Not every trip to Arches has to include sweaty climbs and three-mile uphill slogs on slickrock. Maybe you’re traveling with kids, older family members, or you just want to see the highlights without feeling like you joined a CrossFit class which is why these stops to make in Arches National Park if you can’t hike are perfect.. The good news? Arches has plenty of jaw-dropping views that require little more than stepping out of your car—or at most, a very short stroll.
Here are the best stops in Arches if you can’t (or don’t want to) hike. While you're exploring these easy stops, you might also like my list of the Top 5 Epic Views Around Moab—they’re perfect for non-hikers too.
Distance from Car: 1–2 minutes
Difficulty: Easy, paved
Best Time: Morning for glowing canyon walls
This viewpoint gives you the dramatic “sandstone skyscrapers” effect of Park Avenue without hiking into the canyon. The trail does go down if you’re up for it, but the overlook itself is spectacular and accessible.
Distance from Car: Less than 5 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Best Time: Early morning
These massive formations stand like stone government buildings. You don’t have to trek far—just pull over and walk a short distance to take in the view.
Trail Length: 0.3 miles (paved loop, optional)
Difficulty: Easy
Best Time: Sunrise or golden hour
Balanced Rock looks like it shouldn’t exist, and yet there it is—a giant boulder perched precariously on a pedestal. You can walk the short paved loop if you’d like, but honestly, the view from the parking lot is already incredible.
Distance from Car: Steps from the lot
Difficulty: Easy, uneven ground if you wander further
Best Time: Midday
This isn’t a formal trail, but a pullout where you can wander a few feet for a great panorama of sandstone formations. It feels wild and open without requiring effort.
Lower Viewpoint: 0.2 miles, short but uphill
Upper Viewpoint: 0.5 miles, more difficult
The full Delicate Arch hike is strenuous, but the viewpoints are perfect alternatives. From the lower viewpoint, you’ll see the arch in the distance. If you can manage the short climb to the upper viewpoint, you’ll get a much better angle without committing to the full three-mile trek.
Distance from Car: Immediate, right at the pullout
Difficulty: Easy
Best Time: Sunrise or sunset for glowing rock formations
This pullout overlooks Fiery Furnace and the sweeping red rock valley. It’s one of those “don’t skip it” roadside stops.
Trail Length: 0.3 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy (soft sand, shaded)
Best Time: Morning for full shade
This is one of the few arches that feels like a secret hideaway. The trail is short and leads through a sandy slot to a shaded arch. Even though it’s a short walk, it’s very doable—and the cool sand and shade make it a great stop in summer.
Trail Length: 0.4 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Best Time: Anytime
An easy stroll (or even just a view from the road) takes you to Skyline Arch, a massive window perched high in a sandstone wall.
Trail Length: 1 mile round trip if you do all three (North Window, South Window, Turret Arch), but you can see plenty right from the lot
Difficulty: Easy
Best Time: Late afternoon into sunset
This area is packed with arches. Even if you don’t do the full loop, you can walk just a few minutes from the parking lot to see North Window and Turret Arch. The formations are huge and impressive without requiring a serious hike. This area offers some of the best stops to make in Arches National Park if you can’t hike.
Trail Length: 0.5 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Best Time: Anytime
One of my personal favorites. The short, flat path leads to two enormous arches joined at one end. Even if you don’t hike all the way up, the view from the lot is spectacular. If you're building a longer itinerary, check out my Spend a Weekend in Moab: The Perfect 3-Day Itinerary for a mix of easy walks and scenic overlooks.
Finish your trip at the visitor center—it’s air-conditioned, has exhibits, and plenty of souvenirs. You can explore interpretive displays, watch the short introductory film, check out the topographic map, or talk to rangers about the park’s geology and wildlife. It’s also a great place to cool off before heading back into Moab, and it’s one of the top stops to make in Arches National Park if you can’t hike.
Arches doesn’t have to mean miles of hiking. With overlooks, short strolls, and easy loops, you can see most of the park’s highlights with minimal effort. From the drama of Park Avenue to the grandeur of Double Arch, you’ll still get the “wow factor” without breaking a sweat.
Whether you’re traveling with family, need a rest day, or just want a more relaxed visit, these stops prove that Arches is just as rewarding even if you keep the hikes short and sweet. These truly are the top stops to make in Arches National Park if you can’t hike. If you want even more inspiration for planning your trip, my Arches National Park: A Complete Guide to Moab’s Most Iconic Landscapes breaks down all the must-see spots.
Booked this Bryson City yurt for the ‘ber months and it’s already my top fall pick this year. 🍂
The Junaluska Yurt sleeps six but feels more like a stylish cabin than a yurt, two real queen bedrooms with actual doors, a full kitchen, and a private bathroom with a walk-in shower. Check-in is just a door code texted to your phone, no lobby, no waiting.
The real win is outside: wraparound porch, private fire pit, free firewood, a gas grill, and Smoky Mountain sunsets that stop you mid-sentence, picture all of that with October color on the ridgeline. Heads up, the last stretch in is a gravel road, so skip the low-profile rental, and there’s no restaurant onsite, you’re minutes from Bryson City, Dillsboro, and Sylva for dinner.
Two to three nights is the sweet spot. (We actually stayed in the dead of winter and it was still stunning, fall just takes it up a notch.) Full review linked in bio.
Italian food felt like the last thing I expected to find in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains... until I sat down at Ilda in Sylva.🍝
They call it Italian-Appalachian, and that’s not just a tagline. Homemade pasta, craft cocktails, local ingredients pulled straight from the mountains around it, this is the kind of meal that makes you forget you’re two hours from the nearest city. It’s cozy, it’s a little upscale, and it is not a walk-in kind of place, call ahead, because tables go fast on weekends.
It’s not cheap, and it’s not trying to be. But if you’re already making the trip out to Sylva, this is the one reservation worth planning your day around.
Full write-up, including what to order, link in bio.
Booked my fall cabin before September even started, and I’m not sorry about it. 🍂
These are the stays that make you actually want the cold to hurry up fireplaces, mountain views, the kind of porch you don’t leave. Not every one of these is going to fit every trip, but if a cozy fall getaway is on your radar, this is the roundup to start with.
One of my favorite travel seasons is almost here, and I have zero chill about it. 🍁✈️
There’s just something about fall trips cooler air, apple orchards, that first flannel of the season, food that actually makes sense with the weather again. I’m already mentally packing for it before September even starts.
If fall is your favorite time to travel too, tell me where you’re headed... I’m taking notes for the list.
Pack your bags... ✈️🧳My hiking and road trip gear shop just got a refresh, and this is everything that actually earns a spot in my bag. The dry bag pulls double duty for beach days and trail days, the Osprey backpack is the one I grab for anything motorcycle or day-hike related, and the GoPro comes with me literally everywhere at this point.
Nothing on this list is filler it’s all stuff I’ve used, packed, and repacked more times than I can count. Full shop linked in my bio if you want to build out your own kit before your next trip.
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