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I’ll preface this by saying if you have more than one day to visit Arches, do it. Even though the park is relatively small, there’s a lot to see with over 2,000 natural arches throughout the park and well over a dozen miles of hiking trails. Whether you’re on a Mighty 5 National Park Road Trip or just stopping in nearby Moab for a few days, here’s my picks for planning one day in Arches National Park.
Assuming you want to make the most of your day, this itinerary is jam packed with options for avid hikers to see the most of Arches in a short time frame. This includes considerations on where things are located in the park to optimize your visit and upwards of 10 miles of trail. If you do have extra time, you can spread this itinerary out across two days and add in some other stops.
Double Arch and the Windows
- Distance: 1.5 miles
- Elevation Gain: Minimal
- Difficulty: Easy
- Trail Markings: Excellent
- Time: 1-2 hours
We chose to start our morning in the Windows section of Arches at sunrise. Unlike other Utah parks, there isn’t a popular location to view the sunrise at Arches, but we had some beautiful shots driving along the main road. From a distance you can catch a silhouette of popular formations like Balanced Rock.
We were almost too late by the time we got to the Windows section parking lot, but the moon was still out and we got some nice pictures of the sun creating a pretty glow on the rocks. If you’re feeling ambitious, you could also make the quick trip over to Double Arch before grabbing some breakfast to fuel up for your big day of hiking.
Delicate Arch
- Distance: 3 miles
- Elevation Gain: 480 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate / Difficult
- Trail Markings: Good
- Time: 2-3 hours
It’s hard to talk about Arches without mentioning its most famous formation, Delicate Arch. You’ve likely seen this gorgeous hunk of rock on everything from the Utah license plates to standard Windows desktop backgrounds. Because it’s so famous, try to get here early in the day before the parking lot fills up and you have tons of other visitors in your shot. There also is very little shade along this moderately difficult climb so it helps to hike early in the day, especially if you are visiting in the heat of summer. Mike and I were hiking pretty quickly and we managed to finish right around the 2 hour mark including a break for some snacks and pictures at the arch, but the main incline could take you some extra time if you aren’t prepared.
Sand Dune, Broken, and Tapestry Arch
- Distance: 3.0 miles
- Elevation Gain: 324 ft
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Trail Markings: Good
- Time: 2 hours
This trail was probably the biggest surprise of our trip to Arches. Everyone talks about Delicate Arch and even Devils Garden, but we loved this trail as well! This trail was also the most deserted of the ones we did, so it’s great to do during peak time when many of the other more popular trails will be crowded. Its inclines are also much more gentle for hot summer days, even if there isn’t a ton of shade. You could also choose to skip this trail if you wanted to leave the park to grab lunch, but we recommend packing some sandwiches and hiking snacks to eat on the trail.
We did these three arches as a loop from the Sand Dune Arch parking lot. First we took the quick detour over to Sand Dune Arch before continuing on the main path. At the split, we chose to go counter-clockwise up to Broken Arch and then made our way over to Tapestry Arch.
The next part gets a bit confusing as you reach the campground and need to make your way across the parking lot to pick up the trail behind the campsites. Even so, this section of trail provided a unique perspective walking between the fins on our way back to the parking lot. As a bonus, you can also see Skyline Arch from a distance along this trail. We found a few other hikers who were a bit lost in this area, and you need to pay close attention to the cairns to keep the trail.
Devil’s Garden to Landscape Arch and Double O Arch
- Distance: 4.2+ miles
- Elevation Gain: 650 feet
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Trail Markings: Good
- Time: 3+ hours
I’ve left Devil’s Garden for last on purpose because if you only have one day and are looking for the highlights, you may run out of time by the time you get to the far end of the park. That being said, Devil’s Garden was one of my favorite areas of the park because it provides a challenge and allows you to venture deeper in where fewer visitors tread, especially if you make it past Landscape Arch.
We chose to go all the way to Double O Arch and do all of the side trails to the other arches, which was around 6 miles. Depending on how much daylight you have available and how exhausted you are, go just to Landscape Arch (around 1.5 miles) or venture farther to the other arches in this section to wrap up your perfect day at Arches National Park. I recommend just going to Double O Arch and back which is about 4.2 miles. You’ll pass Landscape Arch on the way and be able to see the Dark Angel formation from afar. Head back to Moab for some well deserved dinner, a hot shower, and sleep.
Tips for Visiting Arches National Park in One Day
Depending on the time of year you’ll be visiting Arches, the weather and hours of daylight can play a huge role in what all you can accomplish in one day. In the summer, daytime temperatures can frequently exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit so it is essential to carry a large amount of water and electrolyte replacements like Gatorade. You may even choose to take a break in the middle of the day and return later in the evening to avoid the noon day heat. Both Mike and I carried our own 2L water bladders and I had my Lowepro Photosport backpack filled with extra snacks and other items we might need on the trail. Even though we went in a much cooler November (which I recommend by the way) the air was still extremely dry and required a lot of water to stay hydrated.
If you run out of water, there are water refill stations at the visitor center near the entrance to the park, along with a directory showing all the arches in the park and some information on how the arches are formed and the animals that live in the park. Be sure to protect yourself from the elements with a hat and sunscreen and sturdy shoes for walking across slickrock and sand. Also pick up a map of Arches National Park from the visitor center to help orient yourself.
If you’re planning to visit some of the other national parks in the area, definitely get the America the Beautiful annual pass. It has led us to visit all sorts of cool places and saves you a lot of money in the long run if you visit several national park service sites. You can check out some of the other national park service sites we’ve visited on our America the Beautiful Page.
What to Add if You Plan a Second Day in Arches
If you plan to spend a second day in Arches, here are some additional options:
- Take a guided ranger hike through the Fiery Furnace (permit required)
- Stroll down the 2 mile Park Ave
- Take a 4×4 tour to some of the more remote areas of the park and tackle Tower Arch
- Save the Devil’s Garden area for the second day and explore some more arches off the side paths
All in all, arches was an amazing park and some of the best hiking we did on our Utah National Park Road Trip!
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