How to Plan the Perfect One Day in Arches National Park Itinerary
This one day in Arches National Park itinerary highlights the best trails and views at the popular destination near Moab, Utah.
More than 2,000 sandstone arches and one-of-a-kind rock features fill the orange-tinted landscape at Arches National Park in Utah. The park is a hot spot for road-trippers and hikers who come to see famous spans like Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch and the Windows.
You could easily spend several days exploring the trails here, so visiting Arches National Park in one day requires some planning ahead to make sure you don’t miss the best scenery. Especially since the park often hits capacity by 8 or 9 a.m. during the busy season and the entrance gates close for several hours.
This one day at Arches National Park guide packs in about 10 miles of trails to see the most dramatic arches up close, but we’ve also included suggestions to pare it down for an easier day. Scroll down to see itineraries for maximum adventure, casual sightseeing, and everything between.
Keep reading for how we recommend seeing Arches in one day and tips on when to go and where to stay.
Arches National Park Map
Use this Arches National Park map to find the best things to do in the park. Hiking spots and scenic views are marked.
One Day in Arches National Park Itinerary
This one day in Arches itinerary includes the best hikes, drives and scenic views in the Utah national park.
Morning Hike in Devil’s Garden
The Devil’s Garden area is at the very end of Arches Scenic Drive, but it makes sense to start here in the morning because it’s popular and the parking lot fills up fast.
This section of the park feels remote and is full of hiking routes leading to several arches. The trail here actually makes a big loop with spur paths and a primitive section for a total of 7.9 miles. But, with one day in Arches National Park, you’ll probably want to stick to shorter out and back options to Landscape Arch and Double O Arch.
The longest arch in North America at 306 feet wide, Landscape Arch is very thin and delicate looking. You can reach it via a 1.9-mile round trip path from the Devil’s Garden trailhead. The walk is easy but does go up and downhill a bit.
Beyond Landscape Arch, the trail gets much more difficult and requires some rock scrambling. If you’re up for a challenging hike, Double O Arch makes a great destination for a long morning adventure. It’s 4.1 miles round trip from the Devil’s Garden trailhead with incredible sweeping views along the way over an area filled with unique rock formations.
If you hike to Double O Arch, you’ll also encounter spur trails to Navajo Arch and Partition Arch. Adding these in makes for about a 5-mile round trip hike. The spur trails are not difficult but the main trail is challenging.
1 hour: Hike to Landscape Arch (easy, 1.9 miles)
3 hours: Hike to Landscape and Double O Arches (difficult, 4.1 miles) or add on spur trails to Partition and Navajo Arches (difficult, 5 miles)
Skyline Arch
After leaving the Devil’s Garden area and heading back down Arches Scenic Drive, you’ll quickly bump into a parking area for Skyline Arch followed by Sand Dune and Broken Arch. Each of these requires a short and easy hike but depending on how much time and energy you spent in Devil’s Garden, you may want to skip some of them.
Skyline Arch is on a 0.4 mile round trip trail on a flat and easy path with just one slope at the beginning. You don’t have to hike the whole thing to get a view of it, though. The National Park Service has a cool photo that illustrates what it looked like before and after a huge boulder fell from the opening in 1940.
30 minutes: Hike to Skyline Arch
Sand Dune & Broken Arch
You can hike to Sand Dune and Broken Arches from a shared parking area, but I recommend just walking to Sand Dune to save time if you have only 1 day in Arches National Park. Sand Dune Arch is a 0.3-mile round trip walk through a narrow passage between rock walls to a sort of hidden cove with soft orange sand. It’s a great spot to hike in Arches with kids.
Broken Arch is on a 2-mile loop, but you can hike there and back on the same path in about 1.3 miles from the Sand Dune Arch trailhead. If you’re skipping the more challenging trails in the park, you can hike this easier one instead. But otherwise, you may not have enough time.
30 minutes: Hike to Sand Dune Arch (easy, 0.3 miles)
1 hour: Hike to Sand Dune and Broken Arches (easy, about 1.4 miles)
1.5 hours: Hike to Sand Dune Arch and the Broken Arch Loop (easy, 2.1 miles)
Arches Scenic Drive Overlooks
As you make your way down the 17-mile Arches Scenic Drive, there are several spots to stop for a view. You can pick which ones catch your eye but a couple of favorites for sweeping vistas include the Fiery Furnace Overlook, the Salt Valley Overlook and Panorama Point.
Driving a portion of Arches Scenic Drive is the perfect mid-day activity to avoid long hikes in the hot sun. Panorama Point also has some picnic tables where you can enjoy lunch outdoors.
1 hour: Drive Arches Scenic Drive from Devil’s Garden to the Windows with three short stops
The Windows and Double Arch
The Windows section is one of the best places to go to see a lot of Arches National Park in one day. From Arches Scenic Drive, you’ll turn on The Windows Road. On the way, the Garden of Eden has some cool rock features you can get close to and sweeping views of the Windows with mountains in the background.
At the end of the road, you’ll hit a parking area for trailheads to Double Arch and the Windows.
A half-mile path leads to Double Arch, where two massive spans are partially connected at the base. You can walk part of the trail for a view of the whole thing or climb all the way up under it.
The Windows trail is about a mile round trip and leads right up to the North Window, South Window and Turret Arch.
The area is very popular and you should allow an hour or two to explore all the trails. There is no shade, so morning or late afternoon is better for hiking. But, with just a day in Arches National Park, you might end up here in the early afternoon.
1 hour: Hike the Double Arch and Windows trails (easy, 1.5 miles)
Balanced Rock
The trailhead for Balanced Rock is just past The Windows Road on Arches Scenic Drive. If you have extra time, you can follow an easy 0.3-mile loop to get close to it, but otherwise, just stop by for a quick view from the parking area.
20 minutes: Hike the Balanced Rock loop (easy, 0.3 miles)
Park Avenue and Courthouse Towers Viewpoints
Back toward the entrance of the park on Arches Scenic Drive, stop at the Park Avenue and Courthouse Towers Viewpoints. This section of the park has huge rock formations that tower overhead.
From the Park Avenue lot, there is a moderately difficult, 2-mile trail that drops into the canyon to explore the landscape. With only one day at Arches National Park, you probably won’t have time to hike this one. It is a less crowded alternative to the massively popular Delicate Arch and Devil’s Garden Trails, though, if that interests you.
30 minutes: Take Arches Scenic Drive from Balanced Rock to Park Avenue and Courthouse Towers views
1.5 hours: Hike the Park Avenue trail (moderate, 2 miles)
Delicate Arch Hike or Viewpoints
To end your one day in Arches National Park, make your way back up Arches Scenic Drive to Delicate Arch Road to see one of the most famous landmarks in Utah at sunset.
Delicate Arch is a 46-foot high freestanding span that pops against a wide-open backdrop. There are three main spots to see it — a lower viewpoint, upper viewpoint, and view from the base.
The Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint is a short and easy walk from the parking area, but the view is pretty distant. The Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint is separated from Delicate Arch by a canyon, but you can see it better and closer than from the lower viewpoint. From the same parking area as the lower view, you’ll follow a moderate half-mile trail uphill to reach the upper view.
The closest view cis accessed via the popular and challenging 3-mile Delicate Arch trail that climbs 480 feet up slickrock hills and around narrow ledges to the base of the arch. You can see it up close from various angles or walk right under it for a photo.
While the path is busiest at sunrise and sunset, these are the best times to avoid the heat as there is very little shade on the route. The hike takes an hour or more each way and the parking lot right by the trailhead also typically fills up around sunset. It’s best to arrive a couple of hours early or you might get stuck parking at the lower viewpoints, which adds two miles to the hike.
15 minutes: Walk to the Delicate Arch lower viewpoint (easy, 100 yards)
30 minutes: Hike to the Delicate Arch upper viewpoint (moderate, 0.5 miles)
2.5 hours: Hike to Delicate Arch (difficult, 3 miles)
Arches National Park 1 Day Itinerary Options
These one day in Arches National Park itinerary ideas are geared towards different types of travelers with activities ranging from light walking and sightseeing to adventurous hikes.
Arches National Park One Day Itinerary for Max Adventure
6-7 Arrive at Arches & drive Arches Scenic Drive to Devil’s Garden
7-10 Devil’s Garden hike to Landscape Arch, Navajo Arch, Partition Arch and Double O Arch (5 miles)
10-11 Hike to Skyline Arch and Sand Dune Arch (0.7 miles)
11-12 Drive Arches Scenic Road to the Windows with stops at overlooks & a picnic break
12-2 Hike to Double Arch, the Windows, and Turret Arch (1.5 miles)
2-3 Drive Arches Scenic Road with stops at Balanced Rock, Courthouse Towers, Park Avenue
3-4:30 Hike the Park Avenue Trail (2 miles)
4:30-5 Drive Arches Scenic Road to Delicate Arch trailhead
5-8 Hike Delicate Arch Trail for sunset (3 miles)
Total hiking: 12.2 miles
One Day Arches National Park Itinerary for Moderate Hikes
7-8 Arrive at Arches & drive Arches Scenic Drive to Devil’s Garden
8-9 Devil’s Garden hike to Landscape Arch (1.9 miles)
9-11 Hike to Sand Dune, Skyline and Broken Arches (2.2 miles)
11-12 Drive Arches Scenic Road to the Windows with overlook stops
12-1 Picnic lunch break
1-3 Hike and explore Double Arch, the Windows, and Turret Arch (1.5 miles)
3-4 Drive Arches Scenic Road with stops at Balanced Rock, Courthouse Towers, Park Avenue
4-5 Drive Arches Scenic Road to Delicate Arch trailhead
5-8 Hike Delicate Arch Trail for sunset (3 miles)
Total hiking: 8.6 miles
Arches National Park One Day Itinerary for Easy Hikes
7-8 Arrive at Arches & drive Arches Scenic Drive to Devil’s Garden
8-9 Devil’s Garden hike to Landscape Arch (1.9 miles)
9-10 Hike to Skyline Arch and Sand Dune Arch (0.7 miles)
10-11 Drive Arches Scenic Road to the Windows with scenic stops
11-12 Picnic lunch break
12-2 Hike and explore Double Arch, the Windows, and Turret Arch (1.5 miles)
2-3 Drive Arches Scenic Road with stops at Balanced Rock, Courthouse Towers, Park Avenue
3-5 Drive Arches Scenic Road to Delicate Arch lower (easy) or upper (moderate) viewpoint (up to 0.5 miles)
Total hiking: 4.6 miles
One Day in Arches Itinerary for Sightseeing
7-8 Arrive at Arches & drive Arches Scenic Drive with stops at Park Avenue, Courthouse Towers, Balanced Rock
8-10 Walk to Double Arch, the Windows, and Turret Arch (1.5 miles)
10-10:30 Drive and walk to Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint
10:30-11 Drive Arches Scenic Drive with stops at Salt Valley, Fiery Furnace and Panorama Point overlooks
11-11:30 Drive and walk to Sand Dune Arch (0.3 miles)
11:30-12 Drive and walk to Skyline Arch (0.4 miles)
12-1 Picnic lunch
1-2 Drive to the end of Arches Scenic Drive and loop back to the entrance
2-3 Check out the Visitor Center and gift shop & exit the park
3-6 Break in Moab and dinner
6-8 Return to park for sunset at a roadside viewpoint
Total hiking: 2.2 miles
Tips for Visiting Arches National Park in One Day
These Arches National Park travel tips include information for when to go, where to stay and what to pack for this Utah destination.
Where to Stay for Arches National Park
There are tons of lodges, hotels and motels in Moab to pick from. This is a popular place to stay, so accommodations tend to be pricey and fill up early. Book well ahead of your visit, especially for March through October.
Search for Moab hotels on Booking.com to find the best amenities and deals.
If you're on a budget, you can look outside of town in places like Spanish Valley, 9 miles south, Green River, 52 miles north, Monticello, 54 miles south, or Blanding, 75 miles south.
When to Visit Arches National Park
Arches National Park continues to soar in popularity in recent years, which means big crowds and high prices for nearby accommodations. The heavy tourist season is March through October, and during this time the park will often shut its entry gate in the morning when it reaches capacity. This can be as early as 7 or 8 a.m. during extra busy times like holidays and weekends.
In spring and fall, daytime temperatures average around 60 to 80, which is much more comfortable for hiking than the hot summer months. At night, it cools off to the 30s and 40s, so you’ll want to wear layers if you arrive early in the morning. In spring, you’ll have longer days than in fall, so you’ll be able to squeeze more hiking into one day in Arches National Park.
Summer at Arches is hot, with highs often above 100. The end of summer is also the monsoon season, with the risk of storms and flash floods. The summer heat can be dangerous, so stick to morning or evening hikes and shorter trails and bring plenty of water.
Winter temperatures are typically around 30 to 50 for highs and below 20 for lows. Snow and ice can accumulate and close roads and trails in the park. The white snow against red rocks makes for a gorgeous landscape, though, and there will be far fewer visitors than in the other seasons.
How to Get to Arches National Park
Arches National Park is a popular Utah road trip destination. Moab, Utah, the gateway town has a small airport with routes operated by SkyWest Airlines. The closest major airports in the region are in Salt Lake City, Utah (240 miles), Denver, Colorado (355 miles), Albuquerque, New Mexico (365 miles), Las Vegas, Nevada (455 miles), and Phoenix, Arizona (465 miles).
How Many Days at Arches National Park
One day in Arches National Park is enough time to see several arches and hike a few trails. Arriving at Arches early in the morning is absolutely essential because the gates often close by 8 a.m. and don’t reopen again until the afternoon.
You could easily fill two days in Arches if you want to do all of the official hikes or take your time enjoying the views along Arches Scenic Drive. Plan for at least two days in Moab to see both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. This Arizona and Utah road trip itinerary includes both parks.
What to Bring to Arches National Park
Food | There is no food for purchase inside the national park, so bring your own lunch and snacks. Leaving the park for lunch will take up valuable time from your one day in Arches.
Hiking shoes | If you plan to do any of the challenging trails at Arches National Park, wear a pair of hiking shoes with good traction and ankle support. Hiking boots are useful here because there are some steep trails and sandy areas.
Sun hat | Most of the trails and overlooks at Arches have no shade, so wearing a hat will help protect your face from the sun.
Sunscreen | It's important to reapply sunscreen throughout the day since the sun in the high desert can be intense.
Arches National Park Hours and Tickets
Arches is open 24 hours a day, year-round. This means that with one day in Arches National Park, you can arrive super early in the morning for a sunrise hike or stay after dark for stargazing. Between early April and early October, you need a timed entry reservation to get into the park. Arches National Park reservations open three months ahead of time for one month blocks (Feb. 1 for May, March 1 for June, April 1 for July, etc). A few tickets are released the day before at 6 p.m. MDT, but these will sell out quickly, so it’s best to reserve a space ahead of time.
Admission to Arches is $30 per car for one week of entry. You can also purchase an annual Southeast Utah Parks Pass for $55, which includes Canyonlands National Park and Natural Bridges National Monument, or the annual American the Beautiful pass for $80, which includes more than 2,000 federal recreation sites, including national parks.
