1 Day in Arches National Park Itinerary
If you only have 1 day in Arches National Park, that’s still plenty of time to explore several of the park’s famed arches and the area’s unique beauty.
Whether you’ve got a free day in Moab, or you’re looking to stop off of I-70, Arches National Park is an excellent way to spend several hours.
With iconic rock arches, including Delicate Arch (which appears on the Utah license plate!), picturesque overlooks, and the towering La Sal mountains in the background, Arches is a must do national park near Moab, Utah.
Even though we’ve explore more than half of the U.S. national parks, Arches remains one of my favorites, and I highly encourage you to visit here, even if you only have a short time.
Below, you’ll find my suggested 1 day itinerary for getting the most out of Arches National Park in a time crunch.
Here’s the one day itinerary for Arches that you should follow to get the most out of your brief time in this striking area of southern Utah.
This itinerary includes hour by hour activities, drive times, and recommended places to eat. As with all of my suggestions, everything below is family friendly, though it would also work for solo and adult travelers.
My husband and daughter at Turret Arch inside Arches National Park
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What to Know about Arches National Park before Your Visit
Arches National Park is Utah’s most visited national park, and it welcomes more than 1.5 million visitors per year.
It’s one of handful of national parks in the state, and, collectively, the Utah Mighty 5 national parks road trip is one of the BEST routes in the entire country. Whether you visit Arches as a specific destination or as part of a larger vacation road trip, you’ll be awed at the delicate arches, imposing mesas, and excellent hiking here.
NOTE: If this is your first trip to a national park, you’ll want to read through my comprehensive guide to the U.S. National Parks for beginners, which explains in detail everything from how the Junior Rangers program works to how to nab accommodations in the parks.
Here are the things you’ll need to know to make your day in Arches National Park excellent.
The park is located in a remote area of Utah.
While much of Utah is an outdoor adventurer’s dream, that often comes with the trade off of these adventures not being close to anything.
Arches National Park is located about 35 miles off of I-70 between Grand Junction, Colorado, and Salina, Utah. If you’re doing a Denver to Grand Canyon road trip, you’ll pass right by the Moab exit, and it is well worth your time to stop.
The park is near the small town of Moab, which has shopping, dining, and a few grocery stores. Other than Moab, there are few other towns nearby, though you’re spoiled for choice on hiking, parks, and outdoor fun.
Canyonlands National Park is about 45 minutes away from Arches National Park, and the two together make for an excellent way to learn about this part of Utah.
There are also many excellent hikes in Moab outside of Arches National Park that are worth your time if you decide to extend your stay in this area.
Further afield, you’re about 2.5 hours from Monument Valley on the Utah-Arizona border, one of my favorite destinations in the southwest.
You will need a rental car.
Unless you’ve booked a guided day tour into Arches National Park, you will need your own transportation from Moab to get to the park.
There isn’t any public transportation into Moab, so driving your private vehicle or picking up a rental car at the airport you fly into is a must.
If you’re big into biking, there is a great bike trail all the way from Moab to the entrance of Arches, and you could , theoretically, bike into Arches National Park.
That being said, if you only have 1 day in the park, you’ll want to be as efficient as possible with your time, and I don’t think that biking to and from Moab is going to do that for you. Plus, if you’re traveling with kids into the park, biking to and from the 18-mile scenic road in the park is going to be a lot on everyone.
You can rent a car from the tiny Moab Canyonlands Field Airport, but you’re much better off picking up a rental car at your starting airport. The closest major airports to Moab are Denver (5.5 hours) or Salt Lake City (3.5 hours).
Arches National Park requires an entrance reservation for half of the year.
Arches National Park is one of the U.S. National Parks currently requiring reservations.
Because of this requirement—and because you’ve only got a 1 day window to experience the park—you’ll need to do a bit of planning before your visit.
The author’s family at Skyline Arch
From April to October, visitors need to plan ahead and grab a timed entry pass for the park. This can be done through the NPS site for Arches National Park and costs $2.
You need a different timed entry pass for each day you plan on going to the park.
Timed entries are available between 6 AM and 5 PM each day during that time period and are allotted in 1 hour increments (6 AM-7 AM, for example).
Don’t forget your photo ID as you’ll also need this when entering.
Finally, you’ll pay the usual entrance fee to get into the park. For a 7-day car pass, you’ll pay $30.
However, you don’t need a pass if you’ve got valid reservations for camping inside the park, the Fiery Furnace trail, or the backcountry.
You also don’t need a timed pass if you plan to enter the park before 6 AM or after 5 PM.
While this seems overwhelming, the process was much needed as Arches was super difficult to get around previously at peak times in the spring and summer.
On our first trip to the park, there was major road construction going on throughout, and we had the most difficult time navigating around Arches NP.
Add that to the record numbers of people who have visited this area in the last 5 years, and you’ve got a hot, sweaty, sandy disaster on your hands.
Knowing that you can get into the park on your selected day takes much of the stress and guesswork out of your visit.
The reservations are fairly easy to come by.
When you hear about a reservations system, the first thing you’re likely to wonder is, “Will I be able to get one of the passes?”
The answer is, mostly likely, yes.
Unlike the Glacier National Park reservations system, which often sells out in minutes of the passes being released, the Arches reservations process is easier to come by.
PIN ME!
On our trips to Arches, I’ve always gotten the passes near to the time when they were released and had no trouble getting one.
When fact checking this post in mid-August , I looked on the NPS site for available entrance times.
There were morning and afternoon arrival times available for every open day on the calendar. There were even several hundred slots open for the next day!
Given that the late summer is THE most popular time to visit Arches National Park, we can assume that this is when the reservation system is at its highest use.
If I could find plenty of times then, you should be able to find a time throughout the spring and summer to align with your planned vacation.
In any case, plan ahead to grab your preferred day and time.
You can get that spot up to 3 months before your arrival date.
That being said, don’t wait until the last minute to get one. This park is one that you HAVE to plan ahead to visit, or you’ll be turned away at the entrance station.
The park does open up a handful of passes the day before for people who haven’t gotten one yet, but those are really limited.
Read more about the reservation process for Arches National Park here.
There are few amenities inside the park.
Unlike places such as Yellowstone National Park, which have multiple restaurants, hotels, and stores inside of the park, Arches National Park requires you to come prepared.
There are only 2 places to fill up your water bottles in the park: one at the visitors center restrooms, and another at the back of the park near the Devil’s Garden Campground. (NOTE: If you are planning to camp before or after your day in Arches, this campground is one of the best options for RV camping in the Utah national parks.)
There isn’t any food available in the park, so you’ll want to stock up on snacks, a few sandwiches, and drinks in Moab so you don’t waste any of your one day in Arches driving back for lunch.
The City Market in Moab is a full sized grocery store for snacks and drinks. There’s also a bakery and deli if you’d like to pick up sandwich fixings, fresh bread, or a pre-made meal.
1 Day in Arches National Park Itinerary
If you wanted to simply drive the main scenic route through Arches from the entrance and back, it would take you about an hour.
But what’s the fun in that?!
In remaining in the car, you’re missing on on incredible easy hikes, fascinating overlooks, and the majority of the arches that the park is known for.
Instead, follow this itinerary that I’ve put together that is reasonably busy for the first time visitor but also remains manageable enough for a single day visit.
Late spring, summer, and early fall are hot in Moab, so stay hydrated. I’ve organized the activities below with the heat and sun exposure in mind since the majority of visitors to this park are coming during the warmer months.
Morning Activities in Arches National Park
A window in the visitors center interpretive area looking back over the entrance to the scenic road
With your timed entry in hand, head to the park’s main entrance on Highway 191 just north of Moab, Utah.
In order to make the most of your short visit, I’d suggest arriving between 6-8 AM.
Not only will you have fewer people willing to get up this early, but you’ll be able to start your first hike before the weather heats up. If you plan to do the Delicate Arch hike, I’d push that arrival as close to 6 AM as possible to ensure you get a spot in the parking lot.
If you’re doing the other recommended hikes instead, you will be okay with a 7-8 AM arrival.
Make a quick stop by the visitors center to grab a map, use the restroom, fill up your water bottle or get a Junior Ranger booklet.
If you have a few more minutes here, you can explore the interactive exhibits at the back of the visitors center, which help visitors learn about the history, geology, and wildlife of the park.
When you’ve done all that you need to at the visitors center, then make your way deeper into the park on Main Park Road.
The beginning mile of the road is steep with a few switchbacks, but the road levels off for the remainder of the time you’ll drive through the park.
TIP: As you drive through the park, I highly recommend using the Arches National Park GuideAlong audio tour!
We love these and use them every time we’re in a national park. For less than the price of souvenir t-shirt, we can get hours of learning through a park tour.
Once the tour is downloaded onto your phone, it doesn’t require WiFi or cell signal, making it excellent for the more remote parks. The tour will start and stop automatically as you approach points of interest, and you can skip, replay or pause the tour as needed.
It’s super flexible with any park itinerary, and you’ll come away with considerable knowledge on Arches’ geology, history, important park figures, wildlife, and topography.
You can save even more by purchasing an audio tour bundle like the Arches and Canyonlands bundle or the Utah Mighty 5 bundle.
9 miles into the park, take a right onto Windows Road.
At this corner of Arches National Park Road and Windows Road, you’ll find Balanced Rock. It’s a fun rock feature that looks like it might come toppling down with a strong breeze! I don’t think you necessarily need to make a specific stop here, but if you’d like to get a closer look, there’s a small parking area.
Once you’ve traveled to the end of Windows Road, find a parking spot in the circular parking lot at the end of the road.
From here, you can do two short hikes which allow you to get up close to the park’s arches.
Double Arch Trail as seen from a distance
The trailhead for the Double Arch trail is on the far left of the parking lot.
The Double Arch trail is only a 0.6 mile loop, which makes it an easy, refreshing first hike early in the morning.
The author and her children at Windows Primitive Trail
When you’re done with that, head back across the parking lot to the Windows trailhead.
Note that the Windows trail is super popular, so the earlier you can go, the better.
If you can time this hike to the sunrise, you’ll be treated to an amazing sight!
Depending on how long you’d like to spend here, you can take the shorter Windows trail loop which takes you by North and South windows and Turret Arch, or you can extend your time in this section of the park by adding on the Windows Primitive Loop to the Windows Trail Loop.
The Primitive Loop takes you behind North and South Windows for a quiet hike away from the crowds.
Both are fairly easy and flat, and our preschooler was able to do the longer trail without any issues.
Leave the Windows parking lot and make your way back towards Main Park Road.
You’ll want to stop about halfway between the parking lot and intersection with the road to see a few incredible geological features.
Pull into the Garden of Eden parking lot to view Owl Rock and Serpentine Rock among the otherworldly formations in the Garden of Eden.
There isn’t a specific trail here to follow, so you can wander through the Garden at your own pace, exploring the areas that look most intriguing.
ALTERNATIVE MORNING HIKE: If you want something more challenging, you can try the Delicate Arch hike which is 3.2 miles round trip with a moderate elevation gain.
I would only attempt this hike in the very early morning as there is no shade whatsoever on this trail, and the baking rocks plus the overhead make for an extremely uncomfortable hiking situation.
If you are able to do this hike, know that it is THE most popular hike in the park, and there will be others here. If you want to take a photo of the arch, you may have to wait in line, but people tend to be respectful and let others go in order.
The parking lot for this hike is also too small for the number of people who want to do it, so you may have to build in extra time to circle and wait for a spot to come free.
If you don’t get to do this hike, I don’t think it will ruin your entire Arches experience! Delicate Arch is beautiful, but there are over 2,000 arches in the park of all sizes that are less iconic but just as interesting.
Either way, at 10:30, make sure you’re back at the Visitors Center to jump on the morning Patio Talk.
Here, you’ll learn about the park’s ecosystem, important flora and fauna, and how to protect the environment while you’re visiting. It is free, and there’s no need to make reservations or otherwise sign up for this program.
We love doing ranger programs in the national parks because they’re a budget friendly way to learn more about the parks, help our kids complete the Junior Ranger program, and provide context for the things we’re seeing on our hikes.
Get your little ones ready for adventure at Arches National Park and beyond with the best camping gifts for kids, as tested by our own camping kiddos!
Mid-day Activities at Arches National Park
Take a break and get some lunch!
Since you’re near the Visitors Center, get one of the picnic tables there and rest for a bit.
The picnic area is covered and has multiple wooden and metal picnic tables for visitors to use. It’s located next to the visitors center parking lot and close to the trailhead of the Nature Walk.
After you’ve eaten, spend a few minutes at the visitors center.
There is a well stocked shop inside if you’re looking for a new souvenir. You’ll find a good selection of kids’ books and stuffed animals here, along with postcards, keychains, t-shirts, maps, posters, and sweatshirts.
If you’re visiting Arches National Park with kids, you should take some time to admire the animal sculptures around the exterior of the building, which the park encourages people to touch and climb on.
These detailed metal sculptures showcase some of the park’s wildlife from a tiny lizard to a large bighorn sheep.
Be careful of these mid-day in the summer as the metal can get hot.
Another option at the visitors center if you have time is to take in the park’s movie. If you’re visiting in the summer, this 25 minute video is a good way to cool down before you head back out into the park.
Afternoon Activities at Arches National Park
Part of the sandy trail near Sand Dune Arch
Head back down Main Park Road for 15 miles until you get to the Sand Dunes Arch Parking Lot.
This area is the hub for several great adventures, but I suggest heading to the short Sand Dunes Arch Trail first.
At only 0.4 miles, this flat trail is quick and easy, but what you’ll find at the end is amazing!
Tucked inside the red sandstone walls is a walkway of soft sand.
Take your shoes off, go further, and you’ll find the small but hidden Sand Dunes Arch.
If you are traveling with kids, prepare to stay in this area for a while! My kids love the cool sand, which they wanted to play in for hours.
This is a great afternoon hike since it is nearly completely protected from the sun by the high, sheer rock faces.
Broken Arch Trail is another short hike in this area that you could add on easily as it shares the same trailhead as Sand Dune Arch.
This trail is more exposed than Sand Dune Trail, so be sure to pack a hat and plenty of sunscreen, and wear a long sleeved shirt and/or sunscreen if you’re hiking in the summer.
Learn more about these hikes in my Sand Dune and Broken Arch Trail guide here.
The Camping Kiddos at Broken Arch
As you head back towards the visitors center, stop by a few overlooks. The Petrified Dunes overlook at Mile 6 is an interesting glimpse into the park’s distant past.
Courthouse Towers at Mile 3.5 is one of the more imposing features in the park that isn’t an arch, and it’s an easy add-on to your day here. Walk around the base of these huge mesas, which provide some shade in the afternoon heat.
The La Sal Mountain overlook at Mile 3 perfectly framed the towering mountains in the distance against the red rocks of Arches National Park.
ALTERNATIVE AFTERNOON OPTION: If you are a more experienced hiker, you could do the Fiery Furnace hike in the late afternoon as this is when the sun reacts most intensely with the beautiful red walls of this area.
However, note that the 2 mile Fiery Furnace hike requires a permit (reserve online or by phone) at least 2 days before you plan to do the hike.
For this reason, and because it is a strenuous, confusing hike, the addition of the Fiery Furnace hike is only suggested for those with a lot of hiking experience or who have been to Arches before.
If you don’t do the Fiery Furnance hike, head back into Moab to grab some dinner before returning to the park for your evening activities.
Explore more of Moab, Utah!
Evening Activities at Arches National Park
Stargazing at Delicate Arch in Arches National Park
Watch the sun go down over the beautiful arches in the park, then head to your final activity: a ranger talk.
There are free nightly ranger talks at 8 PM in the Devil’s Garden Campground Ampitheatre, which can cover everything from noctural habits of animals to migration patterns.
After that is over, take a few moments to lay out a blanket and do some stargazing.
The night sky at Arches is incredible and was named an International Dark Sky Park in 2019.
You can join a nighttime photography class and stargazing walk to further immerse yourself in the park after dark.
Reflect on your big day of exploring and start planning your return trip!
If you’d like to explore more of this area—including another 6 national parks—you can head out on our suggested Utah and Arizona road trip itinerary.
Heading even further west? Check out the best national parks on the west coast!
