Welcome to the Arches National Park Tour
Discover Utah’s desert’s stunning formations and harsh beauty with this self-guided Arches National Park tour. Learn about iconic formations like Balanced Rock as you drive past, visit famous arches like Delicate Arch, and hike the trails that showcase what makes this place so unique!
About the Tour
Your adventure into the stunning Utah landscape begins at the visitor center by the entrance to Arches National Park. As you set off on your journey, you’ll pass the towering formation of the Three Penguins and the geological Moab Fault, then pausing at Park Avenue. You can admire the formations, colors, and layers here or hike the trail into the park.
Next, you’ll check out the distant snow-capped La Sal mountains, the iconic Three Gossips, and the towering series of formations from the Courthouse Towers to Sheep Rock.
We’ll then continue deeper into the park, admiring the petrified dunes and desert scrub while learning about the native Ute and Paiute tribes, their mythologies and way of life, and their eventual struggle against Spanish invaders and Mormon settlers.
The Arches National Park Tour will bring us to the famous Balanced Rock formation, followed quickly by the two most popular stops: the Windows Arches and Double Arch. You’ll enjoy jumping out and exploring these geological marvels up close.
Then we’ll make our way through Arches’ unique Cache Valley to Delicate Arch, the unrivaled highlight of this park. You can check out the nearby historic Wolfe Ranch and tribal petroglyphs and decide if you want to see the famous arch from a viewpoint or hike closer for the details.
Our adventure continues through the unique Salt Valley of Arches and stunning formations like the Fiery Furnace, Sand Dune Arch, Arches Forest, Skyline Arch, and Tapestry Arch. These are all optional stops and hikes.
Finally, we’ll make our way to the farthest point in the park: the Devil’s Garden. Here, we’ll hop out to visit the famous Landscape Arch as the crowning vista of a surreal landscape.
Note: Because of the inferior cell service at the park, please keep Cellular Data OFF and WiFi ON while touring in the park.
2022 Updates
Park timings
- April – September: 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- October – early November: 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- November: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- December – February: 9:00am – 4:00 p.m.
Starting Point Address: Arches National Park Visitor Center, Arches Entrance Rd, Moab, UT 84532
What You'll See
-
Arches Visitor Center
-
Three Penguins
-
Moab Fault
-
Spanish, Mormons, and Park Avenue
-
La Sal Mountains Viewpoint
-
Three Gossips
-
Courthouse Viewpoint
-
Petrified Dunes
-
Balanced Rock
-
Garden of Eden
-
The Windows
-
Double Arch and the Cove of Caves
-
National Park Status & Panorama Point
-
Cache Valley & Flash Floods
-
Turn Right: Delicate Arch Rd
-
Salt Valley
-
Fiery Furnace
-
Sand Dune Arch
-
Conclusion
Preview the Tour
Stop 1 : Welcome
Stop 3 : Arches Visitor Center
Tour FAQs
Arches has over 2,000 arches. Not only is that challenging to imagine, but it’s even a unique creation of Mother Earth! The park has the highest concentration of significant natural arches in the whole world.
If you’re a nature enthusiast or just want to see a unique part of the world, then Arches is definitely worth visiting!
If you’re planning on driving straight through, you can explore this park in just 2 hours. But if you’re planning on hitting the trails and soaking in the views, give yourself 2 to 3 days to really get a feel of what this park offers.
Since natural arches aren’t a common sight for most of us, all of the arches in the park leave visitors stunned. But if we had to narrow our sights down to the best of the best, we came up with three arches that all can be seen on tours like this one, Delicate Arch, Double Arch and Landscape Arch
The park’s most visited attraction, Delicate Arch, is right near Wolfe Ranch in the upper east side of the park.
Although both of these parks are in Utah, they offer very different experiences! Choosing which one you should visit depends on what you are looking for. Bryce offers stunning views of hoodoos while taking an Arches park tour will bring you close to iconic natural arches.
Arches National Park is full of iconic arches and other geological wonders. While the best way to explore this park is with an Arches park tour, if you’re the type who enjoys being informed before you start your adventure, here’s the park’s top 4 must-sees, The Windows, Balanced Rock, Delicate Arch and Fiery Furnace.
Arches National Park stays open all year long. So if you’re wanting a unique winter adventure, an Arches park tour might be just what you’re looking for!
Yes. The park generally only gets a little bit of snow, but that small amount provides a stunning contrast of white against red rocks.
Winter is a great time to visit if you don’t mind the ice and lack of ranger-led activities. But if you’re looking to do more intense hiking and ranger-led activities, visit during April or October. Not only will everything be open and likely ice free, but temperatures generally only reach a mild 70 degrees. But if you’re wanting to stay clear of the crowds and see a side of the park that few get to experience, the winter months are going to be your best bet.
Like most national parks in the US, Arches only allows dogs in very specific areas with a lot of restrictions. However, if you’re planning on sticking to the roads for your Arches adventure, you can easily bring your dog along with you.
Additional Information
What do we do?
Simply put, Action Tour Guide is an audio guide, map, and tour book – all in one app! We are a GPS-enabled app-based tour that narrates information based on your location right on your phone. You can experience our driving and walking tours at your own pace and literally at any time of the day!
Lifetime Validity
Changing travel date? No worries! All individual tours come with lifetime validity.
No Network Needed
The tour works offline which means you do not need your phone network to enjoy the tour. However, we do suggest you download the tour at your home, hotel, visitor center, etc before you head out for a completely immersive experience.
Not an Entry Ticket
This is not an entry ticket. You may pay the park entrance fee by purchasing an Arches National Park entrance pass upon arrival at the park (Recreation.gov). The park also honors annual or lifetime passes. Valid entrance passes accepted are: Southeast Utah Parks Annual Pass, Interagency Annual Pass, Interagency Senior Annual Pass, Interagency Access Pass, Interagency Lifetime Senior Pass, Interagency Volunteer Pass, Interagency Military Pass, Interagency 4th Grade Pass.
10 - 12 Hours
465+ Reviews
