Arches National Park | RV America Y'all

What Makes Arches National Park Unique?

It only takes a drive through Arches to very quickly see what makes it unique. This park is home to more than 2,000 named arches! It is constantly changing, and truly feels like another world.

Obviously, given the park's name, we expected to see a lot of sandstone arches. What we didn't expect to see were such a variety of views and landscapes. Every hike we took was different. Every arch told a story. Every landscape featured interesting details, spectacular rock formations, and colorful rock layers that changed as the sun moved across the sky.

Arches National Park History

Prior to being one of the most talked about US national parks, the area that we now know as Arches was home to nomadic hunter-gatherers who migrated here as many as 10,000 years ago. They were followed over the generations by the ancestral Puebloans and later still the nomadic Shoshonean peoples. You can learn more about these folks and the rock art they left behind at the park visitor center and near the Wolfe Ranch.

Speaking of the Wolfe Ranch, in 1898, John Wolfe and his son Fred moved here from Ohio to establish a cattle ranch. In 1906, they were joined by John's daughter Flora Stanley along with her husband Ed and their 2 children. At Flora's urging, the family built a new cabin for the six of them to live in. You'll find that cabin near the parking lot for the Delicate Arch Trail.

Like so many of our national parks, Arches was first named a national monument. In 1929, President Herbert Hoover established Arches National Monument with 2,600 acres in the Devils Garden area and 1,920 acres in the Windows section of the park. The interesting thing about that is that those two sections of the park were not attached at that point. They are in two very different areas of today's park.

Over the years, the park has expanded many times. It was promoted to a National Park in 1971.

Tips for Visiting Arches National Park

There is one primary park road that runs from the park entrance, past the Visitor Center, and connects all of the major points of interests and trailhead parking lots all the way back to the Devils Garden area where it loops around and goes out the same way you came in. From the entrance to Devils Garden is about 18 miles. It seems a lot further than that.

Since there is only one main road, there is also only one main entrance and exit to the park. This entrance/exit can really back up during times of high visitation. Plan to arrive very early or later in the day to avoid some of the slowdown.

If this is your first time visiting Arches NP, begin with a stop at the Arches visitor center. We know you'll be excited to explore the arches and see the amazing landcapes, but do not pass up the visitor center. Inside you'll find exhibits sharing the geological and cultural history of this land, including its time as one of the ancient inland seas. Rangers are also on hand to answer questions and provide recommendations. The visitor center is also home to the park's gift shop, a water bottle fill station and public restrooms.

There are no concession stands inside the park. There are a few water bottle fill stations. It's best to pack a cooler with plenty of water, your lunch and any snacks for the day. Depending on where you are in the park, it can be quite a drive to get back to Moab for lunch (and you'd probably have to wait in traffic to get back in).

We Made It to Delicate Arch!

During our stay, the first several parking areas were always busy. We saw fewer people the further we got back into the park.

Unless you have reservations to camp inside Arches National Park, we do not recommend taking an RV into the park. You'd be okay with a Class B camper van or a truck camper. But we discourage you from taking in any type of towable RV or any other type of motorhome. The visitor center has a decent size (not huge, but decent size) parking lot, but that is really the only parking lot of any size in this park. Taking your RV in for a day of exploration will likely cause you and others frustration as you try to find parking. We share a bit of information on the campground within Arches below. There are also several RV parks in Moab, Dead Horse Point State Park, and several BLM campgrounds in the area.

Temperatures can be extreme here. Pay attention to weather forecasts, carry plenty of water and bring good walking shoes, sunblock, sunglasses and a hat. Know your limits and take your time exploring. Even if you can't hike much, there are PLENTY of amazing sights to be seen from the park road, the pull-offs located throughout the park and by just a short walk. Overdoing it can be dangerous here with daytime temperatures. Please be careful so that you can enjoy your visit.

Hiking in Arches National Park

While a scenic drive through Arches is incredible, hiking in the park is truly amazing! If you are able to explore by foot, we highly recommend taking the time to explore a hiking trail or two (or three...). Even the easy hikes offer unforgettable experiences here. For us, hiking was the best way to experience this park.

Our favorite hikes here included the Delicate Arch Trail, the Fiery Furnace Trail, and Landscape Arch Trail. But exploring the Balanced Rock Trail, The Windows Trail, and Skyline Arch Trail were also really worth the time.

Delicate Arch Trail: The iconic symbol of Utah, Delicate Arch, can be seen from a distance with an easy 100-yard walk to the Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint or by a half-mile walk to the Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint. Hiking right up to the amazing Delicate Arch, however, begins down the road near the parking area next to the Wolfe Ranch.

This 1.5-mile out and back (3-miles roundtrip) hike is listed as Moderately Difficult. It raises 480 feet in elevation. Much of it takes you up some fairly steep inclines, and folks who are afraid of heights may be unnerved by some of the paths that skirt along the sides of the rock formations.

As we mention in the video, however, the heights did not bother me (Stacie) as they normally would. I think I was distracted by the incredible scenery all around us. If you are physically able to take this hike, we highly recommend it. Be sure to wear good hiking boots and take a lot of water. The views are unlike anything else you'll see.

At 46 feet tall and 32 feet wide, Delicate Arch is the largest free-standing arch in Arches NP. It was formerly known as Cowboy's Chaps and Old Maid's Bloomers. The name "Delicate Arch" was first used in 1934. The park has a 1906 photo of Delicate Arch taken by Flora Stanley when her family lived in the cabin near the trail head.

We LOVED Hiking in Arches

Fiery Furnace Trail: Listed as a Strenuous trail, hiking in the Fiery Furnace requires a permit. You can obtain a permit to hike independently after receiving training from a park ranger. We opted to go with a Ranger Guided Tour. They say that the maze of fins that make up the Fiery Furnace area can be confusing for hikers who aren't familiar with it, and it can be easy to get lost. It took us several days of trying before we were able to obtain a permit.

Another reason why they limit the number of hikers here is the existence of biological soil crust in this section of the park. What an interesting lesson in ecology. We saw some of this during our hikes in Dinosaur National Monument as well.

If you'd like to see more of our Fiery Furnace experience, check out our post on taking guided tours in Moab. It almost felt like being in an Indiana Jones movie. There are public restrooms at the Fiery Furnace parking lot.
Landscape Arch Trail: You'll find the largest arch in the park back in the Devils Garden area. Take the park road all the way to where it turns around. at Devils Garden. You'll find parking and public restrooms here. The park's only campground and a picnic area are nearby.

The Landscape Arch Trail is considered an Easy trail. Landscape is not only the largest arch in the park, at 306 feet long, this is the Longest Arch in North America! In some sections, Landscape Arch is only 6 feet wide. They say large sections fell from it in the 1990s, but so far, it's hanging on!

We reached Landscape Arch just before sunset and the view with the sun low in the sky behind it was well worth the trip. From the trailhead to Landscape Arch and back is roughly 1.6 miles. It is mostly an easy hike with one section of 40 foot elevation.

From that same Devils Garden Trailhead, if you'd like a longer hike, you can continue past Landscape Arch to explore all 7+ miles of hiking trails within the Devils Garden section of the park. They say the trails become more challenging as you go.

MUST SEE Sections of Arches National Park

The major sections of Arches National Park are each unique and all worth experiencing. We highly recommend spending AT LEAST one full day in Arches National Park. We spent 2 full days in the park, and could have explored more! If you have limited time, here are the areas of the park we absolutely recommend seeing...

Arches National Park Visitor Center - As we mentioned in our Tips section, stop in here first to get a lay of the land and learn about the history of the park. Take a potty break and fill your water bottles here before you start your big adventure.

Park Avenue - If you have time for a bit of a walk, Park Avenue is one of the first parking lots you'll come to. Even if you don't want to hike here, take the time to park, take in the views and read the interpretive signs. The rock formations here are different from what you'll see as you go further into the park.
La Sal Mountains Viewpoint - Just a little bit further and you'll find another parking area. Park, get out and walk onto the large flat rock with more interpretive signs. Here you'll find views of the La Sal Mountains (hence the name) as well as several named rock formations including Sheep Rock, Three Gossips and Courthouse Towers. There will be another pull-off area to view these formations more closely, but we really enjoyed the view from here.
Petrified Dunes - For the next completely different view, continue on to the Petrified Dunes. You'll feel like you're in a completely different park!
Balanced Rock - You'll find a small picnic area to the left just before you get to Balanced Rock. Many folks pass by Balanced Rock on their hunt for arches. But we recommend parking and taking a few minutes to make the short walk to see this amazing phenomenon up close. The approach to the Balanced Rock is accessible for everyone. If you are okay with walking on stairs, sand and rock, we recommend taking a few extra minutes to walk all the way around the Balanced Rock. We were amazed that the view of it changed as we walked around.

Balanced Rock

The Windows Section - Along with Devils Garden, this is the original section of the 1929 version of this park. Just after leaving Balanced Rock, turn right off of the main park road and travel about 2.5 miles to see several of the best natural sandstone arches: Double Arch, North Window, South Window and Turret Arch. Some of these arches are viewable from the parking area. The walk to Double Arch is probably the easiest in this section. You can climb up under Turret Arch if you'd like to get a different perspective of the area. There are public restrooms in this parking area.
After returning to the main park road, take a right to continue further into the national park. If you skipped the first picnic area, you'll find another one (along with restrooms) near Panorama Point.

Delicate Arch - Continuing past this and taking your next right will take you to the parking lot for several things: the historic Wolfe Ranch, a wall of ancient petroglyphs, and the trailhead to Delicate Arch. If you are not making the hike to the famous Delicate Arch, you can view it from a distance by continuing past this parking area to the parking area for the Upper and Lower Viewpoints. There are restrooms at both of these parking areas.
Fiery Furnace - Taking a right back on to the main road... next stop... the parking lot for the Fiery Furnace! If you can get a permit for this, do it! If you can't get a permit or are not able to make the hike, at least stop here and take in the views from the overlook. The sandstone fins you begin to see in this section are other-worldly!
Skyline Arch - Continuing further into the park, be sure to stop and see one of the natural arches that most folks just drive by... Skyline Arch has a different origin story than many of its fellow arches. We share its story in the video at the top of the page. And bonus: there was hardly anyone else there!
Devils Garden Area - The end of the road, you might say! The other original section of the 1929 Arches National Monument. Here you'll find, the park's only campground, shaded picnic tables, public restrooms, and several hiking trails leading to Landscape Arch, Double O Arch, Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch (just to name a few of the natural rock arches you'll find back here).

Sunset at Landscape Arch

As you make your way back out of the park, pay attention... the red rock formations and landscapes often look different than they did coming into the park.

Arches National Park Camping

Arches National Park is home to one campground inside the park. The Devils Garden Campground offers tent and RV dry camping by reservation. It is located (as you can likely guess) in the Devils Garden section of the park, approximately 18 miles from the park entrance and approximately 23 miles from the town of Moab.

We had originally planned to spend a week in this campground, but changed our plans to stay in an RV park in Moab. While the night views from Devils Garden Campground would have been stellar, we enjoyed the convenience of staying in town and going into the national park for the day.

That said, the campground is beautiful with paved roads and campsites that are said to accommodate rigs up to 40 feet. The campsite has a restroom with flush toilets, but there are no electrical, water or sewer hookups. Come with your fresh water tank full and plan accordingly. There is no dump station.

Evening Ranger Programs are held in the campground amphitheater.

Arches National Park Reservations

During our visit, advance reservations were required for visiting Arches National Park. The high season for tourism runs roughly April 1 until October 31, and as of the time we are writing this, timed entry tickets are required in addition to the park entrance fee to access the park during the most popular time of the year. You can buy a Timed Entry Ticket in advance from Recreation.gov.

While the timed entry system might take some of the spontaneity out of a trip, we have actually grown to like the system. We were required to have park reservations at both Rocky Mountain National Park and Arches National Park. In our experience, the timed entry spread visitors out and made finding a parking space at viewpoints along the road easier. Even with the timed entry, there were times that both parks felt like they were absolutely FULL of folks. We can just imagine what the experience would have been like without the timed entry in place.

Where is Arches National Park?

You'll find Arches National Park just outside of amazing Moab in Southeastern Utah. The Colorado River serves as the park boundary which separates it from the town. This region is part of the high desert of the Colorado Plateau.