The 3 best hikes in Arches National park

Double Arch

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.

Windows Loop

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.

Facts About Arches National Park

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

Obtaining a Permit

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.

How it works

  1. The ticket holder must be present in the vehicle and present a valid photo ID. 
  2. The timed entry ticket is valid only during the one-hour period reserved.
  3. You may not enter early.
  4. Once you have entered, you may exit and re-enter during the remainder of the day.

The 3 best hikes in Arches National Park

1. Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch at Night

My sister standing under Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch Trail Information

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 Trail

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.

2. Double Arch

Double Arch Hike

Double Arch Trail

Double Arch Trail Information

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

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)

3. Windows Loop & Turret Arch Trail

Windows Loop Arches National Park

Windows Loop

Windows Loop & Turret Arch Trail Information

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 in Arches National 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

Leave a comment below:

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.

No Comments

Leave a reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.