“God doesn’t build in straight lines.”
— Often said of Arches, and rarely more true than here
Across this stretch of Utah desert, gravity feels optional, and stone curves into forms that shouldn’t exist. Arches National Park is home to more than 2,000 natural arches, but each one feels like its own discovery. Time, wind, and erosion turned sandstone into sculpture.
Before this was a park, it was a canvas shaped by ancient rivers, shifting salt beds, and quiet patience. What remains today is a landscape that looks more imagined than built, like Earth showing off a little.
This self-guided audio tour follows you through the park, telling the stories behind what you see. No cell signal needed, no tour group to keep up with. Just you, the road, and a front-row seat to deep time.
You’ll spot the towering Three Gossips, the balancing act of Balanced Rock, and arches so massive they feel like doorways to another planet. Walk beneath the spans of Double Arch and the Windows. Trace ancient petroglyphs near Wolfe Ranch. Stand in awe at Delicate Arch, rising from stone like a natural monument.
Farther in, explore the Fiery Furnace, gaze at Skyline Arch, and visit the impossibly thin Landscape Arch at the edge of Devil’s Garden.
Disclaimer: No filters required. And no, that red dust never fully comes out of your shoes.
Note:
- Because of the inferior cell service at the park, please keep Cellular Data OFF and WiFi ON while touring in the park.
- For all road closure updates and more, please visit the National Park Service website.
Alert: Timed Entry Reservation Pilot 2025
To enter the park April 1–July 6 and August 28–October 31, 2025, most visitors will need a Timed Entry Ticket. Tickets may be purchased from Recreation.gov up to six months ahead. Extra tickets release at 7pm nightly for next-day visits. For Booking please visit here.
View this alert:
https://www.nps.gov/arch/
BONUS TOUR: It also includes Walking Tour of Delicate Arch Trail as a Bonus Tour.
2025 Updates
- In 2025, entry tickets are required from 7 am to 4 pm daily from April 1 through July 6, and August 28 through October 31.
- Visit Recreation.gov for park access and details.
Note: Interagency passes do not cover this fee. For detailed info, visit the Recreation.gov Help Center.
Visitor Center Timings
- Sunday 8:00 AM–4:00 PM
- Monday 8:00 AM–4:00 PM
- Tuesday 8:00 AM–4:00 PM
- Wednesday 8:00 AM–4:00 PM
- Thursday 8:00 AM–4:00 PM
- Friday 8:00 AM–4:00 PM
- Saturday 8:00 AM–4:00 PM
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Arches National Park Map
Where To Start?
Starting Point Address: Arches Entrance Rd, Moab, UT 84532, USA
How Does It Work?
- Once you book a tour, you’ll get a text/email with instructions.
- Download the app (while in good wifi/signal) and use your unique password to access your tours. If there are multiple versions or entrances for your tour, be sure to download all audio guides.
- To begin touring, go to the starting point and launch the app.
- The audio starts automatically once you reach the starting point. Stick to the tour route and speed limit for the best experience.
- Please note that no one will meet you at the starting point.
Audio Story Highlights
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Arches Entrance Rd
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Arches Visitor Center
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Three Penguins
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The Ute and Paiute tribes
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Moab Fault
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Park Avenue
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Four Formations
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How it came to be
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La Sal Mountains
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Courthouse viewpoint
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Petrified Dunes
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The Great Wall & Early Humans
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Balanced Rock
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Portals Across Time
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Double Arch and the Cove of Caves
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National Park Status & Panorama Point
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Cache Valley & Flash Floods
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Delicate Arch Rd
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Desert Varnish & Olympic Glory
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Salt Valley
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Fiery Furnace
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Doc Williams & Wildlife
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Sand Dune Arch
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Arches Forest
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Skyline Arch & Tapestry Arch
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Devil's Garden Trail
Preview The Tour
Tour FAQs
Late spring and early fall are among the best times to visit Arches National Park. Temperatures are cooler, crowds are thinner, and there’s still plenty of daylight to enjoy the park.
It takes 3-4 hours just to drive around the whole park, but you’ll almost certainly want to leave extra time to stop at some of the bigger attractions or embark on a few hikes.
While you can technically see both Arches National Park and Canyonlands in one day, you might end up feeling a bit pressed for time. To fully enjoy your experience, you may want to budget at least a full day for each park.
There are many ways to tour Arches National Park, but the best way is with your own vehicle. Tour buses do run through the park, but they can be expensive, and exploring on someone else’s schedule is often restrictive.
Arches National Park is busier than Canyonlands by a longshot. In fact, three times as many people visit Arches every year! Canyonlands sees about 500,000 annual visitors, while Arches receives around 1.5 million.
Dogs are allowed in Arches National Park, but there are a lot of restrictions that come with that. Most trails don’t allow dogs, and furry travelers also need to be kept on a leash at all times.
Arches National Park is absolutely worth visiting! With a higher concentration of natural stone arches than anywhere else in the world, this is a totally unique place you have to experience in person.
While there’s no “best” arch in Arches National Park, the most popular one is definitely Delicate Arch. This iconic, free-standing arch is the quintessential formation of the park.
Arches National Park is located in southern Utah. It’s part of Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks, a chain of amazing parks which are all very close together.
The clue is in the name! The natural stone arches which define Arches National Park are super rare anywhere else in the country, but here there are over 2,000 of them!
Saturdays and Sundays are the park’s busiest days. This is especially true around Easter, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.
Most towns around Arches National Park are quite small and don’t offer much in the way of attractions, but towns like Moab do feature a fun taste of the American west.
Only during certain times. If you arrive at the park before 7am or after 4pm, you can enter without a reservation. Otherwise, you’ll need to book a timed reservation on the National Park Service website.
No. Although you don’t need a reservation to get into the park after 4pm, you’ll still need a park pass to enter.