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Double Arch Trail at Sunrise
Arches National Park, a geological wonderland, is home to some of the nation’s most unique sandstone landscapes. Located just outside the quirky town of Moab, Utah, Arches National Park contains over 2,000 arches, in addition to fins, towers and monoliths. The park itself is actually an anomaly, being only 119 sq miles in size (1/10th the size of Yosemite). Its trails are shorter and more condensed than most national parks, meaning you will easily be able to complete the 3 best hikes in Arches National Park in one day.
Note: Due to the overcrowding and to create a more positive experience for visitors, Arches National Park implemented a timed entry system this year requiring permits. You can reserve your entry date and time slot to enter the park up to 3 months in advance.
Location: Moab, Utah
Fees: $30 per vehicle; or $80 for the annual National Park pass
Permits: Timed Entry Permit needed from April – October
Best time to Visit: Open year round but spring and fall are recommended for cooler temperatures
Pets: Not allowed on any trails or overlooks
Starting 2022, during the months of April-October you will need to obtain a timed entry ticket to enter Arches National park. The tickets are based on a first come first served basis and are available 3 months prior to your date of visitation. A small number of tickets will also be released one day prior to entry.
My sister standing under Delicate Arch
Trail length: 3.4 miles out and back
Elevation Gain: 500 ft.
Approximate time needed: 2-3 hours
Trail Difficulty: Easy, but watch the heat
Delicate Arch, a symbol to the state of Utah, takes the gold medal when ranking the best hikes in Arches National Park. A distance manageable to most, the popular trail meanders through cairn guided rock slopes for approximately 1.5 miles before opening up to Delicate Arch.
Delicate Arch framing the Milky Way
Pro Tip: For a unique experience, don your head lamp and head out after dark. Arches National Park has very little light pollution and when the sky is clear, Delicate Arch perfectly frames the milky way, a spectacle I had to see in person to believe.
Double Arch Trail
Trail length: 0.5 miles out and back
Elevation Gain: 95 ft.
Trail Difficulty: Very Easy
Time needed: approximately 30 minutes
Trail Location: Moab, Utah
The Double Arch trail (not to be confused with double o arch) ranks second on the list of best hikes in Arches National Park, showcasing the two tallest arches, impressively joined at a common pillar. This trail is more of a walk than a true hike, being only 0.5 miles from the parking lot to the terminus.
Sitting under Double Arch
Pro Tip: Leave your car in the same parking lot to explore nearby Turret Arch and the Windows loop. (See below)
Windows Loop
Trail length: 1 mile loop
Elevation Gain: 150 ft.
Trail Difficulty: Very Easy
Time needed: approximately 1 hour
The Windows loop trail rounds out the 3 best hikes in Arches National Park with a bang. As one of the top trails for families, please note that Windows loop and Turret Arch can get extremely crowded during the day. With magnificent views throughout its entirety, the windows loop has the highest concentration of arches in the entire park.
Turret Arch
Although most of the trails here are going to resemble queues, Arches National Park serves as a beautiful reminder that the landscapes, even those 65 million years in the making, are still continuously changing.
Photos were taken in Collaboration with Matt Tonokawa
Have you visited any of the trails listed in this post? Do you have others top hikes you’d recommended at Arches National Park? Let others know in the comments below.
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