Arches National Park is home to one of the most iconic rock formations in the world, Delicate Arch. Though Delicate Arch gets most of the attention, there are plenty of other things to do and see in Arches National Park, near Moab, Utah. Even if you only have four or five hours, you can get a lot out of this park. But whether you only have one day or a week, here are the top things to do in Arches National Park.
Top Arches to see at Arches National Park not named “Delicate”
There are over 2,000 arches at this park — more than any other place on the the planet. For that reason, I’m going to try to make things simple by eliminating about 99% of them and just tell you about two arches not named Delicate you’ll want to see if you only have one day in the park.
1) Landscape Arch
I’m a huge fan of seeing the biggest or tallest of anything in the world. So I recommend you make time to see Landscape Arch, which is believed to be the longest natural rock span in the world. It’s a two mile round trip hike on mostly level terrain to get there and it is a part of the Devil’s Garden hike, which has plenty more scenic things to see.
2) Window Arches
To see this area you’ll do an easy one mile loop trail. There are actually a few arches to check out here: the North and South Window Arches and Turret Arch. You can walk under and through the arches and really see them up close. There are tons of angles to play around with when it comes to photos so get creative. I recommend this trail because it’s short and gives you an up close view of these magnificent arches. There’s also a bathroom at the trailhead if you need to go.
Other arches to look into visiting:
- The Double Arch – the .5 mile trail here starts from the same parking lot where the window arches are. These arches were used as the backdrop in the movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
- Double O Arch
Other land formations and trails
One of the cool things about Arches is that there are so many unique land formations to check out and most of the trails to them are not very long or challenging. So be sure when you arrive (or before you arrive) to plan out your stopping points and hikes in an efficient manner.
- Tip on planning your day: If you only have a day or a few hours then I recommend planning your day backwards. More than likely you’ll want to hike to Delicate Arch. So plan on beginning your hike to Delicate Arch about 3 1/2 hours before the sunset time for that day. That will give you plenty of time to get to the arch, see it, and set up for photos during the golden hour. With that hike scheduled first, you can then allocate the rest of your time going backwards. Here’s a link with sunrise and sunset times at Arches.
Park Avenue
This is the most popular trail in the park and it offers some up close views of unique land formations. The trail is only a mile so you’ll have plenty of time to see other spots in the park. Many may not want to try this hike because you can see many of the formations from the road. But just remember that seeing some of these monoliths up close gives you a whole new level of appreciation for their size.
Balanced Rock
This is a cool land formation and extremely easy to get to as there is a parking lot adjacent to the structure. Because Balanced Rock is so easy to access I recommend all visitors stopping by to see it.
The Fiery Furnace
You can just check out the view of this place from the viewpoint for interesting photos if you’d like to see it from afar. Hiking is also a highly recommended option though you’ll have to secure a permit or go with a ranger-led hike. Keep in mind there are no trails, signs, or cairns in this area. Also, your GPS is likely to fail due to the towering spires. Still, I’d recommend a ranger-led hike here just to be able to explore such a unique land formation. The ranger-led tours are going to cost you an additional $10.
Here’s a good resource with more information on all of the other hikes and sites to see.
Visiting the famous Delicate Arch
I’m tempted to not even mention that there’s a parking lot with a viewpoint of Delicate Arch close to it. The reason? I don’t want people to cheat themselves of the experience of getting close to Delicate Arch. Unless you’re limited by your physical capacity, then you must do the trail to Delicate Arch. Seeing it from across a canyon ridge does not compare to walking right under it and getting hit with the sudden realization that “this thing’s a lot bigger than I thought.”
Hiking to Delicate Arch
The hike has an elevation gain of 480 feet and it’s about 3 miles round trip. The day I did the hike it was cool and overcast so I didn’t feel like I got dehydrated at all. However, if you’re doing the hike on a hot day, you’ll definitely want to make sure you are prepared in the hydration department.
Beginning the hike, there are some petroglyphs to check out as well as some beautiful landscapes to see like the ones below. We didn’t check out the petroglyphs because we had seen so many during the week and I was sill recovering from losing two of my toenails from hiking at Zion.
How difficult is the hike?
The hike to Delicate Arch is moderately difficult. The most difficult portion of the hike is the trek up the slickrock. Your calves will likely be burning up this hill so be prepared for that. But if you get tired just take a few breathers and you will be up the top before you know it. When you get to the top, you’ll have to navigate by paying close attention to the cairns (the rock piles). If it wasn’t for the trail of people going to and from the arch it may have been a little difficult to find the route leading to the arch.
After that, you’ll soon arrive at a walkway that drops off on one side. There’s plenty of room on the walkway and the pavement is smooth so you’re not ever forced to walk at the edge of the cliff. If “cliffy” walkways make you nervous then just take your time and stay close to the wall; you’ll be fine.
Once you arrive at Delicate Arch you’ll notice the huge bowl it sits on top of. Hopefully, there won’t be too many people in line to see the arch when you get there. Be prepared up there because it can get windy! When I was there in May it was one of the windiest locations I’ve ever been to. I’ve also heard that when it rains the slickrock stays true to its name is a little dangerous to walk on, so be careful. If you have trekking poles it’s maybe not a bad idea to bring those out.
Best time of day to see Delicate Arch?
Sunset is the best time to see Delicate Arch. Actually, it’s about 1 to 1 1/2 hours before sunset. That means if you want to see that famous bright orange color on the arch you need to arrive about two hours before sunset. That way, you can explore the surrounding area, walk up to the arch, and get the exact spot you want to photograph without rushing. Like I said before, heading out 3 1/2 hours before sunset should ensure you of capturing the sunset there without having to rush at all.
Photographing Delicate Arch
Other than going during the golden hour, I only have a few tips for photos at Delicate Arch. One thing I would encourage you to experiment with the angles. There are thousands of different ways you can capture the arch and you should look into trying a bunch of different methods, including panoramas. Also, as you approach the arch from different directions, you’ll notice that the arch will start to look very different, sometimes not even recognizable. Photographing the arch from some of these “weird” angles will give you some unique shots.
Tips for taking memorable photos of people
If you’re taking a photo of a person at the arch and you want memorable photos, then I’ve got two tips:
- My favorite kind of shot is the kind seen below where you’re standing on top of the bowl and you can capture your subject and the beautiful mountains in the background (along with Delicate Arch, of course).
- The second type of shot would be with your subject standing under the arch. For that one, make sure you walk down the bowl and are close enough to get the arch and their face in the photo. If you take the photo from on top of the bowl, you may as well take a photo of a random person and say it’s your subject.
People… people everywhere
Another thing is that when photographing Delicate Arch (or any of the arches), you’ll likely struggle to get shots without people in them. Editing people out of the shots is likely going to be easier than trying to wait around for a perfect opportunity so consider using Photoshop or other editing programs. This is especially true if you run into a huge tour group.
As we left the arch we saw two full busses unloading with what looked like a small army of kids. I’m not sure I could have dealt with trying to get photos of the arch with over 100 kids running around in that bowl area and lining up for shots. Other than avoiding peak season and peak times, you can’t do much to avoid getting hit with huge crowds. That’s why I highly recommend investing in a software so that you can “zap” these people right out of your photos.
If you don’t have Photoshop and don’t want to drop Photoshop mula, then Perfect Photo Suite 8 is a fantastic option. It can run as a stand alone or plug-in for Lightroom and Aperture. It comes with a number of different programs, all of which are high quality and among the best out there. One of the new features is the “distraction eraser” which is perfect for editing out people in all of your famous landmark photos. So look into that.
Stargazing
I’m a huge fan of stargazing and astrophotography. This area likely has one of the darkest night skies in the entire United States. So if you are a fan, then consider trying to catch some magnificent stargazing out there.
Where to stay at Arches National Park?
There are a number of hotels in Moab suitable for all budgets. I stayed in a hotel that was okay as far as amenities go but pretty bad when it came to customer service. Because I’m willing to give the hotel a mulligan and attribute the bad service to someone having a bad day, and because the room was decent, I’m not going to throw the entire place under the bus on here and I’ll just offer recommendations of other places I’ve heard good things about.
I like to stick to budget hotels for the most part but sometimes I like to get a little fancy when I can. There is one place I’d love to stay if I had the budget and that is the Red Cliffs Lodge. The hotel is absolutely beautiful and full of all the amenities you’d want. Like I said, it’s not where you’ll probably be staying if on a budget, though. As far as cheaper hotels, I’ve heard good things about:
- The Inca Inn
- The Hampton Inn
Best Places to Eat at Arches National Park?
We ate at this great restaurant up on the hill side called The Sunset Grill. You’ll have to drive up a dirt road a little bit to get to it but it’s worth it. The views are pretty amazing from up top and the food (seafood, steak, and pasta) was good, a little on the pricey side but good. But there’s plenty of other options for restaurants in the area to choose from. The Red Cliffs Lodge is said to have a great restaurant as well. But just look around.
Camping
If you’re looking for camping, there are 50 sites here to choose from. They must be reserved if you are visiting between March and October and the camping fee is $20. Here’s more info on camping at Arches.
Other things to do
If you’re not familiar with Moab, Utah, it’s one of the off-roading capitals in the country. That means, that renting a Jeep or some other 4×4 will allow you to add a whole other dimension to your experience. If you have the time to do it, I recommend looking into renting a Jeep and experiencing the terrain out there by hitting some dirt roads.
Places near Arches National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Mexican Hat
- Goosenecks State Park
- Monument Valley
That’s all I have for the moment. If you have anything interesting you wanted to share about the park then let me know and I’ll see about adding it to my content. Thanks for reading!