14 Of The Best Arches In Arches National Park
Arches is a highly popular national park located in a remote region of southeastern Utah.
With over 2,000 natural sandstone arches — the densest concentration of such in the world! — and countless incredible rock formations this is easily one of the most unique places to visit in the United States!
Having lived in Utah as a kid and Denver throughout my adult life I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Arches more times than I can count!
With so many arches in the park it can be hard to know which are worth seeing! Read on for the best arches in Arches National Park!
The Best Arches In Arches National Park
Delicate Arch
Delicate Arch Trail
If there’s only one thing you can see in the park, Delicate Arch should be it. This is the most famous arch in Arches National Park — not to mention one of the top attractions in all of Utah!
The 46 foot high by 32 foot wide free standing arch framed by the La Sal Mountains will leave you speechless.
Getting here requires a 1.5 mile hike with 480 foot incline on slick rock, sections are steep and a short portion of the hike has steep drop offs. It’s a difficult hike but do-able for most!
Tip: Sunset is especially spectacular here, as the sun sets opposite the Delicate Arch the red rocks put on a spectacular, fiery red glow. Relax and enjoy the ever changing colors… Just don’t forget your headlamp for the walk back.
For those unable to complete the hike Delicate Arch can be viewed from Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint, a .5 mile hike rated easy.
Landscape Arch
Devils Garden Trail
This is one of the best arches in arches national park because it’s so wide, in fact it’s the biggest arch in the park — and all of North America — stretching across 290 feet.
Getting here requires a 1.8 mile hike rated easy. Since this highly-popular arch is easy to access expect large crowds throughout the trail.
Note: Landscape Arch is just one of many on the Devil’s Garden Trail. This 8 mile loop showcases 8 arches, a few of which I’ve listed below. The sheer number of arches in this area makes this one of the best hikes in Arches National Park!
Pine Tree Arch & Tunnel Arches
Devils Garden Trail
Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch are the first two attractions on Devils Garden Trail, which you’ll find before reaching popular Landscape Arch.
Pine Tree is a large arch standing over a grove of pine trees and Tunnel is well, rather tunnel like. It’s a huge hole in the middle of a thick, seemingly impenetrable, slab of sandstone.
Both arches require just a short detour from the main Devils Garden Trail and are well worth a visit!
Partition Arch & Navajo Arch
Devils Garden Trail
After you’ve seen the famous Landscape Arch follow Devils Garden Trail for some of my favorite arches in the park!
Partition and Navajo Arches can be found just a short distance from Landscape. Getting to these arches requires traversing some steep slickrock, which can be a little scary or uncomfortable for some. But the trail quickly returns to solid land, and best of all, the crowds begin to thin out here.
Partition Arch looks out over Landscape Arch and offers excellent views of the surrounding valley.
Navajo is a low, wide arch situated over a sandy alcove. It provides ample shade and a peaceful reprieve from the intense summer sun — it’s a wonderful spot to stop for water or snacks.
Double O’ Arches
Devils Garden Trail
If you’re up for a little more hiking along the Devils Garden Trail I highly suggest continuing on to Double O’ Arch, the second largest arch in this section of the park. It’s a little less than a mile to get here from Navajo and you’ll be rewarded with stunning views of the La Sal Mountains and Fin Canyon.
At your final destination you’ll find two large arches neatly stacked on top of one another. It’s an incredible site and a perfect place for a trailside picnic!
North Window, South Window & Turret Arch
The Windows Section
The Windows Section of Arches National Park is another one of the best places to explore in Arches National Park — it’s one of my personal favorites!
The area features 4 arches: North Window, South Window, Turret Arch, and Double Arch. All of which can be accessed from the same parking lot and require very little hiking.
Note: While there’s technically not a lot of hiking required in the area don’t underestimate how much time you can spend here. Rather than an area of defined hiking trails the Windows Section is more like a nature-lovers playground with lots of potential for adventure and exploring.
North Window and South Window sit side by side and both offer excellent views! You can easily walk directly under the North Window, while the South is quite a bit higher off the ground.
Where North and South Window are neat and symmetrical, Turret is their opposite. It’s one of the smaller arches in the area but more intricate and almost castle like, hence the name. This is a really fun one to explore!
Double Arch
The Windows Section
The fourth arch in the Windows Section, and the most grand, is Double Arch! These two, huge arches are joined on their western end and open in opposite directions, the result is like a work of art!
Again, it’s just a short walk to the arch then visitors are welcome to explore underneath the bridges as much as they’d like.
This arch is especially popular with photographers — whether from a distance or standing directly underneath — the angles of these joined arches are so fun to capture.
Sand Dune Arch & Broken Arch
Near Devils Garden Trail
Just a quarter mile off Arches National Park Scenic Drive, the park’s main throughway, is Sand Dune Arch, a low arch backed up to a large sandstone wall.
This short hike is one of the park’s more popular. The large sandstone wall backing the arch casts shade onto the arch and sandy alcove which makes this a highly sought-after place to hide away from the intense summer heat.
If you wish to break from the crowds and see another arch, Broken Arch is just a mile from Sand Dune. Despite the name, it’s not broken at all, but you’ll notice a large chunk “missing” at the top, which gave the arch its name!
Tip: Make this a longer loop and see Tapestry Arch as well, if you wish to see all three arches the entire loop is just 2.8 miles.
Tower Arch
Klondike Bluffs Section
Located in the a quieter area of the park’s back portion you’ll find Tower Arch. This is a wide, long arch carved from thick sandstone with a funny little tower sticking out to its left. Getting here requires a drive down a dirt road followed by a 2.5 mile hike rated moderate.
Other Popular Attractions In Arches National Park
- View the non-arch rock formations – Arches National Park has incredible landscape views like those of the famous Monument Valley. Park Avenue, Courthouse Towers, Three Gossips are all popular attractions.
- Arches National Park Scenic Drive – Plenty of great viewpoints can be seen from the comfort of your car! If only planning to drive I highly recommend downloading Guide Along which will provide information and tips regarding best viewpoints and short hikes throughout your drive. You can download the guide here: Arches National Park Guide Along.
- Fiery Furnace – A maze-like terrain of hoodoos and narrow sandstone canyons. A ranger-led tour is required.
- Balanced Rock – A massive rock formation which appears to be precariously “balancing” a rock at its top, this is one of the most famous attractions in the park.
- Visitor Center – Located at the park’s entrance you’ll find park information and rangers available to answer questions in addition to gifts and geology exhibits.
- Stargazing – Arches National Park is an international dark sky park, making this one of the best things to do at night in Arches!
Getting To Arches National Park
- Canyonlands Field Airport (regional airport) – 15 minutes (14 miles) from Arches National Park.
- Grand Junction Regional Airport – 1.5 hours (110 miles) from Arches National Park.
- Salt Lake City International Airport – 3 hours, 40 minutes (234 miles) from Arches National Park.
- Denver International Airport – 5 hours, 50 minutes (375 miles) from Arches National Park.
Moab is the only town near Arches National Park, located just 5 miles away.
To get here from Moab, drive 5 miles north on US 191. Follow signs to to Arches National Park.
Once you’ve arrived there is one park entrance.
Arches National Park Entrance Fees & Reservations
The Private Vehicle Pass for Arches National Park is $30, which covers the park for 7 days.
There’s modified pricing for pedestrians and motorcycles, and the park accepts all America the Beautiful Passes.
No park reservations are required at Arches National Park.
Where To Stay Near Arches National Park
Moab is the only town near Arches National Park, it may be small but they’re well accustomed to handling the 3+ million annual visitors.
Best Hotels in Moab, Utah:
- Gravity Haus Moab
- Hyatt Place at Moab
- Under Canvas Moab
- Sage Creek at Moab
- Homewood Suites by Hilton
- Hoodoo Moab, Curio Collection by Hilton
- Wingate by Wyndham Moab
You’ll also find a variety of VRBO and Airbnb options around Moab. During my last visit, me and two of my girlfriends stayed at a cozy little cabin right in downtown. Unfortunately they no longer take bookings, but you can find a very similar rental here: Quiet & Comfortable Hideaway in Heart of Moab.
Camping In Arches National Park
Arches National Park has one campground, Devils Garden Campground. Reservations are required March 1 – October 31st and book out months in advance. November 1 – February 28th sites are first-come, first-served. If camping in winter be prepared for snow.
There are tons of campsites outside the park but they also fill quickly spring through fall. Consider making reservations when possible.
Additional Utah National Parks
Utah is overflowing with incredible national parks, additional parks here include:
- Canyonlands National Park – 30 minutes (26 miles) from Arches National Park.
- Capitol Reef National Park – 2 hours, 5 minutes (133 miles) from Arches National Park.
- Bryce Canyon National Park – 4 hours, 10 minutes (245 miles) from Arches National Park.
- Zion National Park – 4 hours, 50 minutes (310 miles) from Arches National Park.
As you can see there are tons of great natural arches to see in Arches National Park, I hope you have the best time here! If you want to see as many of these arches as possible in just one day check out my Arches National Park One Day Guide.
Any questions or additional ideas? Please leave a comment below or reach out on social media.
Looking for more ideas? Below are additional Utah and national park guides or head on over to the National Park Service!
More Information For Your Trip To Arches National Park:
More Information For Your Trip To Moab:
More Information For Your Utah Vacation:
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