Arches National Park Itinerary Ideas
If you’re wondering how many days to spend in Arches, check out these Arches National Park itinerary ideas for 1, 2, or 3 days in the park!
This Arches National Park travel guide includes everything you should see, do and photograph at this stunning park.
When you visit Arches National Park you’ll see a stunning landscape filled with arches (of course), balanced rocks, fins, and other unique rock formations.
You’ll want to plan enough time at Arches to see and photograph the sunrise, explore the scenic drive, enjoy some day hikes, photograph the sunset, and do some stargazing at night!
Grab our travel bundle with printable 1, 2 and 3-day Arches National Park itineraries to print and use to plan your vacation!
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A Photo Tour of Arches National Park
Take a visual tour through Arches National Park to see the stunning landscapes you’ll see when you visit!
Things to Know Before Visiting Arches National Park
As you’re planning your Utah National Park road trip, keep in mind that Arches is a small National Park, but it’s jam-packed with cool features.
You can see natural stone arches, pinnacles, fins, windows and balanced rocks from the scenic drive and along hiking trails.
Note the Arches National Park timed entry program runes April through October. Timed entry tickets will be required to enter the park from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Visitors will enter the park during a one-hour specified window of availability. After entering, visitors may stay in the park as long as they wish for the remainder of the day. Reservation holders may exit and re-enter the park on the same day with a correctly validated ticket.
Reservations for the time entry ticker are first-come, first-served on Recreation.gov. The park will release reservations three months in advance in monthly blocks.
You CAN visit Arches without a ticket as long as you enter the park before 6 a.m or after 5 p.m. That’s the best time of day for sunrise at Arches National Park anyway.
Our itineraries always recommend entering the park before 6:00 am for Arches National Park photography at sunrise so you don’t need to worry about getting an entry ticket for the date you’ll be there! Be sure to check the exact time for sunrise so you can arrive in the park at least 30 minutes before the actual time.
When is the Best Time to Visit Arches National Park?
All four seasons at Arches vary quite a bit so you’ll want to know what to expect in order to decide the best time to visit Arches National Park for what you want to see, do and photograph.
The Arches National Park weather and temperatures change drastically from spring, summer, fall and winter.
Arches National Park Scenic Drive
One of the activities will be exploring the scenic drive at Arches. Use this Google map of the Arches scenic drive points of interest to navigate through the park.
The 43-mile Arches scenic drive and its two spur roads. The drive itself with stops to take photos takes 2 to 3 hours.
The road is paved and offers Arches National Park photography spots from the pullouts along the road or in the parking lots.
Some of the arches and landmarks along the scenic drive can be reached by a short walk from the parking lot. But, some of the best hikes in Arches National Park are longer and take more than 2 hours to complete like Delicate Arch and Devil’s Garden.
Arches National Park Itinerary: Day 1
Here’s what we recommend if you want to see Arches National Park in one day. Click that link to see the detailed Arches 1-day itinerary!
Sunrise
- Sunrise photo spot at Arches National Park
- La Sal Mountains Viewpoint
Morning
- Arches National Park scenic drive
- Courthouse Towers
- Balanced Rock
Lunch
- Panorama Point picnic area
Afternoon
Sunset
- Sunset at Arches National Park
- Delicate Arch OR
- Delicate Arch Lower Viewpoint
- Skyline Arch
Stargazing
- Delicate Arch
- Balanced Rock
Arches National Park Itinerary: Day 2
Here’s the Day 2 itinerary if you’ll be able spend two days in Arches National Park. Click that link to see the detailed Arches 2-day itinerary!
Sunrise
- Turret Arch / Windows Area
- Double Arch
Morning
- Devil’s Garden Trail
- Landscape Arch
Lunch
- Devil’s Garden picnic area
Afternoon
- Arches National Park Hiking Trails
- Sand Dune Arch / Broken Arch
Sunset
- Balanced Rock
- Turret Arch
Stargazing
- Balanced Rock
- Fins by Sand Dune Arch
Arches National Park Itinerary: Day 3
If you can spend three days in Arches National Park, today you’ll take the photos and explore the hikes you didn’t get to do on Days 1 and 2. Click that link to see the detailed Arches 3-day itinerary!
Sunrise
- Your Choice
Morning
- Your choice of day hikes
Lunch
- Picnic area in the park
Afternoon
- Your choice of day hikes
Sunset
- Your choice
Stargazing
- Your choice
Moab Day 3 Alternatives
You can also use Day 3 to explore the Moab area:
- Canyonlands National Park One Day Itinerary
- Potash-Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway
- Dead Horse Point State Park
- Things to do in Moab
- Moab Utah Hiking Trails
Planning an Arches National Park Vacation:
- Best Time to Visit Arches National Park
- Things to Do at Arches National Park
- Arches National Park Packing List
- Arches National Park with Kids
- Arches National Park Photography
- Arches National Park Tours
Where to Stay Near Arches National Park:
There are no hotels in Arches so most people stay in the nearby town of Moab. There are all types of lodging in and near Moab from budget-friendly hotels to higher-prices resorts. You’ll also find vacation rentals, a hostel, campgrounds and RV parks.
- Places to Stay Near Arches National Park
- Hotels Near Arches National Park
- Places to Stay Near Arches National Park with Kids
- Arches National Park Camping
Here are a few of our favorite places to stay near Arches:
- Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Moab – we enjoyed our stay and highly recommend this hotel due to its location close to Arches.
- Purple Sage – our all-time favorite place to stay in Moab – walking distance to shopping, full kitchen, and only 8 units so you don’t feel lost in a large hotel.
- Red Cliffs Lodge – rooms up to 6 people – located 17 miles from Moab, this lodge is known for its beautiful location, winery and activities like horseback riding, fishing and more!
- Vacation Rentals Near Arches – we really like rentals with a kitchen, washer and dryer and amenities like a swimming pool and hot tub.
BUY AT AMAZON: Arches and Canyonlands Guides and Maps
