Arches National Park
More than 2,000 stone arches: nowhere else on Earth has so many in one place.
Photo: Palacemusic · CC BY-SA 3.0
Arches National Park guide: Delicate Arch at sunset, the Windows, Landscape Arch, Fiery Furnace, timed-entry reservations and tips for visiting from Moab.
Just outside Moab, Utah, wind, ice and water have sculpted red sandstone fins into the world’s largest collection of natural arches: more than 2,000 have been documented. Balanced rocks, slender spires and towering walls fill the spaces in between, and the colors glow deep orange in the last light of the day.
The icon is Delicate Arch, standing alone on the edge of a slickrock bowl. The 4.8-kilometer round-trip hike climbs steadily with no shade, so go for sunset and carry plenty of water. Easier walks lead to the Windows Section, Double Arch and Landscape Arch, whose impossibly thin ribbon of stone spans 93 meters.
For an adventure, book a ranger-guided hike or a permit for the Fiery Furnace, a maze of narrow canyons. In peak season the park has used a timed-entry reservation system, so check before you arrive. At night, Arches is an International Dark Sky Park, and the Milky Way is spectacular.
Don’t miss
- 1Delicate Arch at sunset
- 2Double Arch and the Windows Section
- 3The fragile span of Landscape Arch
- 4Stargazing in an International Dark Sky Park
Insider tips
- Check whether timed-entry reservations are required for your dates.
- Combine Arches with Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point State Park, both less than an hour away.
- Don’t climb on arches; it’s prohibited and damages fragile sandstone.
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