Arches: more than 2,000 sandstone arches under the open sky

Arches is a small park, by the standards of the American West. But it holds more than 2,000 stone arches, the highest concentration in the world. Everything lies along a single road, ten minutes from Moab. Many arches are a few minutes from the car parks: you’re impressed without walking for hours.

History and origins

It all begins underground, more than 300 million years ago. A shallow sea evaporates and leaves a thick layer of salt. Sediments cover it and weigh down on it, and the salt moves. The sandstone above bulges and cracks. Water, frost and wind do the rest: they widen the cracks until they pierce the rock.

The process is still going on. Arches are born, others fall. Wall Arch collapsed one night in August 2008, with no witnesses.

On the human side, John Wesley Wolfe, a veteran of the Civil War, settled here in 1898 with his son. His cabin still exists, at the start of the Delicate Arch trail. The site became a national monument in 1929, then a national park in 1971.

What to do there

• Delicate Arch: the most famous arch in the park and the symbol of Utah, right down to its licence plates. It stands alone on the rim of a rock bowl, with mountains in the background. You reach it by a climb with no shade, over bare rock. Sunset here is a classic, and you’re never alone.
• The Windows: three large arches, North Window, South Window and Turret Arch, a few minutes from the car park. Perfect if you’re short of time.
• Double Arch: two giant arches springing from the same pillar, just opposite the Windows. You can walk right underneath.
• Balanced Rock: an enormous boulder balanced on a narrow pedestal, beside the road.
• Park Avenue: a corridor between tall sandstone walls, reminiscent of a street lined with skyscrapers. It’s the first stop after the entrance.
• Sand Dune Arch: a small arch hidden between two walls, at the end of a corridor of fine sand. Ideal with children, and in the shade.
• Devils Garden and Landscape Arch: at the end of the road, the longest trail in the park. Landscape Arch, as thin as a ribbon, is one of the longest arches in the world. Beyond it, the trail becomes more demanding as far as Double O Arch.
• Fiery Furnace: a maze of sandstone corridors, with no trail. You can only go in with a ranger or with a permit.
• The night sky: the park is certified for the quality of its night sky. In clear weather, the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye.

Stories and good to know

• To count as an arch, an opening must measure at least 90 cm in one direction.
• In 1991, a slab 18 metres long broke away from Landscape Arch, in front of hikers. Since then, the trail no longer passes underneath.
• The opening of Delicate Arch is 14 metres high. Local cowboys used to call it “the Schoolmarm’s Bloomers”.
• The writer Edward Abbey was a seasonal ranger here in the 1950s. Out of it came Desert Solitaire, a classic of American nature writing.

Practical information for your road trip

• Pass: the America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee. Everything is explained in our guide to the national parks pass.
• Entry reservation: the park dropped it in 2026. When it’s very busy, rangers may close the entrance for a while. Arrive before 8am or after 3pm.
• Getting there: the entrance is 8 km from Moab. Allow 45 minutes to drive to the end of the road, not counting stops.
• Parking: the car parks at Delicate Arch, the Windows and Devils Garden are full in the middle of the day.
• Food: nothing is sold in the park. Bring a picnic.
• Where to stay: in Moab. The park has only one campground, at Devils Garden, to be booked months ahead.
• Combine it with: Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point, less than an hour away.

Our experience in Arches

We went there on our road trip 3, and we’ll be telling you all about it soon. Until then, if you’d like more details, feel free to write to us by message or on Instagram.

⏳ The day-by-day account will be available soon.