way, we stopped at the various pull-offs and trailheads.
One day at Arches National Park – Stop #2:
Skyline Arch
After leaving the Devil’s Garden area, we made our way to the trailhead for Skyline Arch. The trail is a short out-and-back hike up a slight incline. The Skyline Arch sits atop a tall fin of rocks, so it is visible from many areas within the park.
Skyline Arch Trail Details
| Start | Near the far north end of the main park road, south of Devil’s Garden |
| Distance | 0.4 miles; out-and-back |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Approximate Time | 15 minutes |
One day at Arches National Park – Stop #3:
Sand Dune Arch
Our next stop was one of the girls’ favorites – Sand Dune Arch. Sand Dune Arch is a giant shaded sandbox of fine red sand. The girls could have dug and played here for hours. From the parking lot, follow the trail to the junction of the Sand Dune Arch and Broken Arch trails. The trail takes you through thin corridors with giant sheer rock faces and a floor of soft red sand.
You cannot climb on the actual arch, but there are some fun rocks behind that you can explore. After playing in the sand, the girls took turns sliding down the rocks.
Sand Dune Arch Trail Details
| Start | Near the far north end of the main park road, south of Devil’s Garden |
| Distance | 0.4 miles; out-and-back |
| Difficulty | Easy but through deep red sand |
| Approximate Time | 0.5 hours + (depending on how long the kiddos play in the sand) |
One day at Arches National Park – Stop #4:
Salt Valley Overlooks
We drove past the Fiery Furnace area, stopping to take some photos of the landscape along the way. This area is very exposed … hence the name. To hike the Fiery Furnace, you need a permit or a ranger guide hike. Both options require reservations and advanced planning — not something for young kiddos like ours.
After passing the Fiery Furnace area, we entered the Salt Valley area and crossed over the Salt Valley Wash. Salt Valley occupies 11 miles of Arches National Park. Around this area the landscape becomes green with glittery sparkles all over. It is really a crazy sight! The glittery sparkles are gypsum. And the green comes from iron-rich volcanic ash that fell into an ancient lake that was here 150 million years ago. The lake was salty, which deprived it oxygen and turned the iron into beautiful shades of green and turquoise.
There are numerous pull-offs throughout this stretch of road that each provide amazing views of the Salt Valley landscape.
One day at Arches National Park – Stop #5:
Delicate Arch
The spur on the road to the left leads to the Delicate Arch trail and overlooks. Delicate Arch is one of the most famous rock formations in Utah and is featured on their license plate. It is 64 feet tall and 45 feet wide, making it the largest free-standing arch. The first parking area is for those hiking to the arch.
By this point, the sun was hot, and we were only mid-way through the park. So, we did not hike to Delicate Arch. Instead, we drove less than a mile further to the parking area for the shorter hike to the viewpoints. The Lower Viewpoint follows a short, hard-packed trail and provides a very distant view of the arch.
The trail to the Upper Delicate Arch viewpoint starts out along an easy path, but then begins climbing steeply. The trail provides beautiful views of the sparkling green landscape!
Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trail Details
| Start | Delicate Arch Viewpoint Parking Lot |
| Distance | 1 mile; out-and-back |
| Difficulty | Easy, but steep 0.5 mile climb |
| Approximate Time | 30-45 minutes |
One option to consider is taking the to hike to Delicate Arch instead of Devil’s Garden first thing in the morning.
Pro’s: Delicate Arch is visible in the distance from the overlook, but it was too far away to grab the girls’ attention.
Con’s: It is a much longer hike, so other items would need to be taken out of the day’s itinerary.
Delicate Arch Trail Details
| Start | Wolfe Ranch Cabin |
| Distance | 3.2 miles |
| Difficulty | Moderate to Difficult |
| Approximate Time | 2-3 hours |
One day at Arches National Park – Stop #6:
Panorama Point
After viewing Delicate Arch, we continued to drive towards the front of the park, stopping at various numerous pull-offs and taking in the landscape of the Lower Salt Valley, including a spur for Panorama Point. From Panorama Point, you can see for miles!
One day at Arches National Park – Stop #7:
Garden Of Eden
Then we took Windows Road to the left towards the Windows Section of the park. The road first curves around and offers a little pull-off viewpoint for the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden is an open area of rock towers and fins waiting to be explored! This area was another of our family favorites!! Arches National Park classifies this area as a “viewpoint”. But it is really an open trail where you can explore and climb around the sandstone features. You can climb up all around to explore the baby / soon-to-be arches.
You can also view Owl Rock (a giant stone sentinel that looks over the valley) from the parking area.
There were very few people in this area, so it was a great place to explore. Just remember to watch out for the cryptobiotic soil!
One day at Arches National Park – Stop #8:
The Windows Section
Continuing along Windows Road, you can see Elephant Butte in the distance before arriving at the end of the road. Then you can spot the crowded Window Section parking area. This area is the most popular in the park, so it is highly concentrated with people! The North and South Windows are formed from openings in the same sandstone fin. These window arches stand side-by-side with a rock formation known as Nose Bridge between them. When viewed together, the windows and bridge are known as “The Spectacles,” since they look like a pair of glasses.
We made a 1-mile loop, starting with the North Window and ending with the Turret Arch. The short hike starts from the parking area along a flat and hard-packed section of the trail. Then the trail splits to the various arches.
North Window
The trail becomes more uneven after the split and requires climbing up stone steps before reaching the North Window. The hike is pretty easy, but not accessible by stroller. Before we knew it, we were standing under the giant North Window arch! We spent some time here climbing and exploring under the arch before continuing to the South Window.
South Window
After backtracking a short distance, you find the short spur trail that takes you to the South Window. This arch is perched higher up on a cliff. So you can’t get as close as you can with the North Window. It is much less crowded, so you have a better chance of getting a photo without people in the background.
Turret Arch
Finishing up the Windows Loop, we continued the trek up the steps to Turret Arch. The arch gains its name from the towering spire on the side of the giant sandstone fin. This arch is smaller than the two windows. But you can get walk through it and explore the area before heading back to the parking area.
Windows Loop Trail Details
| Start | Windows Section Parking Lot |
| Distance | 1 mile loop |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Approximate Time | 1 hour |
Double Arch
Double Arch is the tallest and second longest arch in Arches National Park. The Arch consists of two arches that share the same stone as a foundation for both outer legs. Unlike most of the other arches in the park, Double Arch was formed from water erosion from atop the sandstone. The arch is accessible from the Windows Section parking area or a separate Double Arch parking area. Rather than moving the car, we took a connector trail that joined the two parking areas. The connector trail is well marked along a slightly sloping flat and hard-packed section of the trail.
Once you cross the Double Arch Parking Lot, you can access the short trail to Double Arch. The trail is hard-packed and easy to follow. When you reach the Double Arch, you can hike up and explore under the arch.
Windows Loop Trail Details
| Start | Double Arch Trailhead (also accessible via a connector trail from the Windows Section Parking Area) |
| Distance | 0.6 miles (out-and-back) |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Approximate Time | 30 minutes |
One day at Arches National Park – Stop #9:
Balanced Rock
We exited the Windows Section and made a quick stop to visit Balanced Rock from the parking lot. Even though it looks small from the parking lot, Balanced Rock stands 128 feet (39 m) tall. Ironically, there is not a “balanced rock” here. The top boulder of Entrada Sandstone is attached the Dewey Bridge mudstone pedestal. The exposure of these two rock strata layers is ideal for the formation of arches and balanced rocks. Eventually, the 3,600 ton boulder will fall as erosion continues.
Balanced Rock Trail Details
| Start | Balanced Rock Parking Lot |
| Distance | 0.3 miles |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Approximate Time | 15-20 minutes |
One day at Arches National Park – Stop #10:
Visitor Center
There are tons of other viewpoints along the road back to the park entrance. But, after a very full day of adventures, we sat back and enjoyed the drive. We did make one last stop at the Visitor Center. Here the girls turned in their Junior Ranger books and got sworn in.
The Family Verdict
We visited in June so I tried to keep our longer hikes to the morning. This helped to keep the everyone energized and ready to explore. Overall, Arches NP was beautiful! There was a great balance of viewpoints and fun trails for added adventure.
Make sure to check out our adventures in nearby Mesa Verde NP, Canyonlands NP, and Bryce Canyon NP. Also, follow along on our road trip through the American Southwest!
Follow along on our other amazing family travel adventures at www.adventureisinoursouls.com.
Recommended Supplies
Don’t miss out on these recommended supplies for your family adventure!
For Packing:
For the Airport / Airplane:
Basics:
Outdoors:
- Pocket Binoculars
- Travel Umbrella
- Adult Hiking Hydration Backpack
- Kid’s Hiking Hydration Backpack
- Water Bladder Cleaning Tablets
- Microfiber Towels
- Women’s All Around Jacket
- Women’s Water-Resistant Hiking Pants, These and These
- Women’s Quick Dry Pants and These
- Women’s Quick Dry Shirts
- Women’s Long Sleeve UV Rash Guard
- Women’s Hiking Socks
- Women’s Rain Jacket
- Kid’s Quick Dry Pants
- Kid’s Quick Dry Shorts
- Kid’s Quick Dry Shirts
- Kid’s Long Sleeve UV Rash Guard
- Kid’s Hiking Socks and These
- Kids Rain Jacket
- Kid’s Rain Pants
- Foldable Kid’s Hat
- Men’s Rain Jacket
