Can you enter Arches National Park without timed entry?
Visitors may enter the park before 7 am and after 4 pm without a timed entry ticket.
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The only fully-paved road in Arches is Scenic Drive, a 25-mile, out-and-back road that passes the majority of the park's viewpoints and trailheads. If you're tight on time or don't enjoy hiking, you could drive the park—stopping 10 minutes at each viewpoint—in about three hours.
MOAB, Utah—Starting Saturday April 1, 2023, Arches National Park will implement a pilot, temporary timed entry system to access the park. From April 1 to October 31, 2023, between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily, visitors will need to purchase a timed entry reservation in advance to enter the park.
Timed entry tickets are required from April 1 - October 31, 2023 to enter Arches National Park between 7 AM and 4 PM daily. In order to enter Arches National Park, visitors will need to pay the park entrance fee.
All Park HoursArches National Park is generally open 24 hours a day, year-round. Fees apply. The park is very busy between March and October. To avoid traffic, we recommend entering the park before 8 am or after 3 pm.
Two days in Arches is ideal though and would give you enough time to explore the Fiery Furnace on the ranger-led hike and do a few more of the longer hikes. One day is really all you need at the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park if you're sticking to the overlooks and shorter trails.
It's easy to access and can be visited no matter how much time you have to spend. If, as I was, you're rather short on time, you can make the most of just one day in Arches National Park.
For those who aren't up for the hike, there are two other viewing options: The Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint just down the road only requires a 100-yard walk over flat ground to get a fine look at the arch from a mile away.
(For now, heavy hitters including Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Great Smoky Mountains parks don't have any reservation requirements in place for entry; other amenities, like campgrounds or backcountry permits, do require advance booking.)
Arches National Park is OpenOn very busy days, when parking lots fill to capacity we temporarily delay additional park entries. Visitors who encounter a closed gate may try back in a few hours or consider visiting other nearby destinations.
You cannot sleep in your car at Arches National Park unless you have a reserved campsite at the Devils Garden Campground, which is the only designated campground within the park. Sleeping in your car outside of a designated campsite or parking area is not permitted.
Beginning April 1, 2023 and continuing through October 31, 2023, Arches National Park will require visitors that want to enter the park during peak hours to have a timed-entry pass. This pass is in addition to the park entrance fee everyone pays when they drive through the entrance of the park.
Hikers wisely avoiding summer heat may fill up trailhead parking lots before 8 am. Outside of the Timed Entry Pilot Program hours/months, full parking lots may cause the park to temporarily restrict access until congestion lessens. Periods of restricted access can last 3-5 hours. Plan ahead.
You'd have commendable focus to get in and out of the Park in under two hours, but it can be done. Even if you don't plan to stray from your vehicle, we recommend you budget an extra hour to take in the magnificent scenery and snap a picture or two.
Climbing, scrambling, walking or standing upon, or rapelling off any named or unnamed arch with an opening greater than three feet is prohibited in the park. This is to promote visitor safety and the opportunity to view natural features undisturbed. Balanced Rock is also closed to climbing.
Arches National Park isn't the only place in Moab to see epic arches. If you're looking for more places to put on your Utah or Moab itinerary, check out these 3 arches that aren't in the park, but are still as beautiful! All arches are also FREE and less crowded than the National Park!
The best easy hikes in Arches are The Windows, Landscape Arch, Double Arch, Sand Dune Arch, and Park Avenue. My name is Ash, and I'm a former park ranger.