Destination List > Arches National Park

Arches National Park

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The history...

Arches National Park is adjacent to the Colorado River, 4 miles (6 km) north of Moab, Utah. More than 2,000 natural sandstone arches are located in the park, including the well-known Delicate Arch, as well as a variety of unique geological resources and formations. The park contains the highest density of natural arches in the world.

The park consists of 76,679 acres (119.811 sq mi; 31,031 ha; 310.31 km2) of high desert located on the Colorado Plateau. The highest elevation in the park is 5,653 feet (1,723 m) at Elephant Butte, and the lowest elevation is 4,085 feet (1,245 m) at the visitor center. The park receives an average of less than 10 inches (250 mm) of rain annually.

Administered by the National Park Service, the area was originally named a national monument on April 12, 1929, and was redesignated as a national park on November 12, 1971. The park received more than 1.6 million visitors in 2018.

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Enjoy the never ending beauty of the park as your drive the 19 mile long Arches Scenic Drive.

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Make a stop at the Double Arch.

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Take the 1-mile hike on Park Avenue to see the Courthouse Towers and Three Gossips.

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Explore the Windows Loop where you can see the North and South Window arches along with Turret Arch.

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Hike to Landscape Arch to see the longest natural arch in the world.

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Park and get an up-close view of Balanced Rock.

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Make the 3 mile round-trip hike to the not-to-be-missed Delicate Arch, the most famous of all the arches. Can't make the hike? Your next best option is the Upper and/or Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoints.

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Stop at the La Sal Mountains Viewpoint to get a wonderful 360 degree view of the park.

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Explore the Devils Garden Trail.

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Walk the .4 mile round-trip mostly shady trail to the hidden away Sand Dune Arch.

Did you know?

1929

established

Arches was originally designated as a national monument in 1929. It became a national park in 1971.

76 k

acres

Arches National Park covers about 76,000 acres of high desert terrain.

1.7 mil

visitors/year

Arches National Park received almost 1.7 million visitors in 2021.

Utah, let's explore...

Capitol

Salt Lake City

Statehood

January 4, 1896