Hiking through Moab’s arches, Utah, USA, is an unparalleled experience. Here, the rocky layers are so high they seem to meet the sky. The Arches National Park is made up of thousands of miles of incredible red rock landscapes, waiting for you to explore them. Moab radiates indescribable energy that you feel in each step. Excitement and unlimited fun for the whole family; you will definitely lose yourself in its immensity at first sight. If you like hiking, you can not miss the chance to visit this incredible destination.
Although Moab is a small and quiet city, hundreds of people know what it hides. The city of rocks attracts an incredible amount of mountain bikers, hikers, pikemen and climbers from all over the world.
Just eight kilometers north of Moab is the Arches National Park, which has the highest concentration of natural sandstone arches in the world. In this magical place, you can find over 2000 stunning arches.
Things to do
Make you photographer dream come true
From the start of your visit, you can have the best landscapes for stunning photographs. Standing in the middle of a desert full of deep canyons, rivers of white water surround Moab. Wherever you look, incredible arches of natural rocks and majestic towers of sandstone break the horizon. In the distance, snow-capped mountains contrast against the blue sky. However, you can take the best pictures with the softer lights at sunrise and sunset. To get the best shots, make sure to wake up early; the sacrifice is totally worth it!
Park Avenue
Located near the entrance of the park, this one-way trail stretches for a little over 1.5 kilometers (1 mile). It leads you through a canyon at the feet of impressive towering monoliths. Since the trail is fairly easy, it is one of the most popular in the park. You can choose to take the round trip or to be picked up at the end of the trail. Along your way, you get amazing views of the Three Gossips, the Organ and the Courthouse Towers
Delicate Arch
Starting from Wolfe’s Ranch, a one-room wooden cabin, there is a roundtrip trail of 5.2 km (3.2 miles) that can take you through this amazing arch. When you stand under this 19-meter-high opening (64 ft), you feel extremely small. But the view from this point makes you feel like you are on top of the world.
Delicate Arch is one of the most famous in the National Park, so you can expect a crowd walking along with you. For a peaceful hike, visit at sunrise when there are fewer people; and for the best photos, take the trail at sunset. Since the trail goes up to 150 m (480 ft), it’s quite hard to get to the arch. During your hike, you get to admire the Balanced Rock. But before you start, do not miss the sculptures of Ute Indian on a short track behind Wolfe’s Ranch.
Devil’s Garden
The perfect hike for those looking for adventures and amazing panoramic views. What makes this trail so popular are the impressive “fins”: narrow rock walls that with time erode and become arches. Some of the arches in the Devil’s Garden have crumbled down but standing tall and strong, the Landscape Arch is still the highlight of the trail. With an opening of around 88 meters (290 ft) and being only 0.24 meters wide (0.8 ft), Landscape Arch is the longest in North America.
The trail to Landscape Arch is very easy; there are only a bunch of hills, but otherwise, it’s a flat area. Now, if you are not visiting the Arches National Park looking for a challenge, you should head back once you reach Landscape Arch. Beyond, the trail to the Double O Arch starts; a rocky hike that is definitely not for everyone. At times, you will have to climb with feet and hands, with heart-stopping cliffs at both sides.
Fiery Furnace
To access this hike you need to either get an individual permit or hire a ranger to guide you. The Fiery Furnace hike is challenging, so you need to make sure you are equipped for the extreme conditions. Since the hike is like a labyrinth, once you start the challenge you have to get through until the end.
Here is where you feel the adrenaline and adventure Arches National Park offers. One moment, you will have to walk on loose sand, and the next you’re climbing on broken sandstone. Get ready to jump over chilling gaps and pass through narrow spaces by pushing yourself off the ground with hands and feet. Of course, the hike is pretty difficult, so children under 5 are not allowed to enter the Fiery Furnace.
The Windows Section
Arches National Park is all about unique, beautiful sceneries; and the Windows Section is another proof of that. The most beautiful locations in the park are here, so allow yourself 30-60 minutes to enjoy the section to the fullest. There’s an easy trail you can take to admire North Window, South Window, and Turret Arch.
Another trail that goes on for about 20-30 minutes takes you to Double Arch. The terrain is flat on this walk, which makes it an easy one. You can view the arch from afar, standing on the parking lot. But up close, the towering arches that join at one end are breathtaking. Just by seeing them, you understand why the Windows Section is considered the heart that keeps Arches National Park alive.
How to get there
Salt Lake City International Airport, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a 4-hour drive away from Arches National Park, offering service from 109 different destinations.
Canyonland Field Airport, in Moab, is 17 km (11 miles) away, and it has service from Ely, Nevada, and Denver.
Besides, Walker Field Airport, located in Grand Junction, is about 2 hours from the park’s entrance.
However, most people get here by car, driving north on US 191 from Moab for 8 km (5 miles).
When to go
Since Arches National Park is part of the Colorado Plateau, the temperatures in this desert region can reach up to 22°C (40°F). Most people visit the park from April to May (spring months) and from September to October (fall months). During these months, the temperatures can go from 15°C (60°F) to 27°C (80°F), sometimes going down to -1°C (30°F). However, in the summer months, temperatures can get to 38°C (100°F), making the hikes difficult.
How long do I go for
If you really want to and put your heart into it, you could explore Arches in just one day. At least the highlights of the park. In fact, most trails don’t take more than an hour. However, two days are perfect to get the best of Arches National Park with no rush.
Opening and Closing Hours
Arches National Park is open from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM every day, all year round. The Visitor Center, on the other hand, is open from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM every day except for December 25th.
Planning
The town of Moab is so close that many people choose to stay at a hotel there since Arches Nationa Park has no lodges. However, camping in the park is the cherry-on-top of the whole experience. The Devil’s Garden Campground is the only one within the park, and I recommend making reservations since it can be in high demand. Make your reservation with ReserveUSA or calling the National Recreation Reservation Service at +1-877-444-6777.
Inside Information
If you don’t want to miss anything, ask for help at the visitor center before entering the park; they can tell you which are the best trails to explore. The maps you can get are very helpful. There are some trails accessible for people with limited mobility.
One unparallel highlight of Arches National Park is admiring the Milky Way as clear as it can be. Take a camping chair and wait until midnight, when the stars in the sky shine the brightest.
Entry Requirements
USA Entry
To enter or transit the USA as a visitor, you will need to get a visa, or an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) visa waiver. The latter allows you to travel to the USA for up to 90 days, be it for tourism, certain types of business visits, and transit to another country.
To apply for the ESTA, you have to complete an online pre-registration form and pay a 14 USD fee per application. Submit your application no less than 72 hours before your departure, so it can be processed and approved by the US authorities. There’s no need to complete the ESTA if you are arriving from Vancouver or Victoria, Canada by ferry or land.
Arches National Park Entry
Park entrance fees allow access for seven days; these fees are $10 for private vehicles, and $5 for individuals on foot, bike, or motorcycle.
Five passes provide free entry at over 2,000 national parks and national wildlife refuges across the USA. A pass covers entrance, standard amenity fees, and day-f-[use fees for all passengers in a personal vehicle (per-vehicle fee areas) or four adults (per-person fee areas).
Find more information about these passes here.
Local Laws and Customs
Utah is one of the most religiously devout states in the US; in fact, three-quarters of the population are Christians, most being members of the Mormon Church. Mormons avoid gambling, drinks like coffee, tea and alcohol, drugs, piercings, and tattoos, and tend to dress modestly. However, the church is not as harsh towards LGBT people as other conservative sects of Christianity are.
Money
The official currency is the United States dollar ($), divided into 100 cents (¢). Foreign currencies are almost never8 accepted. Common American banknotes are the $1, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills. The $2 bill is still produced but rarely seen in circulation; in fact, it is generally refused as payment.
The standard coins are the copper-colored penny (1¢), and the silver-colored nickel (5¢), dime (10¢) and quarter (25¢).
Tipping
Tipping in the United States is so common and expected that in many service establishments customers who did not tip are often asked to pay a tip and, even though it is very rare, they can get scolded by staff for “stiffing” them. Taxis are often tipped 10-20%; tour guides, between 5% and 10%; food delivery, around 5%, and 15%; and housekeeping at hotels, 2% per day.
Safety and Security
Crime
Scam artists target Utah rather frequently, and property crime, although not that common, is still a risk. Lock up, and store your valuables and personal information out of sight. However, violent crime in Utah is generally rare.
Terrorism
Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in the USA. Attacks are usually carried out by individuals inspired by terrorist ideologies to do a so-called ‘lone actor’ attacks. They can target public events with little or no notice.
Health
Most trails have practically no shade and being a desert area, the sun can be a real bother. Make sure to pack sunscreen and hats, and take a lot of water with you to your hikes. There is no water available at the trailheads, so taking three liters of water per person each day is highly recommended. Seriously, take water with you!
Also, to keep the park’s integrity and your own, do not climb any of the formations. Sandstone is not exactly the strongest, and the arches can crumble very easily if you climb them. In fact, every year, many visitors have to be rescued after climbing a formation, since they realize that they can’t go back down.
Check USA’s specific health advice on TravelHealthPro at least 8 weeks before your trip.
Natural disasters
Canyons are at high risk of wildfires since they are very dry areas. Besides, high winds can cause the fire to spread very fast. In addition, be careful in areas where there have been recent wildfires, as mudslides are likely to happen during heavy rainfall.
History
The stunning arches are a result of an exquisite work of more than 100 million years. In these years, water, ice, subterranean movements of salt and extreme temperatures all came together to carve this wonder.
Back in 1923, a prospector known as Alexander Ringhoffer reached out to the Rio Grande Western Railroad, in an attempt to publicize the eroded territory and get support for creating a national park. Ringhoffer talked to railroad executives who were interested in attracting more rail passengers to the arches and took them to the area. Of course, they were impressed and started the campaign.
After six years of gathering information, President Herbert Hoover signed the legislation in 1929, creating Arches National Monument to protect all the sandstone formations on the area. Then, in 1971 Congress changed the status to National Park, recognizing over 10,000 years of cultural history.
Websites
Other Nearby Attractions
Canyonlands National Park
The Canyonlands National Park is divided into three districts, which are not connected by roads: Island in the Sky, Needles, and Maze. Island in the Sky is the most easily accessible, and it offers sweeping vistas over the other two districts. On the other hand, Needles and Maze are only accessible via rough roads. These rugged districts have excellent backcountry hikes and camping.
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