Arches National Park is nature’s sculpture garden in Utah. It took millions of years for the creation of the arches. You can explore Arches National Park in one day with some careful planning and preparation.
Did you know that Arches National Park has over 2,000 natural stone arches? In fact, you’ll find the densest concentration of natural stone arches in the world at this Utah national park.
There is one main road in Arches National Park, with scenic overlooks and many hiking trails. You can choose from easy hikes at Arches park to more difficult trails like Delicate Arch, the most famous arch in the park.
This post focuses on what to do in Arches National Park in one day. You will find a detailed 1 day itinerary for Arches National Park and many photos for inspiration to plan your trip.
TIP: Remember to pack a lunch, snacks, and water for your visit to Arches National Park. There are no shops, gas stations, hotels, or restaurants at Arches National Park.
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Arches One Day Itinerary Summary
- Delicate Arch
- Petroglyphs
- Fiery Furnace
- Sand Dune Arch and Broken Arch
- Devil’s Garden Hike
- Garden of Eden, then hike Double Arch, The Windows
Arches Timed Entry 2023
Arches National Park uses a reservation system starting April 1 and continuing through Oct. 31, 2023.
Reservations will not be available at entrance stations or at the park offices.
All visitors must book a reservation in advance. Once your reservation is booked, you will receive a timed entry ticket that will allow you to enter Arches during a one-hour window.
That means you have a one-hour window to enter the park, you can stay as long as you wish on that day.
If you already have a parks pass the cost is $2 processing fee to obtain a timed entry ticket.
Online reservations schedule
January 10 at 8 am MST for April reservations (April 1–30)
February 1 at 8 am MST for May reservations (May 1–31)
March 1 at 8 am MST for June reservations (June 1–30)
April 1 at 8 am MDT for July reservations (July 1–30)
May 1 at 8 am MDT for August reservations (August 1–31)
June 1 at 8 am MDT for September reservations (September 1–30)
July 1 at 8 am MDT for October reservations (October 1–31)
Also, a limited number of tickets will be available one day prior to entry at 6 pm MDT through Recreation.gov.
Timed Entry Ticket Purchase
You’ll need to make a Recreation.gov account in advance of purchasing a Timed Entry Ticket ($2 service charge applies even if you have an annual pass)
- Reservations online at Recreation.gov (recommended)
- Recreation.gov mobile app (iOS/Android)
- Reservation Line: 877-444-6777
- Reservation International Line: 606-515-6777
- Reservation Line (TDD): 877-833-6777
Arches Park Entrance Fees
- Private vehicle: $30
- Motorcycle: $25
- Cyclist/Hiker/Pedestrian: $15
- Southeast Utah Parks Pass: $55 (one year pass to Arches, Canyonlands, and Natural Bridges)
- Annual Parks Pass: $80 (covers all national parks and federal recreation lands)
Make sure you get the Arches National Park map and brochure at the visitors center near the entrance station. You don’t have to travel far to see some amazing arches.
The map comes in handy plus there is a list of the hiking trails at Arches with the length of each hike and trail descriptions.
In addition, the Arches brochures tells the story of how the arches in the national park formed. The transformation from sandstone to arches took millions of years and new arches are slowly forming.
Garden of Eden rock formations at sunset
How was Arches National Park Formed?
Geologists do not know for certain how the arches formed but they study the rock formations and make conclusions based on their studies.
Basically, the current understanding for the formation of the arches is the following:
- Millions of years ago an ocean evaporates leaving a huge layer of salt
- Salt layer gets covered by massive amounts of debris and sand
- Debris layer gets compressed into rock layer
- Unstable salt layer shifts causing portions of rock layer to reposition
- Fissures and cracks form in the rock layer
- Surface erosion strips away outer layers of rock
- Water seeps into cracks, ice forms and expands and breaks off bits of rock
- Wind and rain further erodes the rock
- Some rock collapses but some remains as arches
Double Arch is the tallest arch at Arches National Park
1 Day Itinerary Arches National Park
Can you see Aches National Park in one day? You can see a lot of the highlights at Arches, do some hiking, and enjoy scenic drives on your way to the trails.
If you get to the park early (at or before sunrise) you should do a morning hike to Delicate Arch, then drive through the park making a few stops at scenic spots like Fiery Furnace.
Next, either do the short hike to Sand Dunes Arch then onward to Broken Arch and Tapestry Arch and eat a picnic lunch or continue onward to Devil’s Garden trailhead which is a longer hike. You can do the whole trail or just do a portion of it and enjoy a picnic lunch.
On the drive back through the park you can make stops at Panoramic Point, Courthouse Towers, Balanced Rock, Garden of Eden, Double Arch, and finish with a sunset hike at Park Avenue or The Windows and Turret Arch.
Voila! One magical day at Arches National Park.
La Sal Mountains
Hourly Itinerary for Arches National Park
Some people like an hour-by-hour itinerary when they plan a vacation. When you have a few days in one location you can afford spontaneity.
But when you only have 24 hours to explore, a detailed itinerary helps you figure out how much you can see in one day.
You’ll want to adjust this itinerary depending on what time of year you visit Arches, because the days are shorter in fall and winter.
For instance, in June sunrise is around 6:00 and sunset at about 8:30 giving you 14.5 hours of daylight.
In October however, sunrise is around 7:30 and sunset around 6:30 which gives you only 11 hours of daylight. That takes 3.5 hours off your daytime sightseeing and excursions.
Additionally, you should buy your park pass online before you arrive so that you don’t have to waste time during your day at the park.
The early morning hike to Delicate Arch is worth it
Hour-by-hour Itinerary at Arches
6:15 – 6:30 Drive to park entrance station
6:30 – 7:00 Drive to Delicate Arch trailhead
7:00 – 9:00 Hike to Delicate Arch, have coffee/snacks
9:00 – 9:15 Walk to the Petroglyphs
Walk to short trail to the petroglyphs from Delicate Arch trailhead
9:15 – 10:15 Drive to Fiery Furnace and take photos at the overlook
10:15 – 12:30 Drive to the trailhead and hike Sand Dune Arch, Broken Arch, Tapestry Arch
12:30 – 1:15 Picnic lunch
Fiery Furnace at Arches National Park
1:15 – 4:00 Option A: Drive to Devils Garden Trailhead and hike the trail, or a portion of the trail
1:15 – 4:00 Option B: Scenic drive to Garden of Eden, then hike Double Arch, The Windows, and Turret Arch
The Windows trail is a perfect family friendly hike at Arches National Park
4:00 – 7:30 Option A: If you didn’t take Option B above, Scenic drive to Garden of Eden, short hike to Double Arch, The Windows, and Turret Arch, stop at Balanced Rock, Courthouse Towers, La Sal Mountain Viewpoint, and Park Avenue viewpoint
4:00 – 7:30 Option B: Scenic drive with stops at Balanced Rock, Courthouse Towers, La Sal Mountain Viewpoint, Park Avenue viewpoint and hike Park Avenue Trail, it’s beautiful at sunset.
You can’t miss the Courthouse Towers at Arches National Park
7:30 – 7:45 Drive from Arches National Park to Moab
7:45 – 9:00 Dinner in Moab
Park Avenue viewpoint is picturesque – walk the stairs down to the hiking trail
Where to Stay in Moab
My advice is to book your accommodations in Moab as soon as you know your travel dates to Utah.
I stayed at the Big Horn Lodge on South Main Street. The location is excellent because you can walk to the grocery store, restaurants, and shops. There’s a convenience store across the street that sells beer.
When I booked my stay in Moab it was short notice but I was happy to find a good hotel for a reasonable price.
At the Big Horn Lodge, I paid $129 per night total (in October) including the 14.82 percent hotel tax.
Note that hotel rates vary depending on the time of year. The room included a mini-fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. Plus, there’s an onsite restaurant with decent food.
Big Horn Lodge in Moab has all the basics at an affordable price
Other National Parks in Utah
There are five Utah national parks: Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Zion, and Arches.
If you plan to do a Mighty 5 road trip and visit all five national parks in Utah here are the driving distance from Arches to the other parks.
- Arches National Park to Canyonlands is 25 miles (approx. 30 minute drive)
- Arches National Park to Bryce is 245 miles (approx. 4 hour drive)
- Arches National Park to Zion is 310 miles (approx. 5 hour drive)
- Arches National Park to Capitol Reef is 130 miles (approx. 2 hour drive)
If you are starting from Arches you could then visit Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce, and finish up in Zion.
However, if you are flying in to Las Vegas you would do the reverse order: Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and then Arches.
In addition to the 5 major national parks, Utah has amazing state parks and national monuments that you should also visit. Dead Horse Point State Park is an easy drive from Arches National Park and you can combine it with a day trip to Canyonlands.
Cedar Breaks National Monument features hoodoos similar to Bryce Canyon but with fewer visitors.
Driving the scenic road through Arches National Park for amazing views
If you have any questions or suggestions for visiting Arches National Park please leave them in the comments section below.
Enjoy exploring Utah!
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