Hiking Arches National Park in the Summer: A Complete Guide
Each year, hundreds of thousands of people visit Arches National Park to go hiking in the summer months, hoping for long, sunny days filled with outdoor adventure.
However, many of these visitors don’t realize just how hot Moab, Utah, and the surrounding area gets from May to September this year, and this can lead to disappointment that their vacation has turned into a sweaty, exhausting mess.
While summer might not be the best time to go hiking in Arches National Park, it’s still possible to have an enjoyable time in this incredible park with some planning.
In the guide below, I’m sharing how to keep cool while adventuring in Arches during the hottest months of the year, including when to do specific hikes, what to wear, what to do when it’s too hot to hike, and tips for staying safe in the heat.
The Camping Kiddos on a late afternoon hike at Arches National Park in June
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Summer Weather in Arches National Park
If you are planning to visit Arches National Park (or nearby Canyonlands National Park) between mid-May and the end of September, know that the heat is going to be a factor in how you plan your time.
This area doesn’t get much humidity, and, because of that, you’ll hear people joke, “But it’s a dry heat.”
While I have to say that the humidity of my home state of South Carolina and the rest of the East Coast does create an oppressive feeling in the summer, after the temperatures soar into the upper 90s and even over 100 degrees (F), it doesn’t matter if it’s a wet or dry heat.
You’re still going to be miserable, and, if you’re hiking in those temperatures, you’re going to be at risk for heat-related problems.
Plus, the Moab, Utah, area doesn’t get much rain at any time of the year, and the trails here are largely exposed. All of that can add up to a bad sunburn, dehydration, or even more serious conditions like heat stroke.
So, what do you do if you’re unable to visit this national park any other time of the year other than the summer?
After all, many families are on a strict vacation schedule thanks to school calendars, and others may have to take into consideration family obligations, work requirements, and the like.
This means that, for many visitors, summer might be the only time that they can make an Arches National Park visit work.
I will be very honest: if you can swing a trip at any other time of the year, do that. Coming to Arches for hiking and outdoor fun is so much easier in the late fall, winter, and spring.
But you must visit between May and September, there are some things you’ll need to be aware of in order to plan the best vacation possible despite the heat.
In other areas of the country that also have scorching hot summer months, I’d recommend doing something indoors or going to a nearby beach or lake, but Moab is known for its outdoor activities, hiking, ATV trails, and incredible landscape.
While there are a few things you can do safely mid-day that I’ve outlined before, the vast majority of things to do at Arches revolve around hiking. And that means we have to carefully plan our days here.
Preparing for the Summer Crowds at Arches
The parking area near Windows Arch
Despite this time of the year being a challenge, it’s also when the most people come to the park.
And that means, you will likely be around a lot of sweaty, complaining people who didn’t do enough research before they arrived. (Congrats! That’s not you since you’re doing some planning ahead of time!)
Ultimately, you’ll want to go against the crowds, which is actually easier to do than you might think—and it puts you in a much safer situation to add in great hikes to your Arches vacation.
Since these other summer visitors are on vacation, most of them treat it like one: getting up late, lingering over breakfast, and then finally heading into the parks in the late morning.
While I love a long, lazy vacation morning as much as the next person, Arches National Park in the summer is NOT the place that you want to do that.
By 11 AM, temperatures are already soaring. If you were planning to do a hike of any length, those rock and sand trails will have had plenty of time to soak up those rays and begin radiating heat by lunchtime, making a mid-day hike at Arches doubly miserable.
Instead, you’re going to live a little like a vampire in order to get those hikes in and traverse the park in the relatively cool parts of the day.
Since Arches is in the desert, the nights remain fairly cool throughout the year. Use this to your advantage and set an alarm early—really early. Like 5 AM early.
Plan to be in the park no later than 6 AM, and get your first hike of the day in as soon as you arrive. If you’re doing a 3-4 mile hike like the one to Delicate Arch, you’d then be back at the trailhead around 10 AM, just as the sun starts to really warm things up.
Long exposure of Delicate Arch at night
You can then do one of my recommended mid-day hikes or adventures, or return to your hotel or campground to splash in the pool (or take a nap).
Then, head back into the park after 4 or 5 PM to do a second hike. In the summer, the sun doesn’t set in Moab until around 8:45 or 9:00 PM, so you can get another good 3 or 4 mile hike in before it gets dark.
And you can extend that hiking time even longer if you’re willing to pack a headlamp and hike back to your car in the dark!
For what it’s worth, nighttime at Arches is gorgeous as you can see what seems like millions of stars in the sky. The park stays open 24 hours a day, so the evening hours are prime visiting time if you can make it work with your family’s sleep schedule.
I know that’s hard sometimes if you have a baby or toddler in tow, but this might be one time to push that afternoon nap later in order to have the evening available for cooler hikes.
Besides having (relatively) cooler weather, this schedule is also awesome for 2 other reasons:
1) You will have fewer people on the trails the earlier and later you are in the park.
When we visited in June, we often would only see a handful of people on the trails when we were hiking at 5 or 6 PM. It was like having the park to ourselves even though we were there in high season!
2) You don’t have to worry about reservations!
Arches National Park is one of the NPS sites that currently requires reservations if you’re entering the park between 7 AM and 3 PM from April to October.
Since my recommended hiking schedule has you in the park before 7 AM and then arriving for a second chunk of time after 4 PM, you basically have to do zero pre-planning, unlike those other visitors who don’t want to arrive until 11 AM or noon.
Explore more of Arches National Park and beyond!
What to Pack for a Summer Vacation in Arches National Park
When traveling somewhere like Arches in the summer where you’re planning to spend a large portion of your time hiking or otherwise outdoors, you need to make sure that your wardrobe works for you and not against you.
Moab, Utah, is a very casual town, as everyone is there for outdoor adventures.
So, leave those sundresses at home, and pack easy, lightweight pieces that will keep you cool.
What to wear hiking at Arches in the summer
Lightweight shirts
While cotton t-shirts might be inexpensive and available for purchase just about anywhere, the heat in the summer at Arches National Park calls for a different kind of shirt.
Instead of a cotton shirt, opt for one that’s wool or performance materials.
Despite what you might think, wool isn’t going to make you overly hot or itchy. I have slowly been adding more wool to my hiking wardrobe, and, while it’s more expensive than cotton, the fabric is breathable, easily wicks away moisture, and doesn’t stink. I took 2 of these wool shirts from Wool& as part of my ultra-minimalist wardrobe on our 8-week road trip last summer, and they worked beautifully.
If you’re unsure about wool in your hiking wardrobe, and don’t want to spend $75 on a t-shirt, you can try this Amazon dupe from Merino Protect. It’s not quite as soft as the one from Wool&, but you’ll still get most of the same moisture-wicking benefits without committing to a big purchase.
If you’re allergic to wool or just want another option, opt for a t-shirt or tank made with outdoor performance in mind. Look for shirts that have built-in SPF and UV ray blocking, cooling technology, and moisture wicking capabilities.
My go to outfit: shorts, hat, breathable shirt, and sandals
Shorts
Athletic shorts are my go-to when hiking in the summer, and I prefer ones with a wide elastic waistband and loose leg openings like these Mesh Racer shorts from Athleta or their dupes from Amazon here.
That being said, I know that others prefer bicycle shorts or a different style of hiking shorts. The actual style doesn’t matter as much as packing several pairs that are comfortable, easy to hike in, and cooling.
If shorts won’t work, look for leggings with durable but lightweight fabrics and cooling technology to quickly wick away sweat. I’d opt for cropped leggings, personally, as I find full length pairs to be too much in the summertime.
I also don’t recommend wearing a full length hiking pant (even the Kuhl Freeflex Move pair that I have and love!) because even the highest quality pants aren’t going to breathe enough in the stifling heat you’ll find at Arches mid-summer.
Sun shirt
I am roughly the color of a vampire year-round, so I have always had to be very, very careful when spending time outside. No one wants a bad sunburn to ruin their vacation, after all!
I’ve found that hiking in the summer requires me to either wear a t-shirt and sunscreen, OR I can layer on a long sleeved sun shirt.
The sun shirt is much more comfortable for me since I don’t have to continually reapply sunscreen.
And despite what you might think, wearing a long sleeved shirt in the blazing sun isn’t as hot as you’d think. In fact, the sun shirts are designed to help keep air flowing for coolness while also protecting you from the sun.
We’ve hiked all over the U.S. during the warmer months, and I’ve happily worn my hooded, long sleeved sunshirt in Arches National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, and White Sands National Park, to name a few.
Just layer the sunshirt over a breathable tank or t-shirt. If you really want to keep cool, occasionally douse the sunshirt with a sprinkle of water, which will further amplify its cooling capabilities.
My kids also have smaller versions of that same sun shirt, though theirs doesn’t have a hoodie.
Hiking sandals
In the summer, I trade in my hiking boots or trail runners or my beloved hiking sandals. While there are many companies that make hiking sandals, like Teva, Chaco, and Merrill, I prefer the Keen Newport H2 hiking sandals.
These have a thick sole that provides grip on any surface, and a protective, enclosed toe area to cut down on bumps and scraps from rocks.
The Neoprene interior dries quickly and allows you to move from hiking trail to splashing in a river crossing easily.
I’ve had my Newport H2s for several summers now, and they’re still going strong! The colors in the tie-dye straps have faded slightly, but that’s all the wear you can see even after dozens and dozens of hikes in more than 15 states.
Wide brimmed hat
Another precaution I take while hiking in high temperature places like Arches is to include a wide brimmed hat in my hiking pack.
On trails where there is little to no cover, having the shade from a floppy sun hat can be a lifesaver in keeping me cool and unsunburned.
This sun hat has a place for your ponytail or bun to poke through, and mesh panels to help cool your head.
If you can’t do a wide brimmed hat, at least pack a baseball hat to help keep some of the sun off of your face!
Other things to pack for summertime hiking in Arches
Neck chiller
We discovered these on our recent trip to Arches National Park, and they were such a hit that I ended up getting them for both of my kids.
These simple cooling devices are just a tube of fabric filled with what feels like Orbeez beads. You soak the tube in water, then place it in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, you’ll have a tube of cooling beads that you tie around your neck for hours of relief from the sun.
While you could probably make these if you were crafty enough, we bought them at the national parks’ visitors centers at Arches National Park and Zion National Park.
If you don’t care about having the park logo on your chiller, you can get these unbranded ones from Amazon for much cheaper.
I also used a Buff CoolNet UV gaiter while we were exploring. While does didn’t have the water beads inside of it, this gaiter is lightweight and excellent at wicking sweat away.
Plus, it served as another way for me to avoid getting sunburned!
Water bottle
The Camping Kiddos take a water break on the Broken Arch Trail
Plan to bring along plenty of water, as you will need to sip consistently throughout the day to avoid dehydration.
If at all possible, pack a cooler with extra gallons of water.
This way, you have more water than you need, and it can stay cool throughout the day.
I have a large Hydroflask that I pack with ice at the beginning of each day of hiking, and then fill with chilled water, topping up at each trailhead.
The ice will stay solid all day, which is an easy way for me to stay cool.
Whatever your hydration set-up is, don’t wait until you feel thirsty to drink something. At that point, your body is already slightly dehydrated.
If you don’t love water, try adding lemon, orange, or lime slices for a flavor boost, or opt for a sports drink like Powerade or Gatorade.
Salty snacks
As you’re out there hiking, you’re sweating, thanks to those high temperatures in the Moab desert.
And, even if you’re drinking enough water while you’re exerting yourself, you’re likely not considering another important facet of your body: electrolytes.
These essential minerals help our bodies properly function, and, if you’re only drinking water while actively sweating, you can actually bump these out of balance.
So, just as you need to replenish the moisture that you’re losing by sweating in the form of drinking water, you’ll need to take in specific foods to help you replenish those lost electrolytes.
You can eat salty snacks of any kind—peanuts, chips, crackers—or use an electrolyte packed additive to your water.
Sunscreen
If you’re not too keen on wearing the long sleeved sun shirt recommended above, please ensure that you have plenty of sunscreen on hand. As a rule of thumb, reapply every 90 minutes when you’re actively sweating to ensure you always have a good coat on.
Even if you do wear a sunshirt, you’ll want to make sure that your neck, legs, feet, or any other exposed areas are covered in sunscreen while you hike. You can easily get sunburnt while hiking around Arches in the summer, thanks to the unrelenting sun, high temperatures, and exposed trails.
How to Plan Your Day for Hiking in Summer
In order to maximize your time in the park, it’s important to carefully plan your day around the heat.
Use the early mornings and late afternoons/ evenings for hiking, and then focus on low-impact outdoor activities and indoor options mid-day.
That being said, there are a few hikes that still work mid-day at Arches, even in the heat of summer, thanks to their unique topography.
Below, you’ll find suggestions on when to do some of the park’s most popular hikes as well as suggestions for what to do when it’s too hot to hike.
Hikes that are good for early morning vs. midday
Delicate Arch should only be attempted in the very early morning during the summer. This 3 mile round trip trail climbs almost 500 feet, and has no cover on the trail.
Added to the fact that the trail is largely rock underfoot, and you’ve got a truly miserable—if not outright dangerous—hiking experience if this is done mid-day.
This strenuous trail has seen visitors suffer from dehydration, heat stroke, and even death (as in the 2024 tragic case where a women died on the trail), so go early if you want to do this hike in the summer.
By leaving the trailhead to head to the arch about an hour before sunrise, you’ll be able to see the iconic arch in the early hours of the morning, and then be headed back to the parking area before the temperatures become dangerous.
If you wanted until late afternoon to do this trail, the rock trail will still be very hot after soaking up the sun all day; plus, if you wait until the rocks cool down in the evening, you won’t be able to see the arch once you get there.
Either get up early and do this hike or wait until you can return at a cooler time of year.
The author’s kids at the upper Delicate Arch viewpoint on a cloudy, early summer morning
The nearby Delicate Arch viewpoint trail has both an upper and lower vantage point. You won’t be able to get up close to the arch like on the actual Delicate Arch trail, but it’s an option for those who don’t want to—or can’t—do a longer trail.
You could do the lower viewpoint at nearly any point in the day as it is only a couple hundred feet from the parking area.
The upper viewpoint is more strenuous, so I’d suggest saving this for an early morning, too.
On the other hand, Sand Dune Arch is a good option for a midday break as nearly the entire short trail is located inside a slot canyon, which is largely protected from the sun.
Plus, Sand Dune Arch’s trail is mostly soft, cool sand, perfect for kids to play in while the sun beats down on other parts of the park.
Nearby Broken Arch can only be accessed by a mile long exposed trail, so you’d want to do this one before you did Sand Dune Arch. The sandy trail here isn’t quite as hot as the ones like Delicate Arch that have a rock path, but the sun will beat down on you relentlessly.
The author’s kids at Broken Arch
Once you get to Broken Arch, you’ll have some shade from the natural rock overhang, which is a welcome spot for a break before you continue back to the trailhead.
For more on both Sand Dune Arch and Broken Arch, check out my trail guide here.
Park Avenue, a popular trail near the front of the park, is best done on summer early mornings. The path does cut down through two cliffs, but, unlike Sand Dune Arch trail, the canyon here is quite wide.
This set up means that the sunlight begins pouring into the canyon around 10 AM, and once the sun is high in the sky, you won’t find any covered areas.
Do this one in the mornings or late evenings while the canyon is still cool, quiet, and shady.
My dad on the Windows Arch Primitive Trail
Windows Arch, Turret Arch and Double Arch should all be done in the morning, though you don’t need to get up a 5 AM for these. As long as you’re in and out before about 10 AM, the rock formations provide enough shade for you to safely explore around this part of the park.
If you decide to do the Windows Primitive Trail, you will want to do that earlier rather than later since it is on the side of the rocks that faces the early morning sun. This quiet trail is a wonderful way to escape the crowds, but there it is quite exposed.
Because of its tangle of slot canyons, the famous Fiery Furnace hike can be done midday. You can choose from a ranger-led hike or a self-guided hike, both of which require many rock scrambles, tight squeezes through the narrow canyons, and a strong sense of adventure to complete.
Much like Sand Dunes Arch, the majority of the Fiery Furnace area is protected by its high, narrow walls that keep direct sun off of hikers most of the time.
What to do midday and early afternoon when it is too hot to hike
When it’s too hot to hike in Arches National Park, you still have options on things to do in and outside of the park.
A portion of Arches’ scenic drive
Midday is an excellent time to meander along the park’s 18 mile long scenic drive, viewing overlooks from the comfort of your car. Even at the hottest parts of the day, you can quickly jump out at the viewpoints to see the La Sal mountains, the petrified dunes, and the Courthouse Towers.
I highly recommend downloading the GuideAlong app’s Arches National Park audio tour to play while you’re driving through the park.
This inexpensive audio tour doesn’t need cell service or wifi once it’s downloaded to your phone, and the engaging narration starts and stop automatically as you reach points of interest.
Along the way, you’ll learn all about the park’s history, geology, wildlife, and important figures. My family has used these guides across the U.S. and we love how informational and interesting they are.
The Arches National Park Visitors Center is large, air conditioned, and filled with multiple activities. Here, you can explore the many interactive exhibits in the interpretive museum, chat with a ranger about the many things to do in the park, see the park’s short film, or browse for a souvenir in the bookstore.
There are also some gold animal statues outside that kids love to play on, but be careful—these can get very hot mid-day.
While you’re there, don’t forget to pick up your free Junior Ranger booklet. If you’re a beginner to the national parks, the Junior Ranger booklets are a key component of the Junior Ranger programs available at all of the NPS sites.
Each of the booklets is tailored to that particular site, and helps kids—or kids at heart!—learn more about the park’s history, geology, wildlife, and more.
There are several benches inside the visitors center where kids can pause to fill out their booklets in the air conditioning.
The short Nature Trail behind the visitors center is a quick option even when the temperatures are soaring. This 1/4 mile walk introduces visitors to local plants along a paved, well marked trail.
After all of those options, you can always return to your hotel or campground for a quick nap and splash in the pool, or head into nearby Moab for shopping and lunch. Then, when the temperatures start to fall later in the afternoon, you can come back to the park.
Staying Safe While Visiting Arches in the Summer
The trailhead to Windows Primitive Trail
Dehydration
With the dry, arid, and hot summer weather, dehydration is a very real possibility.
If you feel thirsty, you’re already heading towards dehydration. Stay ahead of that feeling and sip water consistently rather than all at once.
Keeping your electrolytes in check is also important through salty snacks or electrolyte add-ins to your water.
Don’t hike on exposed trails mentioned above between 11 AM and 4 PM as this is when the sun’s rays are at their strongest. If you must go out, wear a sun shirt and hat, use sunscreen, and bring plenty of water.
If you cannot wet your mouth and/or if your eyes feel very dry, you are likely suffering from at least mild dehydration. Headaches are another common sign that you haven’t had enough water.
Heat exhaustion or heat stroke
Both of these can be very scary and life threatening, and you will want to do everything in your power to avoid these while vacationing here. When I was a lifeguard, this was one of the conditions that we kept an eye out for as people often don’t realize how bad they feel until it’s too late.
Both are caused by your body’s inability to cool itself off properly, which is triggered by physical activity in high temperatures.
Of the two, heat exhaustion is the milder version, but its still serious. If you’re feeling dizzy, overly tired, or start having issues with your muscles working as they should, you need to find a cool place to rest immediately.
Heat stroke goes one step further and occurs when your body’s temperature soars to 104 degrees or more. You get so hot with this condition that your body won’t sweat, and the person suffering can pass out, act very confused, or throw up.
Again, get to a cool place and call 911. It seems counterintuitive, but if you’re with someone suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke, don’t let them gulp water as that can cause even more issues. Instead, put the water on them, which is far more effective at cooling them down until help can arrive.
These 2 conditions are why you shouldn’t go hiking in most areas in Arches (or any other desert area) in the middle of the day. The heat combined with the complete lack of shade can quickly zap the energy of someone even in peak shape
Final Thoughts on Summer Visits to Arches
