Our first trip to Arches National Park was August, 2018 via Zion National park. Located in southern Utah, Arches is a mere 15 hour drive from our home state of Washington, a distance easily traveled in one long or two moderate days. Hence, our first thought was “how did we miss this all of these years?” I have since come to think of Arches as the Disneyland of the parks (in a good way) as it is easily accessible, beautiful and pristine, and fun for all ages and abilities. The park welcomes you in and leads you through on a meandering road. One natural wonder after another is revealed to entice you, and you haven’t even left the car yet. Once you park and get out you can experience these delights up close and personal. I would describe our first experience as euphoric and returning at least once, every year since, we have never been disappointed.

Arches National Park lies in the high desert of southeast Utah and is part of the Colorado Plateau. It is just five miles north of Moab, Utah on US-191. Arches was originally designated a national monument by President Herbert Hoover on April 12, 1929. It became our nation’s 34th national park in 1971 under the Nixon administration. Relatively small at 76,518 acres, it contains the world’s greatest concentration, over 2,000, of natural stone arches, in addition to pinnacles, natural fins, giant balanced rocks and spires, all in shades of red. Many of these are easy to admire from one main park road without even leaving your vehicle, or up close from easily accessible trailheads and short, easy to moderate hikes. Climbing is forbidden on the arches.

The park is open 24 hours per day every day of the year. There is only one visitor center, just inside the park entrance, open every day except Christmas. Visitor center hours vary by season. The park is busiest from March to October, and crowded in the summer months. Parking lots at trailheads often fill up before 7:30am, causing the park to temporarily restrict access until the congestion decreases. Periods of restricted access can last 3 to 5 hours. It is recommended that you enter before 8am or after 3pm. Located in the high desert, the temperature in Arches can fluctuate 40 degrees during the day in any season. The best time to visit is April to May or September to October when daytime highs are 60 to 80 and the lows are 30 to 50. The park does not receive a lot of snowfall, but even a little can make roads and trails impassable and road closures are possible after snow and even rain. Winter highs range from 30 to 50 with lows from 0 to 20, while summer highs are 100 degrees plus. Late summer carries the added threat of monsoon season with the possibility of violent storms and flash flooding.

There is only one campground and no lodges in Arches National Park. The Devils Garden campground has 51 sites and is open year round. From November thru February sites are available first come first served. From March 1 thru October 31 reservations are required and sites can be reserved up to six months in advance. There are two ADA accessible sites available year round for people with disabilities; one on a first come first served basis and one by reservation only. There are also two group sites. No RVs or trailers are allowed in the group sites but may be welcome in other sites. Maximum RV length in the campground is 40 feet, but check specific site restrictions as each site ranges in length from 20 to 40 feet. Drinking water is available in the campground and all sites have picnic tables and grills, but there are no hookups. Generators are allowed from 8am to 10am and 4pm to 8pm. There is typically no cell service available in the Devils Garden campground, but service may be available in other parts of the park. There are no services inside Arches National Park. The nearest food, gas and supplies can be found five miles away from the park entrance in Moab, or a 45 to 60 minute drive from camp. Overnight backpacking is allowed in a small number of designated sites and zones. Permits are required and available at the visitor center. Other campgrounds and lodging options are available outside the park in the Moab area.

Arches is a park for all ages and abilities with many ADA accessible areas. Visitors can enjoy everything from an 18 mile scenic drive to backpacking, horseback riding, rock climbing (not allowed on the arches) or canyoneering. Sign up for a ranger led program in the Fiery Furnace area or enjoy an easy climb to Double Arch in the windows section of the park. Here you can climb up and view the arch from directly underneath. From the Devils Garden trailhead hike to Landscape Arch, the longest arch in North America and second longest in the world reaching 306 feet from base to base. Or take a three mile strenuous sunset or sunrise hike to iconic Delicate Arch. Other popular attractions are Sand Dune Arch, Broken Arch, the Park Avenue Trail, Balanced Rock and the Garden of Eden. When hiking in Arches, bring plenty of water and wear sturdy shoes for good traction on the uneven ground.

The story so far:

On our first road trip in 2018 we spent a morning in Zion National Park then drove to Moab, Utah. We exited Zion on the east side of the park and took US-89 north intending to stop at Bryce Canyon National Park on our way. A rainstorm and overlooked time change caused a change in plans and we continued on to I-70 east. The drive through canyon after canyon of red rock formations was breathtaking in itself. Some of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen to this day were along that route. It was hard to imagine that anything better could await us. However, as we turned on US-191 and drove farther south nearing Moab we began to see glimpses of Arches National Park to the east. As we drove into town we could see the visitor center from the highway nestled at the base of soaring red rock cliffs. We knew this was going to be good and could hardly wait to visit the next morning. Exhausted from our long day, we checked into the Holiday Inn on the north end of town where we had a view of the park entrance from our window, ordered a pizza, and went to bed early.

The next morning we were up before sunrise and on our way. The park entrance was barely five minutes from our hotel. We drove past the visitor center where the road immediately takes you winding upward along the red cliff walls. At the top, the road levels out onto a plateau and we passed the natural fins and Balancing Rock on our way to The Windows section. Here we got out, and as the sun was coming up, hiked around an easy trail to Turret Arch. Opting for the Primitive Loop trail, we ended up going around, back up and, with a little scrambling, through the North Window Arch. Just across the road we walked the short, easy trail to Double Arch. Sarah scrambled up the boulders to the top where she could sit directly under the impressive arch with a magnificent view of the park. I only made it about half way, mainly because I wasn’t sure I would make it back down. I was amazed that in a matter of minutes anyone could drive up and have full access to these phenomenal sights. Both trails were at least in part well groomed and the Double Arch trail is rated partially ADA accessible. We had never seen anything like this and rarely anything as beautiful and we were content to just sit in these spaces and take it all in. Eventually we moved on and after a stop at the visitor center to collect our passport stamps, we were back at our hotel before they stopped serving the complimentary breakfast. On our way out of town we took a quick driving tour of Moab to see some of the places Neil Peart had mentioned, including a stop at the “friendly post office” to mail some postcards.

In 2019, we returned to Utah on Memorial Day weekend to visit all five parks, a trip documented in our blog “Shapes and Forms: Utah 5 in 4.” We were eager to show Arches to Sarah’s husband, Jarad. We again arrived early and drove to The Windows section and Double Arch repeating our prior experience. Although these are quick attractions, not like a hard-earned view of Landscape Arch or one of the more difficult to reach sites, we find ourselves always drawn back to this area of the park. It is no less magnificent because of its easy accessibility. These areas do fill up fast, but arriving as early as we do we often have them to ourselves. We also drove down to the Delicate Arch trailhead, but the parking was already full and we continued on to one of the viewpoints instead. This was a quick visit and we were soon on our way to catch a flight at the Salt Lake City airport.

In 2020, Sarah and I drove to Colorado to visit all four of their parks on our “Rocky Mountain High Colorado Tour.” On our return we came back to Arches and spent the night camping at Devils Garden. We arrived in Moab in the early afternoon and stopped at the grocery store for supplies. We didn’t have any trouble entering the park in the afternoon and drove straight to the campground and checked in. Our spot was just inside the campground and close, but not too close, to the restroom. It was hot that afternoon. For some reason I thought the temperature was in the mid 80s and I was surprised at how heated I felt setting up camp. There was very little shade in the area. After a short rest we decided to hike to a couple of the arches nearby. The first was Tapestry Arch. We got off track at one point but realized our mistake and were soon back on the trail. Never comfortable on the uneven rocks, I found a place to sit and admire the arch while Sarah hiked the rest of the way right up to it. From there we headed toward Broken Arch, but I decided I probably wouldn’t make it over the rocky section and sent Sarah on ahead. I was feeling very frustrated by how hot I was at this point. My body was reacting like it was a hundred degrees! Back at our camp we made our dinner. Most of the trip we had eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwiches but we had picked up turkey sandwiches at the store plus macaroni salad and watermelon. Compared to peanut butter and jelly it felt like quite a feast (Sarah still can’t believe she lived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a week while 20-something weeks pregnant). After a rest and deciding it wasn’t getting any cooler, we took a drive to see where else we would want to hike. This is when I saw the car temperature and realized it was actually 97 degrees. This made me feel so much better! We drove to Sand Dune Arch and quickly hiked in through the deep sand, in some places hot on our feet and other times cold. I still had that sand coming out of my shoes when I got them out for another trip the following spring. I was having as much fun as Sarah was now and I was marveling at all the arches. It is called Arches for a reason. We drove back to the Devils Garden Trailhead and hiked to Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch. By now the sun was starting to go down and we headed back to our camp. The temperature never dropped below 70 all night and we slept with our tent flaps open with a view of the stars. The next morning we had to drive all the way back to Washington State so we were up very early to take down our camp. Still we made time to return to the Windows Section and Double Arch before leaving the park. We were the first ones to arrive in the early morning and found it just as exhilarating as always. A wedding party showed up before we left and it was fun to see everyone in their finery against the lovely natural backdrop of Double Arch.

In 2021, we made two return trips to the park. First, in March, we stopped overnight on our “Canyons and Cactus Remastered” road trip. This time we had Sarah’s husband, Jarad, and their new baby, Peart, with us. It happened to be Peart’s first national park visit! We arrived in Moab in the early evening and after getting Peart settled down and to bed, repeated our first experience and ordered pizza to our room. We stayed at the Springhill Suites by Marriott hotel on the north end of town, under 3 miles and only six minutes from the Arches visitor center. Our plan was originally to attempt the Delicate Arch hike at sunrise, but the freezing temperatures meant a possibility of slick conditions on the trail and I am not known for my sure footedness. Instead we made it a quick visit and drove to the windows section to watch the sunrise through the North Window arch. We arrived in the dark before anyone else except one friendly, but serious, photographer who was already waiting with his equipment set up. The temperature was only 24 degrees and although we had come prepared and bundled up, the wind was bitingly cold, especially to 2 month old Peart. As the time for sunrise neared more and more people arrived and it became pretty crowded up on the arch. After waiting so long I was surprised when Sarah announced with just a couple minutes to go that she was done and going to the car. Jarad and I continued to wait it out until the anticlimactic end. For some reason I expected some brilliant sunburst at the allotted time, but in reality the sky just became light. However, in the middle we watched the changing colors as the sun’s rays peaked out from behind the horizon in the distance and it was a gorgeous and invigorating start to the day. Even if the final moments didn’t wow me, the overall experience was incredible and worthwhile. Of course we made another quick stop to admire Double Arch and then headed back to the visitor center where we were disappointed to find that the hours of operation had changed due to Covid and we were not able to get Peart his first passport stamp in his first park. We headed south where a much warmer climate awaited.

Sarah, Jarad, and Peart returned again in August. Once again staying at the Springhill Suites by Marriott, they had easy access to the park. They got up early one morning and hiked, in the dark, to Delicate Arch where they were the first ones to arrive and watch the sunrise. They also visited the Devils Garden area and hiked to Broken Arch and Pine Tree Arch. And most important, a kind ranger at the visitor center changed the passport stamp back to Peart’s original visit date so he could stamp his passport with that first momentous occasion.

We are not finished with Arches yet. We still have unfulfilled missions to complete in and around the park. One day I will make the trek to Delicate Arch, likely with Jarad to hold my hand and guide me over the rough spots. There is still plenty to see in the Devil's Garden area. We have yet to stop and walk around Balanced Rock and I would like to explore the Courthouse Towers and Park Avenue Trail. Sarah would like to hike the 8 miles around the entire Devil’s Garden area, and when Peart turns 5 years old, she plans to take him to hike Fiery Furnace (the minimum age allowed on the hike). And, of course, we never tire of our traditional haunts. Even if one day we have seen it all, we will still want to see it again. I would also like to do more exploration of the town of Moab. In “Ghost Rider” Neil Peart wrote that “Moab proved to be the perfect small town, at least by the Ghost Rider’s exacting criteria - those being that a town should have a decent motel, a good restaurant, a small museum of local history, a friendly post office, and a well-stocked liquor store.” He also gave it a rave review for “its isolated and spectacular setting, its lack of crowds, traffic, and ‘Californicator’ attitudes, and it's feeling of being an oasis of culture in the middle of thousands of square miles of forbidding wilderness.” In recent years we would have to take exception to the traffic and crowds, but otherwise can agree wholeheartedly with his assessment. On this visit in October, 1998 Neil Peart writes about hiking in the Devil's Garden area of the park, and sheltering under Navajo Arch to eat his lunch in the rain. Perhaps on our next visit we will visit Navajo Arch and maybe even have better luck than he did with the weather.