Arches National Park is a ‘must visit’ National Park, located in Utah, not too far from Moab. A park that contains the world’s largest concentration of natural sandstone arches.
We visited Arches National Park, back in August 2012, as part of our 3-week road trip across parts of America. We visited, traveling from Grand Canyon National Park, to Yellowstone National Park, spending just one day in the National Park. We then revisited back in 2014, on another American road trip.
There are lots of different ways to see the park. The most popular choice and the one I recommend, is the 36-mile drive, round trip. The route starts and finishes at the visitor center. This is also an excellent place to get any information about the National Park and a map of the 36-mile driving route. The route takes you past the main points of interest in the park. It takes around 2 hours to complete, giving you time to stop off at the different arches. If you are planning on doing some walks, maybe allow a little longer than 2-hours.
Here is a map of the drive, with the arches you will be able to stop off at, a long the way:
https://www.myutahparks.com/basics/official-arches-national-park-map-pdf
If you don’t have your own vehicle, there are guided tours, which you can book yourself on. You may need to book these in advance, as the park does get busy during peak season.
Accommodation
If you are looking for somewhere to stay, I recommend staying in Moab. Moab is the nearest town to Arches National Park. It is just a 5-mile drive away from the park. There is a choice of different accommodation to choose from; hotels, lodges, and campsites. I do recommend booking well in advance as they do get booked up quite quickly, especially in peak season. You can also stay in Arches National Park at Devils Garden’s Campground, but again it does get full quite quickly in peak season.
For more information about the park, entry fees, and where to stay, head over to the National Park’s website:
https://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/index.htm
The Arches/Viewpoints
As you drive along the 36-mile route, here are some of the incredible arches and viewpoint, to look out for:
La Sal Mountains Viewpoint
The La Sal Mountains Viewpoint will be the first viewpoint, which you will arrive at if you are driving along the 36-mile route. It is a viewpoint not to be missed, especially on a clear day! Sadly, on the day we visited, it was hazy and only could just make out the mountain range. In the distance, you should be able to see Utah’s 2nd highest mountain range, the La Sal Mountains. In front of the mountain range, you will see some magnificent red rock spires. If you are an early bird, this viewpoint is a perfect spot to watch a lovely sunrise.
Courthouse Towers Viewpoint
The 2nd viewpoint you will come across when driving the 36-mile route, is the Courthouse Towers Viewpoint. You should be able to see towering skyscraper sandstone walls and more spires out of the red rock.
Balanced Rock
The 3rd point of interest along the drive is the Balanced Rock. The Balance Rock was truly spectacular to see! It basically is a rock balancing on top of another rock. How it keeps balanced, baffles me every day.
Windows District
To see the Windows District, you need to take a detour off the main route. The loop through Windows District is only a short loop and is well signposted. Do not miss it this loop out! As you drive along the loop, you will get to see some incredible red rock formations. You will see the sights of the Garden of Eden, Cove of Caves, Turret Arch, North Window, South Window, and the Double Arch.
Fiery Furnace Viewpoint
The next viewpoint, which you will encounter, is the Fiery Furnace Viewpoint. Here, you will see a random cluster of narrow fins and spires, formed out of the red rock.
Sand Dune Arches
Sand Dune Arches was one of my favourite arches a long the route. To see it, you have to park up, and do a short walk over. It is worth the walk, just as longs as you don’t mind walking through some deep sand!
Skyline Arch
The last viewpoint along this route, before you turn back on yourself, is the Skyline Arch. This was truly impressive to see. I definitely recommend doing the short walk, which leads you right up into the arch.
Further Reading:
Check out some of the other great National Park’s in Utah:
