One Day in Arches National Park, and Moab!
- Kati Cooke
- Jun 17
- 9 min read
If you've ever driven past a car from Utah, you've probably noticed the license plate featuring Delicate Arch, the most famous attraction from Arches National Park. It is the most photographed place in Utah! But did you know there's so much more to the National Park than just Delicate Arch? The Park contains over 2,000 documented natural arches.
The primary destination for our Utah trip was Canyonlands National Park, which you can read about here. It is so close to Arches National Park that we had no choice but to go to both! Arches is much smaller and much more popular, so I was worried about crowds. Surprisingly, a Sunday in April with perfect weather had no issues with crowds whatsoever! Arches ended up as my favorite stop on our trip, and the city of Moab was another happy surprise.
I'll share my one day Arches and Moab itinerary here, along with some shoulder season tips, so you can make the most of your short time in the park!
Arches and Moab Logistics
Arches National Park is a 3 hour, 40 minute drive from Salt Lake City. I despise flying, so we drove all the way from Portland, Oregon, which took about 15 hours (spread out over several days).
For the first two nights, we stayed in Monticello, Utah, which is only an hour away. Monticello is far more affordable than Moab, especially on weekends. For Sunday night, we took advantage of the weekday rate and stayed in Moab - this made our last day so much nicer, without the additional 2 hours of driving roundtrip. Arches is only 9 minutes from Moab. You can't beat that!
Our Monticello Hotel - Atomic Blue Motor Inn
Our Moab Hotel (very affordable, with a heated outdoor pool and hot tub) - Quality Inn Moab Slickrock Area
April and May are the best times of year to visit Arches, in my opinion! It's still a "shoulder season," but you'll beat both the summer vacation crowds, and the summer heat. The winds can still be bitterly cold, but I couldn't imagine doing the hiking we did in anything hotter than 80 degrees. Bring clothing for mixed weather. I was constantly removing and adding layers.
Another necessity is sunscreen! No matter how cold the forecast is, you'll be in the sun without any shade. I tanned more in one 65 degree day than I do all summer in Portland.
Also, bring more water than you think is necessary, even just to leave in the car. Hiking 4 miles in the desert with no shade is very different than hiking through the forest. You'll also be at almost 5,000 feet above sea level, so everything is more strenuous (if you drink alcohol, keep in mind that alcohol hits harder at this elevation).
Our Arches National Park Plan
This was our third day in the national parks, and fifth day of traveling, so we chose to have a very relaxed experience. We mostly drove around the park, focusing on a few stops, then heading back to Moab to explore the city. Arches is quite small, and only takes 45 minutes to drive each way (if you don't stop). Traffic and parking can be a problem, but even on a sunny late April weekend, we had no issues at all.
Here are the smaller, quicker sites we stopped at (I'm saving Delicate Arch for the end):
Visitor Center - I can't go to a National Park without going to the visitor's center! This one is only 5 miles north of Moab, about a 10 minute drive from downtown. There is a place to fill water bottles (the only one in the park!), flush toilets, and exhibits about the park, including a video. They are open every day except Christmas, but hours vary depending on the season. More info here.
The Windows Section - This was a very quick stop just to take some pictures! There are some arches here you can hike to, unfortunately we didn't have time.
Panorama Point - Drive to the top of an overlook and you'll find picnic tables, restrooms, and a great view of the park and nearby mountain range. This would be the perfect place to stargaze.
Sand Dune Arch - Of all the other arches to hike to, we chose Sand Dune Arch (mainly because it was a quick walk and we were tired). It was only a 0.3 mile round-trip through the sand. The arch itself wasn't the most impressive, but walking through the slot canyon was so cool. I have never felt such soft sand, I made a sand angel and we enjoyed just laying down in the shade for a bit.
Delicate Arch!
Of course, the highlight of Arches is the famous Delicate Arch. Some places (... Mesa Arch...) don't entirely live up to the hype, but Delicate Arch is even better. A common misconception is that you can just drive up and see it, or take a short walk. Nope! This is a 3.5 mile roundtrip hike, but feels a lot longer due to the terrain and blazing sun. A few people at the very beginning of the trail were clearly struggling and asked us how much longer to go.
We hiked on a 64 degree day, but the desert sun is much hotter. Chapstick and chocolates melted in our car in the parking lot, and we got tanner in 2 hours than we do in 2 weeks in the PNW sunshine. Bring more water than you think you'll need, and sunscreen!
Towards the beginning of the trail, you'll pass some petroglyphs. I'd recommend stopping to see them now, before you're hot and tired on the way back.
The first part of the trail is on a sandy path, but pretty soon you'll be walking on slickrock straight uphill. The entire hike has only 600 feet elevation gain, but you'll feel it going up, and it gets slippery on the way down.
After the slickrock climb, you'll be on a narrow rock ledge winding around a cliff. I am very scared of heights, but I didn't feel an ounce of fear here. The views were incredible and I never felt like I'd slip or get pushed off by a crowd. It's also not a sheer drop off, but a gentler slope.
Toward the end of the trail, there's a steep hill up to a hole in the rock. If you can handle scrambling up the hill, climb up here for a sneaky view of Delicate Arch! The best pictures of our entire vacation were taken here by a German tourist who kindly offered.
After your photo op, climb down and continue on the trail. You'll turn a corner and Delicate Arch will be right there. Even with the crowds, we got amazing pictures and views. It was a little frustrating when people would stand under the arch for their own personal 15 minute photo shoots (one couple even made their friends record them salsa dancing under the arch while a crowd of people patiently waited for their turn).
We took photos for probably 10 other couples who asked nicely, and talked with several people. Everyone was incredibly friendly and there was none of the "touron" type nasty behavior that National Parks can be known for. We hung out for about a half hour, enjoying the sunshine and the views of the arch.
I'd recommend hiking Delicate Arch in the morning before the sun is directly overhead. It was noticeably warmer as we hiked back and people heading up looked miserable. After Delicate Arch, we finished our sightseeing drive around the park and headed back to Moab.
Exploring Moab, Utah
I am not a city girl at all, but I love a mountain town. I've spent a lot of time in the southwest, and Moab fit right into the Sedona, Taos, and Santa Fe vibes that I love. We enjoyed walking around downtown Moab, as it was such a cute little town. Unfortunately we weren't super impressed with the stores, but there were a few gems!
I love thrifting, and was excited to visit some local thrift stores. There is one used-outdoor-gear clothing store, but it was ungodly expensive for used clothes... Every other "thrift" or "vintage" store had only new, designer clothing. The majority of the other stores were either tourist traps or extremely expensive art galleries.
Here are the places we stopped and genuinely loved:
La Michoacana Artisan - We were craving ice cream after the sunny hike! This place was very good, but the wait was quite long for only one person in front of us. The store didn't have AC so it was a painful wait. We enjoyed eating our ice cream in the park nearby before we walked around downtown.
Lema's Kokopelli Gallery - Kokopelli is very special to me, as I grew up reading a storybook about him. My mom lived in New Mexico and has several Kokopelli art pieces in her house. This gallery was fun to walk through, but out of my price range.
Back of Beyond Bookstore - I love a cute bookstore and this one was exactly what you'd hope for. Very cozy and whimsical. We enjoyed looking at their vintage photos and postcards, and I bought an infamous biography of Joseph Smith that the Mormon bookstores refuse to sell (read more about my Mormon obsession here).
Trailhead Public House and Eatery - We were pretty stuffed after ice cream, but got a late dinner here. The restaurant is in an 1886 adobe building, so it has the right aesthetic and good food. I liked playing giant connect-4 outside while we waited for our table, and the chili verde with corn chips was amazing.
We finished our day in Moab with a walk around the Mill Creek Parkway, but the mosquitoes came out around sunset. At the hotel, we enjoyed the heated outdoor pool for a moonlit swim.
Arches & Moab One Day Plan
Here's a quick recap of our day in Arches and Moab - I definitely wish we had more time to explore more, but was very happy that we hit all the highlights.
My Advice for Visiting
Go in April - May! There will be fewer crowds, hotels will be cheaper, and you'll be more comfortable in the 60-70 degree weather.
Stay in Moab on a weeknight, hotel rates are far cheaper.
Do the majority of your hiking in the morning before the sun is directly overhead.
Bring layers - the weather is very weird. It can go from windy and cold, to blazing sunshine in seconds.
Arches National Park Logistics
Entrance requires a daily or annual National Parks pass ($30 for the day pass, $80 for the annual)
NO DOGS ALLOWED - don't even try. Your car will get too hot, and someone will smash your window trying to free your poor dog. You are not the exception to the rule. Don't even think about it.
The visitor center is open every day besides Christmas, but hours vary by season (check here). There is drinking water and a flush toilet - the only ones in the park.
Arches National Parks Itinerary
Allocate about 3-5 hours to drive around the park and stop at all the lookouts and mini-hikes if you have it!
Delicate Arch is the "must hike" if you only have time for one thing - it's a 3.5 mile roundtrip hike, with significant elevation gain and no shade.
Sand Dune Arch is a very quick stop with great payoff - only 0.3 miles round trip and a fun slot canyon in the sand
Moab, Utah Favorite Stops
La Michoacana Artisan for ice cream
Lema's Kokopelli Gallery for a "museum" art experience, unless you can afford to buy art here
Back of Beyond Bookstore for cozy, whimsical bookstore vibes and lots of books on local history
Trailhead Public House and Eatery for dinner and drinks in a historic 1886 adobe building
Helpful Links
National Park Service webpage for Arches National Park
Discover Moab tourism website
Moab, Utah city website
For more of my Utah travels, read my articles here:
Salt Lake City guide
And finally, I will leave you with this rock formation that is NOT on the official National Park brochure map, but you can find it's name and more information here. I guess the rangers conveniently left it off the map for some reason... but it's on Google Maps! We saw the name and had no choice but to drive by and see for ourselves.
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