Arches
National Park
Arches National Park is one of the crown jewels of the Utah desert, and it will be the fifth national park on our 2023 route. Famous for its more than 2,000 natural stone arches, plus countless towers, fins, and balanced rocks, Arches offers iconic hikes and surreal views in every direction. We plan to spend at least three nights Devil’s Garden, which gives us time to explore the main park road, catch sunrise at Delicate Arch, and take on longer hikes like Devils Garden and Tower Arch. We'll also venture into nearby Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point State Park while we're in the area.
Read our blog on Arches & Canyonlands
Itinerary
We are presenting our itinerary as we lived it. Not the plan, but rather what we were actually able to accomplish. Naturally there are some missed goals and some serendipitous surprises. We always rolled with the punches and made the best out of our time in the national parks. Below we have included some notes that explain how the itinerary changed from what we had in mind.
It’s important to know that these plans were made to suit the abilities and interests of two young girls aged 11 and 13. We feel confident that any family on their “Every Kid Outdoors Summer” (4th grade) could handle this itinerary. For hikes, we have listed the distance, elevation gain, and time that we tracked, which may differ from published (or actual) measurements.
Day 1
Morning
Drive from Capitol Reef to Moab
Afternoon
Arches Visitor Center (Junior Ranger books)
Scenic Drive: Park Avenue, Balanced Rock, The Windows, Double Arch, Delicate Arch viewpoint
Evening
Overnight at the WorldMark Moab
Day 2
Morning
Hike: Fiery Furnace (~4.5 miles)
Afternoon
Hike: Delicate Arch (3.4 miles RT, 600 feet, 1 hour)
The Windows
Evening
Overnight at the WorldMark Moab
Day 3
Morning
Departure for Canyonlands
Notes
Arches is compact but incredibly full—every bend in the road reveals another towering feature or hidden arch. We had to limit ourselves because we were recovering from illness, but we got the most out of what we could do.
On our first day, we drove straight from Capitol Reef and headed into the park for an afternoon of scenic stops. On day two, we used our permit to hike Fiery Furnace (highly recommended, but plan ahead.) That day also included Delicate Arch—one of the most iconic and rewarding hikes of the trip. We decided to be done with Arches and head to Canyonlands a day early (part of our plan to get back to Zion for the Narrows).
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