If you only have one day in Arches National Park, chances are, you can’t see everything. But we think you can see everything good! Our one day Arches itinerary will help you see the best of the best: the biggest, the most unique and the most photogenic. Explore our one day Arches itinerary below to start planning your great trip to Arches National Park!
Arches Itinerary – Morning
As with all National Parks, we always recommend stopping at the Visitor Center. We buy our pass at the Visitor’s Center and ask the ranger what they would recommend for the length of time we’ll be there. Most park rangers are incredibly helpful and will guide you to the best viewing points for the time of year you’re visiting.
Delicate Arch
After stopping at the visitor’s center, head straight to Wolfe Ranch which is where the trail to Delicate Arch starts. If you’ve talked to a ranger, they’ll most likely recommend the same thing. This parking lot and trail are busy at all hours as Delicate Arch is the most recognizable arch. Starting early in the morning will give you the best chance of getting a parking spot and give you the coolest weather for this 3 mile round trip hike.
This hike is pretty challenging and not well marked so be careful and watch where you are going. You’ll mainly be hiking on angled rock so be sure to pack shoes with good traction. There is very little shade so be careful to bring enough water and not get trapped in the midday heat. This hike takes 2-3 hours, depending on fitness and amount of time you spend taking photos.
Once you’ve arrived at Delicate Arch you’ll most likely have to wait in line for the famous photograph under the archway. No Arches itinerary is complete without this! Make sure you look around for other great views of the arch as well. Then hike back to the parking lot and be on your way to make way for the next hiker.
Scenic Drive
Since Delicate Arch is about half way into Arches National Park, we recommend driving the rest of the way into the park and stopping along the way. Continue heading into the park and your next stop will be the Fiery Furnace and Salt Valley Overlooks. We recommend stopping at all of the overlooks for some fresh air and views.
Next, take the 1 miles hike to Skyline Arch.
You’ll likely be very hungry for lunch at this point and also deep in the park. We recommend packing a picnic lunch and enjoying it in the Devils Garden picnic area. There isn’t a lot of options for lunch in the park so packing a lunch is a great option.
Arches Itinerary – Afternoon
Devils Garden
After lunch, stop at the Devils Garden area. Park here and do a bit of hiking to view several arches. We recommend hiking all the way to Double O Arch. On your way back from Double O Arch, take the short trails to Pine Tree Arch, Tunnel Arch, Navajo Arch and Petition Arch. This is about a 5 miles roundtrip hike. You can choose to hike the full Devil’s Garden loop. However, this trail becomes more challenging and less well marked.
You’ll also see Landscape Arch from the trail as well. Landscape Arch is one of the longest natural arches in the world (some even say THE longest). Either way, it is one of the coolest arches in the park. If you just hike to Landscape Arch, this is about a 3 mile hike roundtrip that takes a bit over an hour.
Remember, this will be the hottest part of the day so make sure to hike only what you think you can accomplish and only what you have enough water for. If you need to refill water, remember you can do it at the Devils Garden area. We hiked this all mid-day in July and regret it. Go easy on your body.
Windows Area
Start heading back out of the park and make your way to the Windows section of Arches. Stop in the parking area and take a hike to the Windows arches and Turret arch. We spent about an hour here taking tons of pictures.
Next, take the short trail to Double Arch. This was our favorite arch in the park. This will really only take you about 20 minutes to visit but we spent tons of time here because it was beautiful.
Continue to drive out of the park and you’ll come to Balanced Rock. Take this short 20-ish minute hike around the rock and catch glimpses of the Windows in the background.
You’re now done hiking for the day. Continue to head towards the exit of the park. Finally, make sure to stop at all the viewpoints on the way out of the park.
Want to Adjust the Itinerary
This Arches itinerary is meant to be done in spring or fall when the temperatures aren’t as extreme. However, if you’re visiting in summer, you’ll need to adjust the itinerary for the heat. If you are visiting in the summer and still want to see and do everything, we’d recommend starting with the Devils Garden trail and ending the day at Delicate Arch so that you are doing those hikes in less extreme heat. Then, stick all the short hikes and scenic overlooks in the middle of the day when the heat is bad.
If this itinerary has too much hiking for your taste, you can easily pare this down. Choose just a few hikes to do in the course of your day to fit your fitness level. The must do hikes according to us are, in order:
- Delicate Arch 3 miles 2.5 hours
- Double Arch 5. miles 20 minutes
- Windows and Turret Arch 1 mile 45 minutes
- Landscape Arch 1.9 miles 1 hour
- Balanced Rock .3 miles 20 minutes
- Double O Arch 4.1 miles 2.5 hours
If you have more time, consider exploring Canyonlands National Park, which is also close to Moab. Or you could spend a second day in the park to spread out your hiking so that you have less strenuous days.
Where to Stay
Staying in the park is convenient. However, the park lacks amenities like shade and food so we recommend staying in Moab. It is the closest town and has the largest number of amenities. To read about our Moab recommendations, click here. You’ll find both hotels, home rentals and campgrounds in Moab.
However, if you choose to stay in the park, your only option is staying in the Devils Garden Campground. This campground has running water and flush toilets but is otherwise rustic. However, it has a can’t beat price of $25/night. This campground generally books up months in advance so make sure to book your reservations ahead of time.
We hope this helps you to plan your Arches itinerary and helps you create one epic outdoor adventure. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below and we’ll be happy to get back to you. Or check out our other posts on Utah for more things to do in the state.
