HIKING IN ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
Welcome to Bigroads.com's guide to the hiking trails of Arches National Park!
Arches National Park can't really boast a huge number of trails, but the ones they do have are truly extraordinary. There is no place on earth with such a large concentration of amazing natural arches. All you need is a day or two of hiking to obtain a great sense of what this very special national park is all about. As an added bonus, Arches is close to the town of Moab, which offers, in our opinion, the best base camp to outdoor adventures in the entire United States.
Before you set out for a hike in Arches National Parks, you should be aware of the following:
- Extremely hot days are very common from late May through early October (90+ degrees is not uncommon).
- Trailhead parking can be extremely limited, especially at Wolfe Ranch/Delicate Arch, so arrive early or later in the day to guarantee yourself a spot.
- Start hiking early in the morning (i.e. 6:00-8:00am) to beat some of the summer heat.
- Hiking here in winter can be a snowy/icy affair; foot traction is often highly recommended (i.e. Microspikes); snowshoes are never needed.
- Always hike with at least 2 liters of water per person (the general rule is actually 1 liter per person per hour).
- Avoid hiking on biological soil crusts. If you stay on trail and/or hike in "day or sandy washes", you shouldn't have a problem avoiding the crusts.
- It is strongly advised that you hike with a map & also directions/trail information from a published guidebook (websites can't always be trusted).
- There are some great off-trail hiking, rock scrambling and rock-climbing opportunities in the national park (tip: do an internet search to find them).
Share this page / follow us on Facebook!
/
EASY TRAILS
Presented below is an overview of all (relatively) EASY trails in Arches National Park (listed in alphabetical order):
MODERATE TRAILS
Presented below is an overview of all MODERATE trails in Arches National Park (listed in alphabetical order):
DIFFICULT TRAILS
Presented below is an overview of all DIFFICULT trails in Arches National Park (listed in alphabetical order):
Arches National Park trail map > link
TOP 5 DAY HIKES IN ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
Here are our selections for the top 5 day hikes in Arches National Park:
- Delicate Arch - this is the state symbol of Utah and it is a rite of passage for all travelers of the American Southwest (3.0 miles round-trip)
- Devils Garden Loop - this is the best long hike in the park; passes by seven arches (7.2-8.5 miles round-trip, depending on spur trails taken)
- Sand Dune Arch & Broken Arch - beautiful hike to two arches, with an easy & relatively quiet walk between them (1.7 miles round-trip)
- Tower Arch - this is an amazing arch that lacks the crowds of the other classic arches in the park (3.4 miles round-trip)
- Windows Loop - three great arches on a relatively easy loop (1.2 mile loop)
BACKPACKING IN ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
- There are no official backpacking trails in this national park. However, this national park does allow "at large" backpacking, where you carefully hike off-trail a certain distance and set up a tent (be careful to avoid the delicate soil crust). You'll want to bring plenty of water since there are few, if any, reliable water sources in this national park. Please contact the national parks' visitor center (either by phone, by email, or in person) to inquire about these backpacking possibilities.
MORE GREAT DAY HIKES NEARBY
There are many other great day hikes located near the boundaries of Arches National Park, including:
- Fisher Towers Trail / Fisher Towers - located on BLM land
- Canyonlands National Park-Island in the Sky District - at a minimum, don't miss the easy walk to Mesa Arch (preferably at sunrise)
- Canyonlands National Park-Needles District - various trails; this area also offers fantastic backpacking opportunities (permits required)
- Corona Arch - a can't miss arch located on BLM land (this arch is more impressive than most arches in Arches National Park!)
- Culvert (Dragonfly) Canyon / Jeep Arch - located on BLM land
- Hidden Valley - located on BLM land
- Mill Creek / Left Hand swimming hole - located on BLM land; if the water is very murky at the start of the hike, don't bother
- Negro Bill Canyon / Morning Glory Natural Bridge - located on BLM land
- Portal Overlook Trail - located on BLM land; views of downtown Moab and nearby mountain ranges
RECOMMENDED HIKING GUIDEBOOKS
There are several published guidebooks that provide driving directions & trail information for hikes in Arches National Park. Here are some of the best:
- Hiking Canyonlands & Arches National Park: > link
- Best Easy Day Hikes Canyonlands and Arches National Parks > link
- The Best Moab and Arches National Park Hikes > link
LEARN MORE ABOUT ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
We highly recommend visiting these websites to learn more about Arches National Park:
- NPS.gov's official Arches National Park website > link
- Americansouthwest.net's guide to Arches National Park > link
- Discover Moab's guide to Arches National Park > link
- Your Guide to the National Parks: The Complete Guide to 58 National Parks > link
- National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States, 8th Edition > link
Please send us an email (gparsons66@hotmail.com) if you discover that any of the above links are broken.
La Sal Mountains from the eastern side of the Devils Garden Loop
290-foot span of Landscape Arch
the beautiful & remote Tower Arch
Skull Arch from a guided Fiery Furnace ranger tour
the attraction & uncrowded Broken Arch
Delicate Arch from an off-trail viewpoint
interesting rock formations on the trail to Tower Arch
Double O Arch along the Devils Garden Loop

Please help support the future growth of Bigroads.com by making all your Amazon.com purchases through this link.
It doesn't cost you any extra, and we earn a referral fee for all purchases that you make, no matter what you buy.
|