Home to over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the iconic Delicate Arch, set in a red-rock desert landscape near Moab.

Park Pass

Join the National Parks Club

1 to 2 days covers the highlights, while 3 to 4 gives you time to add Canyonlands next door.

There's no park-wide entry reservation for 2026, since that system was dropped in February — but Fiery Furnace still requires its own separate permit, so double-check current rules on nps.gov before you go.

Moab is the obvious home base, with plenty of lodging and just minutes from the park entrance.

The entrance fee is $30/vehicle (7-day), or purchase a National Parks Yearly Pass.

Why Visit?:

Arches packs more natural stone arches into one park than anywhere else on Earth — over 2,000 of them — which makes it feel almost otherworldly compared to a typical desert landscape. Delicate Arch alone, the one on Utah's license plate, is worth the trip.

It's also refreshingly compact and approachable: most of the park's biggest sights are visible from short, well-marked trails or even the main road, so you don't need a full day of hard hiking to see the highlights, though the longer hikes reward the extra effort.

Things to Do:

Delicate Arch is the must-do — a 3-mile round-trip hike, best at sunset when the rock glows red-gold. The Windows section gives you several arches within a short walk of each other, ideal if you're short on time or hiking with kids. Devils Garden is the longer, more adventurous option, looping past seven arches including the park's longest.

If you're visiting in summer, start early — both the heat and the crowds build fast by mid-morning, and popular trailhead parking fills up before 8 AM in peak season.

Get the Full Itinerary

Closest airports: Canyonlands Field Airport (CNY) is closest, right in Moab, though it has limited commercial service — most visitors fly into Grand Junction, Colorado (GJT) or Salt Lake City (SLC), both a few hours' drive.

Nearby Attractions:

Canyonlands National Park is just 45 minutes away and pairs naturally with an Arches visit, and downtown Moab itself is a hub for off-road Jeep tours, mountain biking, and rafting on the Colorado River.