Utah National Parks

Arches National Park

Arches National Park

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General Info & Web sites

Arches National Park is known for its natural sandstone arches and unique formations, carved by the powerful forces of water, frost and wind. Visitors to the park can see over 2,000 arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch. Arches National Park is located near Moab, Utah in red-rock country, overlooking the gorge of the Colorado River.

 

Maps / Mileage Chart
  • NPS Printable Map (pdf)
    The full-color map that's handed out at the entrance station. Includes trails, roads and points of interest.
  • Google Map
    Browser based map of the park. Click and drag maps to view adjacent sections immediately. View satellite images of the park that you can zoom and pan.
  • Google Map with Site Markers
    Small pictures of the locations are included with the markers. All locations on this map are extremely accurate and based off of a National Geographic Trail Map.
  • Arches National Park Map (jpg)
    Created by Justin Morris

 

Photos Photography in Arches
  • Utah Collections
    A collection of pictures, videos and documents related to the park.
  • Arches National Park - Photo Gallery
    Pictures of Arches National Park.
  • Arches Slide Show
    Photo Gallery of Arches National Park by Moab Utah.
  • Go-Utah.com
    Arches National Park, Utah Photo Gallery - Beautiful photos, pictures, images.
  • nps.gov
    US National Park Service photo gallery of Arches.
  • OhRanger.com
    Photos of Arches National Park.
  • TrekEarth
    This Arches National Park photo gallery is part of the TrekEarth Photo Gallery, a website devoted to photos from around the world.

 

Sights to See
Average Temperatures
January 44°F 22°F
February 52°F 28°F
March 64°F 35°F
April 71°F 42°F
May 82°F 51°F
June 93°F 60°F
July 100°F 67°F
August 97°F 66°F
September 88°F 55°F
October 74°F 42°F
November 56°F 33°F
December 45°F 23°F
  • Balanced Rock - a large balancing rock, the size of three school buses
  • Courthouse Towers - a collection of tall stone columns
  • Dark Angel - a free-standing column of dark stone at the end of the Devil's Garden trail
  • Delicate Arch - a lone-standing arch which has become a symbol of Utah
  • Devil's Garden - with many arches and columns scattered along a ridge
  • Double Arch - two arches that share a common end
  • Fiery Furnace - an area of maze-like narrow passages and tall rock columns (see biblical reference Fiery Furnace)
  • Landscape Arch - a very thin, very long arch over 300 feet (100 m); the largest in the park
  • Petrified Dunes - petrified remnants of sand dunes blown from the ancient lakes that covered the area.

 

Park Activities

Biking
  • nps.gov
    US National Park Service information about biking in Arches.
  • Trails.Com: Mountain Biking
    Arches National Park Area Mountain Biking - Search for Trails by Map.
  • Utah.Com
    Find Information On Arches National Park Biking, & Arches National Park Biking Trails
Camping
  • Go-Utah.com
    RV Park and Campground Information for Arches National Park, Utah.
  • nps.gov
    US National Park Service information about camping in Arches.
  • Utah.com
    Camping in Arches National Park.
Climbing
  • nps.gov
    US National Park Service information about climbing in Arches.
  • Rockclimbing.com
    Find climbing areas and routes in Arches National Park and discover photos, user reviews, and detailed route info like climbing type and grade.
  • Utah.com
    Rock climbing in Arches National Park, including routes, reglations and closures.
Hiking / Backpacking
  • Go-Utah.com
    Complete hiking information for Arches National Park, Utah with maps, photos, trail descriptions, guides and outfitters, and more.
  • Hiking in the Moab Area
    Hiking information in and around Arches National Park.
  • nps.gov
    US National Park Service information about hiking in Arches.
  • Outdoor Eyes
    Downloadable GPS waypoints of the hiking trails in the park.
  • Trails.com
    Arches National Park Hiking - Search for Trails by Map.
  • Utah.com
    From Utah's famous icon, Delicate Arch, to other surreal arches such as Balanced Rock, Arches National Park offers a plethora of hiking trails for visitors of all ability levels.
Scenic Drives
  • Moab Adventure Center
    Information about scenic drives through Arches.
  • nps.gov
    US National Park Service information about driving through Arches.
  • Scenic Drives in the Moab Area
    Moab area auto tours that will take you through some of the most spectacular scenery in Utah.
  • Arches National Park Driving Tour
    Arches National Park Driving Tour is a 28.3 mile heavily trafficked point-to-point trail located near Moab, Utah that features a waterfall and is good for all skill levels.

 

World's Biggest Arch

Arch in Utah national park called world's biggest Landscape Arch

By Mike Stark

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah state geologists and a group of intrepid volunteers say they've finally answered a nagging geological question: What's the longest natural arch in the world?

The answer, they say, is Landscape Arch in Arches National Park in southeastern Utah.

Of course, it all depends on how you measure it. But members of the all-volunteer Natural Arch and Bridge Society spent years developing a standardized measurement that looks at the widest horizontal opening in each arch — not the arch itself.

Using that yardstick, they found that Landscape Arch spanned about 290 feet. Kolob Arch in Zion National Park came in at 3 feet shorter.

Grant Willis, a geological mapper at the Utah Geological Survey, said the group's survey — which ranks the top 10 arches in the world — finally offers definitive answers about the arches with the longest spans.