An Insider's Guide to Exploring Arches National Park

Arches National Park is an amazing breathtaking park featuring sculptured red rock sceneries created from 100 million years of erosion and weathering, thus creating one of the world’s greatest densities of natural arches. Located in eastern Utah, Arches National Park features the world’s most extensive collection of natural stone arches. According to the park’s information brochure, the park has over 2,000 cataloged arches ranging from a three-foot opening, the minimum considered to be an arch, to the longest, Landscape Arch, measuring 306 feet base to base.

Native Americans used this area for thousands of years. The Archaic peoples, and later ancestral Puebloan, Fremont, and Ute peoples, searched the arid desert for food, animals, wild plant foods, and stone for tools and weapons. Evidence of their time in this park is found on pictographs and petroglyph panels.

Here are Yvonne’s tips for getting the most out of your visit.

The busy season for Arches National Park is March through October. Try to arrive at the park before 8:00 am for a beautiful sunrise, fewer crowds, and reduced traffic congestion. Some national parks have timed entries, so be sure to check the National Park website to gain clarity on information when visiting the national park on your bucket list to make your visit truly enjoyable.
Go to the Arches visitor center to pick up a park brochure and map to help plan your day. Don’t forget to bring your sunscreen and two liters of water. Cell service can be limited, and be mindful of the weather, especially in monsoon season.
At the visitor center, take a tour of the geological displays and learn more about salty inland seas, interweaved river systems, coastal plains, and sand dunes.
Arches’ highlighted features for some beautiful photos in the early morning or late afternoon hours include Turret Arch, Double Arch, Delicate Arch, Courthouse Towers, Balanced Rock, The Windows, Petrified Dunes, and Landscape Arch at Devil’s Garden.

Enjoy your experience and share your photos with us @one_planet_life. Download the One Planet Life app to earn points for your nature journey.

Check out Yvonne’s Insider Tips for exploring these National parks as well: