Arches National Park Winter Photos + Travel Tips
Arches National Park is one of the most beautiful places to explore in winter. With its unique landscapes filled with arches, balanced rocks, and fins, it is a great place to take Arches National Park winter photos.
If you’re lucky to have snow when you visit Arches National Park in the winter, you’ll capture the most amazing photos of white snow against the red rock landscape!
Use this gallery and Arches National Park travel guide to plan a winter vacation: services available, weather, and more! Winter is the best time of year because the crowds are gone. At times we feel like we have the park all to ourselves!
We live close enough to the park to visit various times throughout year so we have lots of Arches National Park vacation ideas to share! The tips we share are based on our experiences visiting the area throughout the years, and specifically for the winter months.
The biggest tip we can give for visiting Arches in the winter is to plan for the cold temperatures and unpredictable weather that could include snow! Use our Arches National Park Packing List to make sure you have the right clothing and gear for visiting in the winter. Grab your free printable packing checklist by clicking the image below!
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Visiting Arches in the Winter
If you’ve ever been to Arches National Park during the busy season, you know it gets crowded.
In the winter, it’s a completely different experience. Many times you have the parking lot and hiking trails to yourself!
Arches National Park Winter Weather
We LOVE visiting Arches National Park in the winter without the crowds! But the weather can be unpredictable with snow and cold temperatures so it’s not for everyone.
Check out our guide for finding the best time to visit Arches National Park. Each season and month of the year will have different activities and services available.
Winter at Arches National Park is cold with possible rain or snow storms. Here are the temperatures you can expect during the winter months:
- Arches in December: Highs 45 | Lows 23 degrees F
- Arches in January: Highs 44 | Lows 22 degrees F
- Arches in February: Highs 52 | Lows 35 degrees F
You won’t experience large snow storms at Arches, but even small amounts of snow or ice can make local trails and roads impassable. You can see current Arches National Park weather conditions on the NPS website.
Dress in layers and pack winter clothing when visiting Arches in the winter:
- fleece jacket
- insulated jacket
- waterproof hiking boots
- Darn Tough socks
- winter hat
- gloves
- lip balm and lotion – it’s a dry environment!
Does it Snow at Arches National Park?
Usually Arches National Park doesn’t see large amounts of snow. But it’s common to get a dusting of snow, or even a few inches of snow, when storms roll through the area. The snow is a terrific contrast with the red rocks to create wonderful scenes to photograph!
The park road might be closed after a snowfall for several hours for plowing. Park roads, parking lots, and pullouts can still be icy, especially in shaded areas. Check at the visitor center for the latest information on road conditions.
Arches National Park Winter Photos
Here’s a gallery of our favorite 30 Arches winter pictures and some tips for visiting when it’s cold!
We’ve organized these Arches National Park photo spots in order as you drive along the park road from the entrance and Visitor Center.
The Arches National Park scenic drive is 43-miles long, including the spur roads. Plan 2 to 3 hours for the drive itself, then add more time if you plan to do any serious photography or hiking.
The road is paved and offers Arches National Park photo spots from the pullouts along the road or in the parking lots. Some of the arches and landmarks can be reached by a short walk from the parking lot.
Park Avenue
Park Avenue is the first stop as you travel along the scenic drive from the visitor’s center. From the parking area follow the wide, paved trail for about 100 yards to the viewpoint of Park Avenue.
When you follow the trail down and walk between the immense sandstone monoliths it feels like the real Park Avenue in New York City soaring skyscrapers on either side.
La Sal Mountain Viewpoint
Enjoy a 360-degree view of the Three Gossips, Sheep Rock, and The Organ in the Courthouse Towers area. And along the horizon you’ll see a distant view of Balanced Rock and the Windows Section.
Rain and melted snow create Arches National Park photography opportunities to capture reflections in the puddles!
La Sal Mountain Viewpoint is a great location to see and photograph sunrise at Arches National Park to amazing to see the reflected light from the rising sun cast a warm red glow on the formations.
Courthouse Towers
The Courthouse Towers area has unique rock formations to photograph: Three Gossips, Sheep Rock, and The Organ.
We like the distant view from La Sal Viewpoint, but we also stop at the pullouts along the scenic drive to get up-close photos as well.
Balanced Rock
Balanced Rock is a popular feature in the park. We recommend walking around the .3 mile loop around this landmark to capture the rock at various angles and perspectives.
We also stop at the various pullouts along the main road to capture different views of Balanced Rock.
Here’s a fun Arches National Park fact about Balanced Rock: This massive desert rock weighs in at an estimated 3,577 tons, as much as 27 Blue Whales and stands 128 feet tall. The big rock on top is the size of three yellow school buses!
Garden of Eden
We love taking a trip during the offseason. When it snows, the contrast of the red rocks and white snow creates amazing Arches National Park winter photos!
Dress in winter clothing for the cold temperatures, even if there’s no snow!
Turret Arch
Be sure to capture various perspectives and images as you walk around and climb Turret Arch.
With a bit of precarious scrambling, you can capture Turret Arch through the North Window. This is a popular Arches National Park photo spot, especially at sunrise.
Double Arch
Double Arch is two arches sharing the same stone foundation, formed by downward water erosion instead of side-to-side water erosion like most of the other arches in the park.
As you hike the short trail to Double Arch, look to your left to see the Parade of Elephants, a rock formation that resembles a herd of elephants holding each others’ tails.
One of the best things about a trip to Arches National Park in the winter – empty parking lots! This parking area at Double Arch is always full during the busy times of year!
Fiery Furnace and Panorama Point
Hiking the Fiery Furnace is only open spring through fall. It requires scrambling over slickrock boulders, walking through sandy trails, squeezing between rocks and navigating narrow ledges.
During the winter it’s a great spot to take pictures at the parking lot!
You can also get a good view of Fiery Furnace from Panorama Point.
Delicate Arch
Iconic Delicate Arch is a top Arches National Park photo spot. The impressive free-standing arch is a famous geologic wonder. This arch cannot be viewed from the main road, it must be accessed by the popular Arches National Park hiking trail.
You’ll hike 3 miles roundtrip and climb 480 feet in elevation. The hike is mostly uphill and takes 1 to 1 ½ hours if you are reasonably fit.
Delicate Arch could be a tricky Arches National Park winter hike if the trail is snow-covered or icy. Check with the Rangers to see if traction devices will be needed.
Delicate Arch is a main attraction and will be busy all the time. It’s one of the best spots to see and photograph sunset at Arches National Park so you’ll see photographers lined up along the bowl waiting for the magical moment.
You can also view Delicate Arch from a distance. There’s a short path at the Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint to see the arch one mile away. You can get a bit closer by hiking to the Upper Viewpoint, ½ mile with some stairs.
Sand Dune Arch
The Sand Dune Arch trail is a short hike that takes you between giant fins to a sandy area with many places to explore.
It’s one of the best hikes in Arches National Park. Do not climb on top of the arch as that’s against park policy.
Skyline Arch
Skyline Arch sits high atop rocks in the Devils Garden area and it’s visible from many areas of the park.
Yes, you can take a photo of this arch from the pullout, but you’ll find so many other ways to photograph this arch if you hike along the short trail to get closer to the arch.
Landscape Arch and Devil’s Garden
To see Landscape Arch you’ll need to hike 1.6 miles along the Devil’s Garden Trail. This arch is longer than a football field and the thinnest part of the archway is 8 feet thick.
There you have it! 30 ideas of winter photos you need to take at Arches National Park!!
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Arches National Park Photo Spots Checklist
Grab your free copy of the Arches National Park photo spots Checklist by clicking the graphic below!
