Arches National Park is the crown jewel of Moab, and visiting with an Arches National Park guide makes it even easier to plan your trip. With over 2,000 natural stone arches, it’s basically a red-rock playground where every corner looks like it belongs on a postcard. The best part? You don’t need weeks to explore it. In just a day or two, you can see most of the park’s highlights.
On my last trip, I timed it just right—school had just started back in Utah, it was over 100 degrees (yes, HOT), and somehow, the park was nearly empty. Normally, you can expect an hour wait at the entrance, but I drove right in. Worth the sweat. Before diving in, check out my guide to the Best Sunrise and Sunset Spots in Moab Utah if you want the best lighting for your Arches photos.
Here’s everything you need to know, stop by stop.
Fee: $30 per vehicle (valid for 7 days)
Tip: Stop at the visitor center first. They always have updated trail conditions, maps, fun park history, and souvenirs.
Trail Length: 2 miles out-and-back (to the bottom of the canyon)
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (steep descent at the start)
Elevation Gain: About 300 ft
Estimated Time: 1–1.5 hours (or 5 minutes if you just do the viewpoint)
Best Time: Morning for soft light on the cliffs
This is one of the first stops in the park and a perfect way to set the tone. The viewpoint is just a one-minute walk from the parking lot, with towering sandstone walls that look like—you guessed it—a city avenue of skyscrapers. If you hike down, you’ll follow a primitive trail (rocky and uneven, not a groomed path) that drops you into the canyon. Walking between those massive cliffs makes you feel tiny in the best way.
Trail Length: Short walk to viewpoint (less than 0.25 miles)
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Estimated Time: 10–15 minutes
Best Time: Early morning when the sun lights up the towers
Courthouse Towers stand tall just beyond Park Avenue. These massive stone monoliths resemble—you guessed it—giant courthouse buildings. While it’s more of a viewpoint than a hike, the scale is impressive. The morning light casts dramatic shadows across the desert floor, making this a quick but rewarding stop.
Trail Length: 0.3-mile loop
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Estimated Time: 15–20 minutes
Best Time: Sunrise or golden hour for glowing light
Balanced Rock looks like it shouldn’t be standing—but somehow it is. A huge boulder teeters on a narrow pedestal, and the short loop lets you see it from every angle. It’s a quick walk, but a must-stop.
Garden of Eden isn’t a full trail, but it’s a fun pullout where you can scramble up a few short rock mounds for a wider view of the park.
Trail Length: 0.5 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy but steep at the end
Elevation Gain: About 100 ft
Estimated Time: 20–30 minutes
Best Time: Morning for fewer crowds, sunset for dramatic views
If you’re not up for the full hike to Delicate Arch, the lower viewpoint gives you a solid taste. The short trail climbs quickly, but the reward is worth it. Secret tip: don’t stop at the official viewpoint. Keep going down the rock slope and you’ll get a much better, direct view of the arch.
A quick stop with sweeping views over Fiery Furnace and the red rock valley beyond. Especially pretty at sunrise or sunset when the colors glow. You can see the maze-like fins of Fiery Furnace from above, plus long stretches of open desert dotted with red rock formations. It’s one of the best places to get a feel for just how massive Arches really is without doing any hiking. If you have zoom on your camera, you can even pick out some of the narrow passages inside the Furnace from a distance.
If you love arches glowing at golden hour, don’t miss my Top 5 Epic Views Around Moab for even more dramatic photo spots.
Trail Length: 0.3 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Estimated Time: 15–20 minutes
Best Time: Morning (completely shaded)
This was my favorite stop of the day. The trail leads into a shady slot between fins, with soft sand underfoot and an arch hidden inside. It feels like a secret little desert hideaway. In the morning, the whole area is shaded, which is a gift if you’re hiking in the heat.
Trail Length: 0.4 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Estimated Time: 15 minutes
A short and easy walk brings you to a massive window perched high in a sandstone wall. Quick but worth it.
Trail Length: 2.5 miles round trip (to Landscape Arch, including Pine Tree and Tunnel Arches)
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate (sandy in parts)
Elevation Gain: About 300 ft
Estimated Time: 1.5–2 hours
Best Time: Morning before the heat
This hike packs a lot into a couple of miles. Take the spur trail to Pine Tree Arch first (a short walk with one small hill), then Tunnel Arch. Both are quick detours. From there, continue on to Landscape Arch, one of the longest natural arches in the world at 306 feet. The span is so thin it looks like it could collapse at any moment (and large chunks already have). The trail continues into a much longer loop if you’re up for adventure, but I stopped at Landscape Arch when the sand and heat got to me.
Trail Length: 1 mile round trip (primitive loop option available)
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: About 200 ft
Estimated Time: 45 minutes–1 hour
Best Time: Late afternoon into sunset
This area is perfect for exploring multiple arches in one go. North and South Windows sit side by side, while Turret Arch rises nearby. If you want a fun detour, take the primitive trail around the back of North Window for a different angle. A couple of hours before sunset, the light peeks through Turret Arch in dramatic fashion—one of the best photo ops in the park.
Trail Length: 0.5 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Estimated Time: 20 minutes
Best Time: Anytime
Double Arch is one of the park’s showstoppers. Two arches soar above you, joined at one end, creating a three-dimensional effect that makes you feel tiny. The short walk makes this an easy addition to any itinerary, and it’s one of my absolute favorites.
Trail Length: 3 miles round trip
Difficulty: Strenuous (steep, exposed slickrock, uneven surfaces)
Elevation Gain: About 500 ft
Estimated Time: 2–3 hours
Best Time: Sunset for the glow (arrive an hour early to get a good spot)
This is the big one—the hike everyone comes to Arches to do. And I’ll be honest, it’s not easy. The trail climbs steadily uphill, across wide slickrock with zero shade. But when you finally round the corner and see Delicate Arch standing alone on the edge of a cliff, it’s unforgettable.
I went at sunset, and while my legs weren’t thrilled with the climb, the payoff was worth every sweaty step. My friend warned me that the arch is usually packed with people—50+ at times—but I lucked out with a smaller crowd. My advice: get there at least an hour before sunset so you have time to take photos and then relax as the arch glows in the fading light.
Best Time to Visit: Spring and fall for mild weather. Summer is brutally hot but less crowded.
Water & Snacks: Bring more than you think. I went through multiple bottles and was glad I had LMNT packets for electrolytes.
Crowds: Expect long entrance lines in peak season. Early morning or late afternoon is best.
How Long to Stay: One full day covers the highlights, but two days lets you slow down and soak it in.
Arches National Park is one of those places that doesn’t feel real until you’re standing there. The arches are incredible, but it’s the mix of short walks, fun scrambles, and longer hikes that makes the park special. Whether you’re up for the full trek to Delicate Arch or just want to wander through Double Arch and the Windows, Arches has something for everyone.
Bring water, bring snacks, and bring a sense of wonder—you’ll need all three. If you’re spending more time in Moab, my 24 Hours in Moab: Two Perfect Ways to Spend a Day will help you round out your trip.
Yes, it’s only July. Start planning anyway. Fall books faster than people expect, and a few of these destinations are worth getting ahead of. Here are five places worth putting on your radar right now.
Ireland: Cooler temps, moody skies, dramatic coastline fall was made for it. Tourist crowds drop, the green stays, and the whole country feels a little more like itself.
Great Smoky Mountains, TN/NC: Fall foliage in the Smokies is the real thing. The color peaks mid-October and the views from the ridgelines are hard to argue with. It’s also one of the most visited national parks in the country, so going on a weekday makes a real difference.
New York City: Fall is NYC at its best comfortable temps, the energy of the city shifting into a new season, and every neighborhood doing something worth showing up for. It’s also just a great walking city when it’s not brutally hot.
Japan: Fall foliage season is as good as spring cherry blossoms and somehow less talked about. The colors are dramatic, the temples and gardens are stunning, and it’s worth planning around peak dates by region.
Mystic, Connecticut: Small, walkable, genuinely charming Mystic in fall feels like exactly what a New England autumn is supposed to look like. Easy to pair with a broader New England road trip if you want to extend it.
Full guides linked in bio 🍂
There are two kinds of travelers: people who plan a trip and then figure out where to eat, and people who book a restaurant and then build the rest of the itinerary around it.I am the second kind. I will not apologize for this.
The reservation gets locked in first. The hotel search happens within the same 24 hours. The flights get compared around the restaurant’s hours of operation. The rest of the trip exists to fill the days before and after the table I actually came for.
If this sounds unhinged, I completely understand. It has also resulted in some of the best meals of my life, so I’m going to keep doing it.
Drop a 🍽️ if you plan your trips around food too.
Let’s talk about when to actually book that Dubai trip you’ve been pinning for two years. I get asked this constantly, so here’s the honest breakdown: October through April is your window. Anything outside that and you’re basically touring in a sauna!
October and November give you warm days and cooler nights, which is basically the sweet spot for wandering around without melting. December through February is peak season: gorgeous weather. March and April are the quiet insider pick, right before summer heat shows up and ruins everyone’s plans.
Saving this for later? That’s what it’s here for. Full breakdown linked in bio.
If you’re chasing energy, beaches, nightlife, and nonstop luxury, Dubai takes the crown. If you’re craving culture, iconic architecture, and meaningful landmarks at a slower pace, Abu Dhabi shines.🤍
My advice? Base yourself in Dubai and do Abu Dhabi as a day trip! The perfect balance of excitement and culture in the UAE.
Want the full breakdown? Check out my Dubai and Abu Dhabi guide for tips, itineraries, and must-sees!
I do not like seafood. 🐟 So when I booked a tasting menu at a restaurant built around aquarium walls at Atlantis The Palm, I was nervous.
Ossiano sits underwater fish gliding past the whole meal, moody lighting, the kind of room that makes you lower your voice without meaning to. It’s not cheap, and it’s not trying to be. You’re paying for the entire experience.
Here’s the honest part: they have a vegetarian tasting menu, and I assumed it would be an afterthought. It ended up in my top five meals of all time. Course after course, the same care and precision as the seafood-forward menu everyone comes for. They even swapped in a steak for the main and it still felt cohesive with everything around it.
By course four you’re full. They bring out three more breads anyway. I ate all of it. No regrets.
Small detail that stuck with me my dress was black, so they swapped my napkin from white to black without me asking. That’s the kind of thing that tells you everything about a place.
Full breakdown of the menu, the vegetarian option, and what to expect linked in bio.
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