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.
2024 Updates
Between April and October, you need to book your Timed Entry Ticket to enter Arches. Book your ticket here: https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10088426
The ticket costs $2. Visitors entering the park in a vehicle between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. must have already purchased a Timed Entry Ticket from Recreation.gov before reaching the park.
One ticket is needed per vehicle. This fee is a Recreation.gov service charge, so it is not waived by any of the interagency passes.
Visit the article on the Recreation.gov Help Center for detailed information on purchasing a reservation.
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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Tour Map
Where To Start?
Starting Point Address: Arches National Park Visitor Center, Arches Entrance Rd, Moab, UT 84532
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.
What You'll See
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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.
Inclusions and Exclusions
App on your phone: A link to download the Action Tour Guide App and Password for your tours. Easy to use: Stories play automatically by GPS. Hands-free. Get HELP all day: Call, Chat, or Email. Flexible schedule: Use any day, any time. Valid for multiple visits up to 1 year after purchase. Interactive audio stories: Experience local history and culture through clear, concise narratives from experienced narrators. At your own pace: No group. Take breaks for photos, snacks, hikes. Go at your own pace. Offline use: No cell signal or wifi required. Offline GPS Map & route. Stop-to-stop direction. Don’t miss a thing: Full itinerary, travel tips, professionally narrated videos, text, and hidden gems. 
Transportation, parking fees, food, and drinks. Entry tickets or reservations to any attractions along the route. Car Rental: Please arrange a rental car at the closest airport or train station.
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