Arches National Park, Utah

Home to the world’s largest concentration of natural rock arches, Arches National Park is a geological wonderland and offers great hiking, rock climbing and camping.

Thanks to its spectacular rock formations and breathtaking night sky, Arches National Park is one of the most photogenic national parks in America.

The park encompasses more than 2,000 catalogued rock arches. They range in size from 3 feet (90 centimeters), which is the minimum required length of an arch, to almost 300 feet (90 meters).

The easternmost of the five Utah national parks, Arches National Park is an extremely accessible park, located just 5 miles from the outdoorsy town of Moab in southeastern Utah.

Begin your visit by stopping at the visitor center to pick up a map and park newspaper, before exploring the park on its only road—the Scenic Drive.

Meandering its way for 19 miles through a desert landscape filled with rock spires and arches, fins and cliffs, and boulders and monoliths, it takes you past essentially all the top sights in Arches National Park.

Or at least, it brings you within striking distance of them. Some attractions require you to hike a bit, while others are just on the side of the road.

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Highlights of Arches National Park

It’s not the largest of parks and the Scenic Drive allows you to get to many places effortlessly. However, I recommend that you allow plenty of time to do a few of the wonderful hikes in Arches National Park, some of which are truly spectacular. You can “do” Arches in just a day, but remember that the night sky is phenomenal as well.

I’ve listed my favorite sights in Arches National Park below (the attractions in bold are must-sees). Hopefully, this list will inspire you to visit this popular Utah national park. If you do, let it serve as a checklist of things to see at Arches.

Delicate Arch
The Windows
Double Arch
Landscape Arch
Devils Garden
Park Avenue
Courthouse Towers
Garden of Eden
Balanced Rock
Petrified Dunes
Native American Petroglyphs

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Accommodation Near Arches National Park

There were many things I liked about Arches, especially how accessible everything is.

I really enjoyed the vibe in nearby Moab. This vibrant and happening town is the perfect base for a visit to both Arches National Park and nearby Canyonlands National Park, which are essentially neighbors.

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