Arches National Park

Dan and I planned a road trip in 2022 so that we could visit the last three national parks in Utah that I had not seen: Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef. The park he was least looking forward to was Arches due to the intense crowds that he had experienced the last time he had gone. After our two days spent there, it turned into his favorite national park for that trip. Arches is really, really busy and it is basically along a single road that winds through the park. So when he went originally he spent a majority of it in a car, and a majority of it in bad traffic. We found that going during off season (November) and getting out to walk the trails makes it feel way less busy. 

What to Do?

Devil’s Garden/Primitive Loop

The big hike that we chose to do was the Devil’s Garden and Primitive Trail Loop (8 miles). While this is a popular trail, we found that most people tend to go a few miles in before turning around, instead of completing the whole loop. The reason we chose this trail was so that we could see as many of the arches as we could. On this trail alone there are at least 9 arches.

The Devil’s Garden portion of the trail is pretty straight forward. It is way more trafficked and the trail is pretty easy to follow. The Primitive Trail is a little more technical, with some climbing on rock features and it not being traveled as much. There were a few times on the Primitive Trail that we double-checked our map to make sure we were still on the trail. We found the Primitive Trail to be slightly more fun because of the climbing, but there are not nearly as many arches along this portion of the trail.

Certainly the most famous feature in the park is Delicate Arch. In order to avoid the crowds we woke up before sunrise to start hiking our way to the arch. Because of this we definitely had less people on the trail with us, but it got decently crowded as we started making our way out (not peak season crowded, however).

Delicate Arch

Fiery Furnace

Unfortunately we were not aware of the Fiery Furnace hike before we arrived at Arches so we were not able to go any part of it. Due to how maze-like the trail is and how delicate the features are, you either need to take a ranger-led tour or acquire a permit to hike it by yourself. On the trail there is some climbing over rocks and moving through tight spaces. Even though it is a shorter hike it does require some athletic ability due to the technicality of it. You can get a ticket for a ranger-led hike or the permit to explore on your own at recreation.gov. The individual permits can only be booked a week in advance. If you are able to obtain a permit you will need to pick it up at the Arches Visitor Center, where you will be required to watch an educational video on the hike. The video is to help individuals that are traveling through the Fiery Furnace to stay safe and to protect the fragile features.

  • Broken Arch Loop Trail: 2.3 miles

  • Windows Loop: 1 mile

Other Recommended Trails:

Where to Stay?

 

The ideal location to stay at is Moab, Utah. This town is located only 5 miles away from the entrance to Arches National Park. This is a small town that is wildly popular due to its close location to Arches and Canyonlands, as well as various other state parks and jeep trails. There are plenty of places to stay and eat while you are here. Due to all of the attractions nearby, Moab can be incredibly crowded during peak seasons and holidays. Prices also might be higher for lodging and gas during those times as well.

Quick Facts: