Arches National Park

A great place to see. you can spend between 3 hours to a full day. If you are hoking then you need at least half a day. don't miss the balanced rock, tunnel arch, and many more.
We highly recommend to spend between half an hour to a hour more, and get to the arches park thru road 128 (from road 70, take exit 204 to Cisco), instead of the high way. It takes more time but the scenery is breath taking. A ranger in colorado national monument recommended us and it was a great tip.

Absolutely Amazing! The things people have written are true, and the word epic is appropriate here, not for sandwiches and youtube videos. My wife and I wanted to do a couple hikes a day, with driving in between as neither of us are professional canyoneers! If youre like us, I recommend the scenic drive, stopping at every viewpoint, hiking the shorter trails to things like the balancing rock (0.3 miles but worth every second), the windows/turret arch (0.3 miles but probably the best short hike) and the skyline arch (0.4 miles but also simply stunning). There used to be an enormous boulder in this arch but it collapsed in 1976 and you can see the rockfall if you hike this flat and easy trail. Sand Dune Arch is supposed to be the easiest at 0.3 miles, and is great for kids but we skipped that one. We did all this in about 6 to 7 hours, but I know there's a lot of harder more rewarding trails and arches.

Arches National Park will blow your mind if you have never seen anything like it before. The landscape is like an elevated island of old rock formations that have slowly been worn down by weather over years and years of erosion!

Once you enter the park there will be a few somewhat cool spots but keep driving cause the coolest stuff is further down near the end of the park! There is also a really sweet hike you can do through the canyon or out to the overly famous delicate arch!

Pro Tip: Head into the park early in the morning, have a big lunch in Moab during the day and head back for the evening. The park can get pretty busy during the day but seems to empty out just before sunset!

Loved this place! You can view the natural beauty of the rock formations from the car all the way to skilled hikes with a guild. The park rangers give free talks. Plan to stay in Moab, UT for a few days. Moab, UT is a fun town with many extreme sports to choose from. Arches is less crowded then Brice Canyon and Zion with has similar rock formations.

Here's our blog post about our visit to Moab, Arches NP, and Canyonlands NP. Wonderful place!

http://justournature.blogspot.com/2011/10/moab.html

I have to say, this is one of my favorite places on earth. There is something incredibly special about Arches National Park. Even though I live in Cincinnati and am a mother to 4 boys, I've managed to get to Arches 4 times since 2007 when I first visited. I love that it is compact but there is so much to see and do. I love that in one day, you can see so many amazing sites.

My advice to anyone visiting for only one day: get there early and go straight to the Delicate Arch parking lot and hike up to this unbelievable arch. Once you arrive, spend time up there! Don't just get there, take a few pictures, and go on to the next spot. Sit down, have a snack, explore all of the different angles of the arch. Take some fun photos underneath the arch (ours usually involved some sort of crazy jumping photos, or even a handstand). Take in the beauty as long as it takes (at least an hour). When you've gotten your fill, work your way back down to your car and go back out to the main road and go right to where the hike for Landscape Arch is. Landscape is another special arch. Enjoy it and if you have time, explore that area. Once back at your car, work your way to the Windows section. Climb all around them and visit Turret Arch while you are there. See the Windows from there. Don't miss a quick visit to Double Arch on the other side of the parking lot. It is a cool one. Lastly, stop by Balanced Rock. Don't just view it from afar but park in the lot and walk around the entire rock. It is spectacular.

There is so much more to Arches but if you only have one day, that is what I'd do. It is a special park and a "don't you dare miss" spot if you are anywhere near Moab.

***Must have an appointment to enter the park***
We purchased the yearly pass and visited multiple National Parks on our vacation through New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah so it was very disappointing to find out at the Arches park entry that an appointment is necessary.

If you have never been to Moab, then you are missing a wonderful place. Also, I highly recommend the drive from Moab toward Grand Junction along the Colorado River. I promise you will not be disappointed. It absolutely beautiful.

It looks awesome, but COVID has closed EVERYTHING.

2015 update: Arches has been discovered. From March through October, the parking lots at Devils Garden, Delicate Arch/Wolfe Ranch or The Windows may be full anytime between 9am and 4pm. During these peak hours, expect travel times to be longer than expected along the scenic drive. If you find a parking spot and go for a hike, expect to see a lot of other visitors on the trail. It is not uncommon for hundreds of people to visit Delicate Arch at sunset. http://discovermoab.com/archesnationalpark.htm