If you have just one day to visit Arches National Park, don’t fret! Although there is enough to see in Arches for days on end, it’s still a relatively small park with just one main road. Whether you’re roadtripping through Utah, or live nearby, here’s everything we’d do with just 1 Day in Arches National Park!
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1-Day Itinerary in Arches National Park
Here’s how we’d spend one day in Arches National Park if it were our first time visiting. This itinerary has you hitting all the must-see spots without leaving you completely exhausted. Stay tuned to the end of the article for tips on where to eat, where to stay, what to pack, and more!
1. Sunrise at Delicate Arch
2. The Windows & Double Arch
3. Park Avenue & Courthouse Towers Overlooks
4. Visitors Center
5. Lunch Break
6. Landscape Arch & Double Arch (Devils Garden Trail)
7. Sand Dune & Broken Arch
8. Dinner Break
9. Sunset at Balanced Arch
Please respect the outdoors and Leave No Trace! Before embarking on your outdoor adventure, review the seven principles of Leave No Trace, which include planning ahead and preparing, traveling and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly (pack out what you pack in), leaving what you find, minimizing campfire impacts, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of others. Abiding by these principles helps keep these places beautiful so others can enjoy them for years to come!
~5:00 AM — Sunrise at Delicate Arch (Viewpoint or Trail)
If you’re not opposed to an early rise, start your Arches trip off by watching the sunrise at Delicate Arch—the most photographed arch in the world! You can either drive to the Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trail, which requires a much shorter hike but is farther away, or take the Delicate Arch Trail up to the arch itself, a 3.2-mile (5.1-km) moderate out-and-back hike.
❌ Don’t Bust the Crust! Throughout all of Arches National Park, you must stay on marked trails. These arid landscapes are home to Biological Soil Crust (Living Crust), a delicate ecosystem that takes decades to form and can be destroyed with just a single step off-trail.
We went for the hike and arrived at the parking lot by 4:45 AM, hitting the Delicate Arch Trail by 5:10 AM, and reaching the arch by 5:45 AM. Adjust the time you leave so that you arrive at the arch 20-30 minutes before the sunrise is scheduled to take place. It took us about 35-40 minutes to reach the arch from the parking lot. Hiking shoes with proper traction are a must here, as there are narrow ledges and some steep areas.
🔦 Let there be light! Be prepared with a headlamp or flashlight to see where you’re going before the sun comes up.
8:00 AM — Windows Loop Trail & Double Arch Trail
After your big sunrise hike, drive back down the scenic road toward The Windows section. You’ll be hitting Double Arch Trail and The Windows Loop. Not only are these two trails right next to each other, but they are both short, high-reward hikes that offer a spectacular concentration of arches in one area. We were able to see both of these trails in just about an hour!
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9:30 AM — Park Avenue & Courthouse Towers Overlooks
Continue back down the scenic drive for two more quick stops, Park Avenue Overview and Courthouse Towers Viewpoint. Park Avenue Overview’s towering spires, which resemble Manhattan’s Wall Street, are visible from the viewpoint.
While there is a beautiful hike down, feel free to skip it if you want to save on steps where possible today. Just past it, you also have Courthouse Towers Viewpoint, where you can admire a massive rock monolith that resembles an ancient courthouse!
10:30 AM — Visitors Center
Now that you’ve seen a few of the park’s key highlights, it’s a great time to stop at the Arches Visitor Center near the entrance. This is the perfect place to use the restroom, fill up your water bottles, walk through their exhibition space, and ask a ranger any questions you may have about your day. We also highly recommend the short but pleasant “Native Plants Trail” located just outside the Visitor Center.
💚 Participate in the Junior Ranger Program! All ages are welcome to pick up an Arches-themed workbook from the Visitor Center, fill it out during your visit, and return it completed to be sworn in with a special badge as a Junior Ranger of Arches National Park!
Noon — Lunch Break
You can break for lunch at one of the park’s picnic tables around the Visitor Center, or make your way down the main road to Panorama Point. Here you’ll find plenty of picnic tables and stunning views of the La Sal Mountains in the distance.
1:00 PM — Landscape Arch & Double O Arch (Devils Garden Trail)
After lunch, drive to the Devil’s Garden Trailhead. This area features a cluster of impressive arches, including the world-famous Landscape Arch and the unique Double O Arch, both of which can be seen by hiking part of the main loop.
Follow the out-and-back Double O Arch Trail (4.2 miles/6.8 km) to see both of them, among other arches, in about 2-2.5 hours. If you continue on the trail, you’ll be hiking the rest of Devils Garden, but that extends the hike to 4 hours, so we recommend sticking to this shorter version for a day trip.
3:30 PM — Sand Dune & Broken Arch Trails
Sand Dune Arch Trail and Broken Arch Trail are two nearby trails that can be easily combined into a 1-hour hike. Sand Dune Arch Trail is a unique 15-minute route that will have you hiking through dense sand (keep this in mind if you have balance issues), while Broken Arch Trail is a 45-minute route on a flat, dirt trail.
Between these two routes, we got to see lots of birds and a rabbit, had the trails almost all to ourselves, and found the arches on each of them to be very unique! If you’re looking to extend your hiking time by 15 more minutes, you can continue onto the nearby Tapestry Arch.
6:00 PM — Dinner Break
As there are no food services or restaurants inside the park, you have two options: you can either drive back to Moab for a meal or have a second picnic packed to enjoy at a scenic viewpoint. The second option is a great way to save time and energy, also making it easier to watch the sunset from inside the park if you’re interested in doing so.
~8:00 PM — Sunset at Balanced Arch
Although Delicate Arch is the most popular sunrise and sunset trail in the entire park, we recommend a hike-free option after the long day you’ve had. Our favorite no-hike sunset spot in Arches is Balanced Rock. Although there is a short 8-minute loop that leads you around the formations, the views of the orange formations are spectacular even if you stay at the trailhead!
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🔄 Optional Activities (Swap These In!)
If you’ve already done any of the activities mentioned above, have an extra hour or two, or are looking for something different, here are some extra things to do in and around Arches National Park.
- Tackle a longer hike — Although longer hikes will consume about half of your day, if you’ve already been to Arches or prefer one long hike over several short ones, we recommend Fiery Furnace (permit required) or the full Devils Garden Trail.
- Explore some easy hikes — Head over to our related article, 11 Best Easy Hikes in Arches National Park, for some short hikes you can complete in under an hour!
- Join a ranger-led program — Check Arches National Park’s Events Calendar to see if any special talks, walks, or events are happening during your visit.
- Become a Junior Ranger — This is our favorite thing to do, no matter which park we go to. To become a Junior Ranger, pick up a free booklet at the Visitor’s Center, which you can then complete throughout the day. Return it later in the afternoon to receive a special badge!
- Grab Dinner in Moab — Moab is the closest town to Arches National Park, and is full of popular restaurants like Arches Thai, Trailhead Public House & Eatery, and Antica Forma.
- Go Stargazing — Arches National Park’s distance from large urban areas has made it an official International Dark Sky Park. Some great spots to stargaze in the park include Balanced Rock, The Windows Section, Garden of Eden Viewpoint, and Panorama Point.
- Explore Surrounding Parks — Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park are just a short drive away!
🗺️ 1-Day Arches National Park Itinerary Map
How to use this map: We have saved the locations from this guide on this map. You can save this map to your Google Maps by pressing the star icon. In your Google Maps, click the menu icon and then Saved Maps, where this map will appear.
📅 The Best Time to Visit Arches National Park
If you can swing it, October, November, March and April are the perfect months to visit Arches National Park as they tend to experience fewer crowds and more comfortable temperatures. That being said, here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from each season in Arches.
- May – September: This period experiences the highest crowds of the entire year, lots of programming, weather fit for water activities, and many hours of daylight. Downsides include crowding on popular trails, difficulty parking, extreme mid-day temps, and some potential difficulty finding lodging.
- December – February: The winter months experience low crowds with ample parking and lodging, but frigid conditions with the possibility of ice and snow. Park programming also slows down, so your experience will be mostly self-guided.
- March, April & October, November: With medium crowds mid-week and higher crowds on the weekends, Spring in Arches looks like comfortable temperatures, ample park programming, and fairly abundant lodging opportunities.
🚗 How to Get to Arches National Park
Arches National Park is located in Moab, Utah. Driving is easiest, which is how we came in, but other options exist:
- By Car — Arches National Park is located just off US Route 191. A car is also necessary to explore the scenic drive and reach the trailheads. If you don’t have a vehicle, we highly recommend renting a car.
- By Plane — The nearest airport is Canyonlands Field Airport (CNY) in Moab, but most visitors fly into Salt Lake City (SLC) and rent a car for the 4-hour drive to Moab.
- By Public Transport — You can take Greyhound bus lines to Moab or Amtrak rail services to Green River or Grand Junction, then arrange a van service to Moab. Once in Moab, you can find private shuttle services or join a guided tour to explore the park itself.
- By Bike — We saw a sign for a bicycle entrance that connects Arches National Park to the city of Moab (pictured below), which is a fantastic option for any bikers interested in biking into the park.
🏨 Where to Stay Near Arches National Park
There is a range of stay options in and around Arches National Park. Below we’ve rounded up a variety of accommodations, from campgrounds to hotels.
- BLM Land (Free Camping) — For the most budget-friendly option, consider dispersed camping on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land just outside the park. We use iOverlander to find legal, no-cost sites nearby.
- Inside the Park — Devils Garden Campground is the only accommodation located inside the park. It’s open year-round, with reservations necessary March 1 to October 31; the rest of the year, it is first-come, first-served. A standard site is $25/night.
- Campgrounds & RV Parks (Outside the Park) — Additional campgrounds and RV parks can be found outside the park, such as Sun Outdoors Arches Gateway.
- Hotels (Outside the Park) — In Moab, you also have plenty of hotels, such as Scenic View Inn & Suites, Wingate by Wyndham Moab, and The Virginian Inn Moab Downtown.
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🎒 What to Pack for Arches National Park
Some of the biggest essentials while hiking in Arches National Park are ample hydration and sun protection. Our favorite ways to hit both of these are by carrying water bladders with our favorite electrolytes instead of tons of heavy water bottles and wearing a mix of sunscreen, sun shirts, and wide-brimmed hats. In this section, we outline everything else that came in handy for us.
Hiking Essentials
Read next: Hiking Gear for Beginners!
Sun Protection
Safety Essentials
💰 How Much Does a Trip to Arches Cost?
Depending on your travel style, the cost of a trip to Arches National Park can vary. The biggest costs are lodging and any private tours or activities. Here’s a breakdown of the typical costs so you know what to expect.
🎫 Consider investing in the America the Beautiful pass for $80 like we did if you’re planning on travelling to several parks within the year.
| Fee | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Park Entrance | $30/vehicle for 7 days | Arches no longer requires you to pay $2 for a timed entry fee. |
| Special Hiking Permits | $10/person ($16/person for a ranger-led tour) | Hikes like Fiery Furnace require a permit. |
| Arches National Park Campground | $25/night for a standard site | Public parking is also available in Moab, Utah. |
| Parking | Free with park entry | Don’t forget to budget for gas, food and drink, souvenirs, other lodging, and any other activities. |
| Personal expenses | Varies | Don’t forget to budget for gas, food and drink, souvenirs, other lodging, any other activities. |
🪧 Learn More: How to Help Arches National Park
Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a national landmark home to over 2,000 delicate stone arches. As visitors, the best way to help conserve this park during your visit is by following Leave No Trace Guidelines, staying on the trails, and leaving cairns (rock piles intended to guide hikers) as they are.
If you wish to help combat droughts, invasive species, and other issues exacerbated by climate change, consider donating to the National Parks Conservation Association, who help fund conservation efforts throughout the entire US National Park system. 💚
Read Next:
11 Best Easy Hikes in Arches National Park
📰 Related Articles
- 11 Most Epic Sunrise Spots in Arches National Park
- How to See Arches National Park in 1, 2, or 3 Days
- 7 Gorgeous Sunset Spots in Arches National Park
- Top 11 Hikes in Arches National Park (Ranked in Order)
- 11 Best Easy Hikes in Arches National Park
- How to See Arches and Canyonlands in Just One Day
- 11 Best Easy Hikes in Canyonlands National Park
- How to Spend One Day in Canyonlands National Park
- Arches vs. Canyonlands: Which National Park is Better?
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