What Is the Best Time to Travel to Arches National Park?
Despite spring and fall offering the best weather, summer is the most popular time to visit Arches National Park.
Written by Sarah Gray
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
If you’re looking for all the natural beauty without the scorching desert heat, spring and fall are the best times to visit
Arches National Park
. Despite the searing temps, summer is the most popular season for tourists to visit Arches. However, April, May, September, and October offer all the ranger-led programs and activities with much more comfortable weather.Any national park is a great destination for your vacation, but summer crowds can make the great outdoors seem like a crowded dry sauna. But even if your visit will put you in the park during the peak season,
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The best times of year to travel to Arches National Park
Like most national parks,
Arches National Park is open year-round
with a few exceptions for major holidays. The best time to visit depends on what you’re looking for in your nature-centric vacation. If you’re looking to combine a love of nature with a love of music, visit during the Moab Music Festival from August to September. If you don’t mind a chill and you’re looking to avoid crowds, visit between November and March when the park is often shrouded in snow.
Peak season: June to August
The good: Free sunset tours offer great photo ops
The bad: Crowded and dangerously hot
The weather: Upper 90s to 100s
Despite blistering heat with temperatures often above 100 degrees, summer is still the peak season for Arches National Park.
A great trick to avoid the heat is to visit early in the morning or in the evening. In fact, the desert’s lack of humidity means it can often get comparatively chilly these times of day, so you might even want to pack a long-sleeved shirt.
Even though it’s cool and comfortable in the early and late hours, it gets really hot really quick in the daytime hours—and Arches doesn’t offer much in the way of shade. Visitors are warned to dress appropriately with hats and lots of sunscreen, and be sure to pack plenty of water.
Arches National Park runs programs and events throughout the year, but visitors throughout the summer months get to take advantage of the popular
Art in the Parks
events.Pro Tip If you’re planning a trip to Arches National Park in the summer, be sure to pack for extreme heat and bring plenty of water and sunscreen.
Off-season: November to March
The good: No crowds
The bad: No ranger programs
The weather: 30s to 50s
Winter at Arches National Park can be hauntingly beautiful, especially if you catch it after snow. But that snow can have downsides like slippery trails and closed roads, so pack good boots if you plan to visit in the winter months.
The Arches
visitor center
is open daily throughout the winter. Check in with them to see about road and trail conditions if you’re unsure what to expect. The lack of tourist traffic means there are no ranger-led tours or events, but you’ll be able to get a great spot at the Devil’s Garden Campground
, which is full every night in the peak season. If you find yourself in the Arches area in early November, check out the annual
Moab Folk Festival
to enjoy great music, art, and food.Shoulder season: April to May and September to October
The good: Pleasant weather
The bad: Large crowds
The weather: Mid 70s to 80s
Spring and fall are nearly identical in Arches National Park when it comes to weather and crowds, so the park really has two so-called shoulder seasons. The pleasant weather during these months means it’s still a popular time to visit, so be prepared for crowds.
To truly take advantage of all that Arches has to teach, time your visit to coincide with
National Park Week
, held every year in mid-April. Entry fees are waived on the first day of this annual celebration of U.S. National Parks, and Arches will host a variety of special programs, events, and digital experiences.Visitors in the fall can still take in all the park has to offer, but this is also when nearby Moab really kicks into action with events like the
Moab Music Festival
and the Red Rock Arts Festival
.The cheapest time to travel to Arches National Park
No matter what time of year you visit, entry fees for Arches National Park will be the same.
To try to manage crowds, Arches began a
timed entry program
that requires visitors to reserve a spot to enter the park from April 3rd through October 3rd. Visitors to the park should expect to pay the following fees:- Private vehicle fee: $30
- Motorcycle fee: $25
- Per person (no motorized vehicle): $15
Admission to the park is good for seven days, so you can come and go as you like for a full week after purchasing a pass. Arches and other national parks also offer annual, lifetime, group, and commercial rates.
Camping and a variety of ranger-led activities and special use passes are also available throughout the year. Check out the
Arches National Park website
to see what fees you may be subject to during your visit.Find the best month for your visit to Arches National Park
Ready to start making some reservations? Check out the table below to find the ideal time for your Arches vacation based on the activities you’re planning.
Activity | Best month to visit | Why? |
|---|---|---|
Auto touring | April through October | Snow and ice can make driving dangerous or even close roads in the winter months. |
Backpacking, hiking, and biking | April to May and September to October | Temps in the 70s to 80s make hitting the trails much more comfortable. |
Camping | April to May and September to October or Winter | Spring and fall temps make camping delightful, but it’s much easier to find an open site in the winter. |
Canyoneering and rock climbing | April to May and September to October | Arches’ red rocks absorb a lot of heat from the sun, so spring and fall are much more bearable times for these adventures. |
Horseback riding | April to May and September to October | Not only will you be more comfortable in the cooler weather but your horse will be, too. |
Ranger-led programs | Spring through fall | Ranger-led programs are great no matter when they’re offered, but they’re not offered in the winter. |
Stargazing | Year-round on the new moon | Arches is situated in an area that hosts some of the darkest skies in the contiguous 48 states, making it the perfect locale for stargazing. But even the light from a thin crescent moon makes it more difficult to see the stars. |
Pro Tip Arches National Park boasts the same natural beauty year-round, so time your trip based on weather, crowds, and availability of ranger-led activities.
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FAQs
What is the worst time to travel to Arches National Park?
The worst time to visit Arches National Park depends mostly on the type of weather you prefer and if you hope to take advantage of ranger-led programs. For some, the summer is the worst time to visit because of the heat, but for others, the winter is the worst time—not only because of the cold but also because there are no ranger-led programs. Winter is really the only time you won’t have to deal with crowds.
Do I need a permit to enter Arches National Park?
Yes. All visitors to Arches National Park must purchase a permit for entry. Permits are good for seven days, and prices vary depending on whether you’re driving a vehicle.
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