Arches National Park

Arches holds the densest collection of natural stone arches in the world, more than 2,000 of them, carved from salmon-colored Entrada Sandstone over a buried bed of salt that shifted and cracked the rock above. The result is a park of fins, balanced rocks and spans of every size, set against the snowy La Sal Mountains.

The park road runs 18 miles from the entrance near Moab to Devils Garden, and nearly every famous sight is a short walk from a pullout. Park Avenue, Balanced Rock, the Windows and Double Arch can fill a morning with only a few miles of walking. Devils Garden, at the end of the road, leads past Landscape Arch, one of the longest spans on Earth, to a primitive loop over slickrock fins.

Delicate Arch is the one to earn. The trail climbs about 500 feet over open slickrock and ends at a ledge where the arch stands alone on the edge of a bowl, framing the La Sals. It is three miles round trip, exposed and hot in summer, and best near sunset or sunrise. For something wilder, the Fiery Furnace is a maze of narrow fins you can enter only on a ranger-led hike or with a self-guided permit.

Because Arches is small and close to Moab, it gets crowded. The park has used timed-entry reservations in some recent peak seasons and did not require them in 2026. Rules change year to year, so check the park’s site before you plan around a specific entry time.