Overview

• The park is home to more than 2,000 documented natural stone arches — far more than any other place on Earth.
• In addition to arches, the landscape features towering rock fins, giant balanced rocks, and other striking geological formations.
• The park provides a variety of hiking trails and scenic viewpoints to experience these features up close.

Plan Your Visit

Visitor Center and Access

• The visitor center is a good starting point for trip planning and has information on current conditions and trail closures.
• From the entrance, the scenic drive leads deep into the park, passing many of the most famous arches and formations.

Fees and Hours

• The park is generally open year-round, 24 hours a day, although some facilities and trails may have seasonal hours.
• The Arches Visitor Center has set operating hours and is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

Scenic Drive Highlights

• Balanced Rock: A classic balanced rock formation visible from the road with a short looping trail.
• The Windows Section: Home to the North Window, South Window, and Turret Arch. This area features huge, photogenic openings and easy trails.
• Wolfe Ranch and Delicate Arch Trailhead: Scenic historic site and the trailhead for the famous Delicate Arch hike.
• Delicate Arch Viewpoint: A short walk to a stunning viewpoint of the park’s most famous arch.
• Devils Garden: The longest developed trail area with multiple arches, including Landscape Arch.

Hiking Adventures

• Delicate Arch Trail (3 miles round trip): A must-do hike leading to the iconic Delicate Arch. Steady uphill sections and slickrock are part of the route.
• The Windows Loop Trail (1 mile): Pass through North and South Windows and get close to Turret Arch.
• Landscape Arch Trail (1 mile or 6.4 miles round trip Devils Garden): A short hike to one of the longest natural arches in the world; extended trail leads to more remote arches.
• Devils Garden Primitive Loop (7.2 miles): A strenuous hike through fins and boulder fields to Tunnel, Pine Tree, and Partition Arches.

Camping

• Reservations are recommended and can be made through Recreation.gov.
• The campground amenities include vault toilets and tent-only sites; no hookups are available.

Geology and Formation

• The park sits on a thick layer of red sandstone called the Entrada Sandstone, laid down about 150 million years ago.
• Erosion by water, ice, and wind carved fins, arches, and other formations from the sandstone.
• Salt beds beneath the sandstone allowed the surface rocks to shift, crack, and erode into unique shapes including the park’s famed arches.
• The process is ongoing, with new arches forming even as others collapse.

History and Culture

• Historic trails, rock art, and dwelling sites remain in the park, such as the Wolfe Ranch and petroglyphs near the Salt Valley.
• The area was later explored by European settlers and surveyed for its unique geology and landscape.
• Arches was designated a National Monument in 1929 and redesignated a National Park in 1971.

Wildlife and Plants

• Animals include lizards, kangaroo rats, mule deer, red foxes, and many bird species.
• Plant life includes prickly pear cactus, yucca, Mormon tea, and various desert wildflowers.
• Adaptations allow these species to survive extreme temperatures and scarce water.

Additional Resources

• Arches National Park – NPS Official Site
• Plan Your Visit to Arches – NPS
• Arches Scenic Drive and Area Map
• Hiking in Arches National Park
• Camping in Arches
• The Geology of Arches National Park