The first time I showed up at Arches National Park in Utah at 7:30 a.m. the park was already closed to further visitors. I joined the massive line of people turning around to find something else to do. But you don’t have to if you plan ahead and arrive early or in the evening
Holiday crowds are expected, but the crowds at Arches are commonplace throughout spring, summer and fall. When I returned that evening, I entered after waiting in line for about 20 minutes with many other hopefuls; I was eventually granted entry.
Crowds at Arches National Park
If you visit Arches National Park, you’ll need to be prepared to contend with crowds of other people. When I visited, each trailhead and attraction had a full parking lot and cars waiting for spaces.
The park receives more than 1.5 million visitors each year. By comparison, Yellowstone had 3.8 million visitors in 2020. Zion had 3.6 million, a low year due to COVID. All the rangers I’ve spoken with at Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce, and Zion say they’ve seen record numbers in recent years.
Formations at Arches National Park
To me, nature isn’t a crowded place. It’s a place to commune with rocks, plant life and animals. Still, I joined the line of cars as we made our way into the park. The road curves back and forth up a red rock mountainside and takes you into an expanse you can’t see from the road or entrance.
Once on the other side of the mountain, looking past the other drivers and people clustered in the parking lots. You begin to see glorious red-orange formations.
Sandstone Arches that Shouldn’t Exist
With more than 2,000, the park contains the highest density of natural sandstone arches in the world. You can get up close and personal with many formations since they each have a nearby parking lot for gawking. If there’s an open parking spot, you can also get out of your vehicle and make a short hike to get a closer look at most of them.
This is a beautiful park. It shouldn’t exist, but it does. It’s rare to a bizarre extent, and it won’t last forever. Despite the crowds and the atmosphere, this place must be seen.
While there, I had to drive around the parking lot multiple times, waiting for a spot to open. It reminded me of my mom at the mall many years ago during Christmastime.
They say the park is excellent for auto touring, hiking, bicycling, camping, canyoneering, and rock climbing. But I only saw the auto-touring part. Once parked, the trails were filled with too many people – about every five feet; there was a body.
Everyone seemed to be competing for a picture, a better position on the trail, a parking spot, and the line at the bathroom. As a solo person, the hoards nearly trampled me. There was little trail etiquette, camaraderie, and shared happiness in the park’s glory. It felt like the Hunger Games.
Delicate Arch, Double Arch and the Windows
Still, I drove by petrified dunes and balanced rock, the size of three school buses balanced on top of a thin pedestal. It looks like it’s near toppling.
After driving in circles and waiting for other vehicles to vacate parking spots, I walked to Delicate Arch, Double Arch and the Windows. It is fascinating to see these massive red sandstone structures that seem to defy gravity and nature itself. They call these pathways “hikes,” but they are more like mad dashes across the concrete.
International Dark Sky Park
If you’re brave, the park is open 24 hours and is an International Dark Sky Park. The designation may be in jeopardy from increasing light pollution coming from the nearest town: Moab. I say brave because driving along those steep mountain passes in the dark would take more courage than I have. However, I bet you’ll have the park to yourself and that might be worth it.
If You Visit Arches National Park
If you plan to visit Arches, I suggest planning a route. I’d start with Delicate Arch since that will be the busiest. Go very early in the morning – like 5 a.m. – or very late in the evening – after 7 p.m. This way, you’ll avoid the worst of the crowds and enjoy this beautiful place as intended.
I found a Bureau of Land Management site five miles further away from Moab and Arches. I enjoyed the night sky in solitude on a mesa top I shared with only a few other quiet revelers.
Arches National Park is usually open year-round, 24 hours a day.
If you’d like an alternative, I suggest nearby Canyonlands National Park, which is much more spacious and far less crowded.
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