When to go
Conditions, crowds, and what each season asks you to pack.
Spring
Highs climb from the 60s into the mid 80s F, with cool nights and the odd windstorm.
Pack Layers for cold mornings, sun protection, and at least two liters of water per person.
Summer
95-100F
Highs routinely hit 95-100F-plus with intense sun and little shade.
Pack Hike at dawn, carry extra water, and pack electrolytes and a wide-brim hat.
Fall
Highs ease from the 80s back into the 60s F, with crisp, clear nights.
Pack A warm layer for evenings plus the same sun and water basics.
Winter
Highs in the 30s to 40s F, with occasional snow dusting the red rock.
Pack Insulation, traction for icy slickrock, and a camera for snow-on-sandstone shots.
Top things to do
Delicate Arch
The 3-mile round-trip hike to Utah's iconic freestanding arch climbs open slickrock with no shade, so go early or near sunset.
Landscape Arch
An easy 1.6-mile round trip in Devils Garden to the longest arch in North America, spanning 306 feet.
The Windows Section
Short, family-friendly trails reach North Window, South Window, and Double Arch in under a mile each.
Fiery Furnace
A maze of sandstone fins you can explore by ranger-led hike or self-guided permit; navigation is genuinely tricky.
Park Avenue
A 1-mile one-way walk between towering rock walls, great as a first stop on the scenic drive.
Anchor the day around Delicate Arch
Put the access rule first: shuttle, parking, timed-entry, or reservation windows should decide the order of the day. For one day in Arches, make Delicate Arch the non-negotiable, add Landscape Arch only if the first stop runs clean, and keep The Windows Section as the flexible finish.
- 1Start with Delicate Arch: The 3-mile round-trip hike to Utah's iconic freestanding arch climbs open slickrock with no shade, so go early or near sunset.
- 2Add Landscape Arch: An easy 1.6-mile round trip in Devils Garden to the longest arch in North America, spanning 306 feet.
- 3Use The Windows Section as the optional finish, not as a reason to rush the whole day.
Plan your trip
Build one complete pack brief from Arches's season, activity, and trip length. Fine-tune an individual calculation only if you need it.
Fine-tune water, pack size, warmth, or stove fuel
Build around conditions
Let season, elevation, and weather set the plan.
Plan your trip
2 quick tools, already seeded for Arches. Tune the numbers around temperature swings, footing, layers, and how much margin the route needs.
What to pack
Start with the gear decisions Arches changes: water, footing, weather, and overnight needs. The checklist is there once your route and dates are set.
Kit Authority
Arches packing list
0 of 16 packed. Check items as you pack, then take this list to the store, trailhead, or campsite.
Pack planning
Decide what Arches asks of your kit before you start checking boxes.
Use this as a constraint check while you are still shaping the trip. The active checklist becomes useful once your route, dates, and sleep plan are set.
- First constraintHydration and exposureWater, Electrolyte mix, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, 4 more
- Route realityFooting and tractionHiking boots, Hiking socks, Trekking poles
- Load choicePack and carry systemDaypack
- Season checkLayers for conditionsMoisture-wicking base layers, Rain jacket, Insulated jacket, 1 more
Checklist mode
16 items, grouped for the trip you are actually taking.
- Dates and season are set.
- Primary route, campground, or lodge is chosen.
- Water, footwear, and overnight needs are sized.
One researched pick
The first gear decision for Arches
A stable daypack is the one purchase that organizes water, layers, food, first aid, and the small safety margin.
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THE DAY-HIKE PICK
Osprey Talon 22
- Volume
- 22 L
- Weight
- 2 lb 1 oz (945 g)
- Back Panel
- AirScape foam with ventilation channels
- Hipbelt Pockets
- 2 zippered
- Hydration
- Compatible up to 3 L reservoir (sold separately)
- Warranty
- All Mighty Guarantee (lifetime repair or replace)
The Talon 22 is the daypack you see on the trail more than any other for good reason: it packs in a padded hipbelt, adjustable torso harness, and dual hipbelt pockets into a 22-liter package that handles loads up to 20 lb without complaint. Owners across hundreds of Amazon ratings consistently cite its adjustability and durability as standouts.
- Adjustable torso fit covers a wide range of body sizes
- Padded hipbelt and dual hipbelt pockets at this size are rare
- At 2 lb 1 oz it runs heavier than ultralight rivals for the same volume
Best for
Hikers who want a proven all-around daypack with solid load support, plenty of adjustment, and a warranty they can actually use.
Gear for Arches
The buying guides that match what Arches asks of your kit. Each one has our current top picks across budget and use case.
Where to stay
Stay strategy
Sleep where the first morning stays simple.
Stay strategy
Base in Moab unless you land a Devils Garden campsite.
Arches is compact, but heat and parking make the lodging decision matter. Moab is five miles from the entrance and has the services you need for dawn starts, water refills, food, and outfitters. Devils Garden is the only in-park campground, and it is the low-friction option if you can reserve it.
- Default base
- Moab, 5 mi south of the entrance
- Inside camping
- Devils Garden, 51 sites
- Best strategy
- Enter before the heat and parking rush
- No shuttle
- A vehicle is essential
Compare base options
Compare each base by the first morning: where you park, what you ride, and how many decisions happen before the trail or viewpoint.
Default base
Moab
- Best for
- Hotels, restaurants, water, gear, Arches plus Canyonlands trips, and flexible dawn starts
- Tradeoff
- Room rates rise hard in spring and fall.
Planning detail
Moab keeps the logistics simple. Stay close to US-191 if your goal is an early Delicate Arch hike, then return to town for midday heat and go back for sunset or stargazing.
Inside the park
Devils Garden Campground
- Best for
- Campers who want night skies and quick access to the north end of the scenic drive
- Tradeoff
- Only 51 sites, with peak-season reservations needed well ahead.
Planning detail
This is the only developed campground in Arches. It is best when your trip is built around Devils Garden, Landscape Arch, and staying after dark without driving back to town.
Overflow
BLM and Colorado River corridor camping
- Best for
- Lower-cost camping when Moab rooms or Devils Garden sites are gone
- Tradeoff
- You trade bathrooms, shade, and short drives for price and availability.
Planning detail
Use nearby public-land campgrounds and dispersed areas only with current local rules in hand. Fill water and fuel in Moab before committing to a dry camp.
Heat plan
Treat lodging as your midday retreat in summer, not just a place to sleep.
Pairing parks
If Canyonlands is also on the plan, Moab is still the most efficient base.
Camping reservations
Camping reservations
Arches has one campground; treat the 6-month mark as a hard deadline.
Devils Garden is the only campground in the park, 51 sites that are full essentially every night from March through October. Standard sites open on Recreation.gov at 10 am Eastern, six months ahead; miss your date and the fallback is Moab or BLM land, not another loop.
Reviewed June 11, 2026
Booking window
Standard sites book up to 6 months ahead (released at 10 am Eastern, no later than 4 days before arrival) for stays March 1 through October 31; group sites book up to 12 months ahead; November through February is first-come, first-served.
- Timed-entry reservations were lifted for 2026, so a campsite is the surest way to be inside the park for sunrise without an entrance line.
- Winter (November 1 to February 28) runs first-come with Recreation.gov Scan and Pay; download the app before arriving, since the campground has no cell service.
- Devils Garden sits 18 miles inside the park with no services or hookups; fuel, food, and firewood coupons all come from the Moab side.
Where to book or verify
The official Devils Garden page: seasons, fees, rules, and the reservation calendar.
The campground's direct Recreation.gov booking page.
Check for federal campground, backcountry, tour, and permit inventory tied to this park.
Required for the park's few designated backcountry sites.
Use this for wilderness permits, timed systems, tours, and other park-specific reservations.
Campgrounds to know
Devils Garden Campground
Details- Booking
- Up to 6 months ahead at 10 am Eastern for March through October stays; latest booking is 4 days out.
- Season
- Open year-round; reservation season is March 1 to October 31.
- Sites
- 51 tent and RV sites (20 to 40 feet), no hookups, drinking water and flush toilets in season.
- Camped among the fins at the end of the park road, with the Devils Garden trailhead and dark skies out your tent door.
Canyon Wren and Juniper group sites
Details- Booking
- Up to 12 months ahead on Recreation.gov.
- Season
- Juniper Basin March 1 to October 31; Canyon Wren year-round.
- Sites
- Tent-only group sites for 11 to 55 people; no RVs or trailers.
- The only group camping in the park, inside Devils Garden Campground.
Backcountry camping at Arches
Details- Booking
- Permit required; capacity is a handful of designated sites.
- Season
- Year-round, weather permitting.
- Sites
- A small number of designated backpacking sites reached by off-trail travel.
- Harder than it sounds: route finding, no water, and no trails. Most campers should plan on Devils Garden or Moab instead.
Getting there and practical info
Plan the handoff from arrival to shuttle.
Parking, pedestrian entrances, and shuttle timing decide how calmly the first morning starts.
Getting there
Get to Arches, then remove the first-morning friction.
- Nearest airport
- Canyonlands Regional Airport (CNY) in Moab is about 20 minutes away with limited service; most visitors fly into Grand Junction, Colorado (GJT), roughly 1.75 hours away, or Salt Lake City (SLC), about 3.5 to 4 hours by car.
- Access rhythm
- Car required
- Region
- Utah
Car strategy
The only entrance is off US Highway 191, about 5 miles north of Moab in southeastern Utah.
Access note
From Grand Junction, Colorado, it is roughly 1.75 hours via I-70 west to US-191 south; from Salt Lake City it is about 3.5 to 4 hours.
Shuttle access
A single 18-mile paved scenic drive runs the length of the park to Devils Garden, with spur roads and trailheads along the way.
Pair this with lodging: sleep where the park transfer is simple, especially if your route needs an early start.
Can you photograph here? Permit and drone rules
Arches needs no permit for ordinary small-group shooting after the EXPLORE Act, but timed entry and the no-climbing-the-arches rules shape every shoot.
- Permit
- Usually fine for personal shoots; commercial or large productions can need a permit
- Drones
- Effectively banned: launching, landing, or operating a drone within park boundaries is prohibited
- Land
- Yes for personal and editorial photography throughout the park
From our photography sister site, Aperture Authority. Verified 2026-06-28.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a reservation to enter Arches National Park?
No. The timed-entry reservation requirement that ran in recent years has been lifted for 2026, so you can enter anytime during operating hours. That said, the entrance station and popular lots fill fast on spring and fall mornings, so arriving before 8 a.m. or after 3 p.m. helps you avoid lines and find parking.
How much time do you need at Arches?
A full day lets you drive the 18-mile scenic road and walk most short trails, including the Windows and Landscape Arch. To add the Delicate Arch hike comfortably, give yourself a day and a half. If you only have a few hours, focus on the Windows Section and Park Avenue, which deliver big views for little effort.
What should I bring to Arches?
Water is the priority: pack at least two liters per person, since trails are exposed and there is almost no shade. Add strong sun protection, a hat, sturdy closed-toe shoes for slickrock, and layers for cool mornings and evenings. In summer, electrolytes and a dawn start are essential to beat the heat.
Is the Delicate Arch hike hard?
It is moderately strenuous: 3 miles round trip with about 480 feet of climbing, much of it up open slickrock with no shade. Most fit hikers finish in two to three hours. Carry plenty of water, avoid the midday heat in summer, and watch your footing near the arch, where the trail crosses a narrow ledge.
Keep planning
Compare with another park
Nearby parks
CanyonlandsThree remote districts of canyons carved by the Green and Colorado rivers, with high-desert overlooks and dark night skies.
Capitol ReefA 100-mile wrinkle of red rock cliffs and hidden canyons, with a historic fruit orchard you can pick from in season.
Mesa VerdeOver 5,000 ancestral Puebloan sites, including cliff dwellings you can climb into on a ranger-led tour.Trail guides in Utah