Arches NP
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Arches National Park, UT

We spent here a few amazing hours on August 5. The really beautiful pictures will come later, but here are a couple:

Arches National Park
Printable Travel Guide
http://www.nps.gov/arch

Email - [email protected]

Fax- 435-719-2305

Write to
PO Box 907
Moab, UT 84532-0907

Phone
Visitor Information Recorded Message - (435)719-2299
Visitor Information (TDD) - (435)719-2319
Headquarters - (435)719-2100

Getting There
CAR - The entrance to Arches is located 5 miles north of Moab along Highway 191.

Weather & Climate
In summer, June through September, temperatures may exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures may range 50 degrees in a 24-hour period. Very dry! Carry drinking water at all times.

Getting Around
Sightseeing is usually by car, bike or foot.

CAMPING

Devils Garden
Open All Year
Devils Garden Campground has 52 sites available on a first-come, first-served basis. Facilities include flush toilets and water spring through fall (vault toilets only during winter). Visitors must pre-register for individual campsites at the Arches Visitor Center between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m., or at the entrance station after 8:00 a.m. The campground fills daily mid-March through October, often by mid-morning. Two sites (tents only) are available for groups of ten or more people. The group sites may be reserved in advance.

LODGING


FACILITIES

Visitor Centers
ARCHES
Open All Year 8am to 4:30pm
Location - The Arches Visitor Center is located along Highway 191, 5 miles north of Moab.
Closures - Closed December 25th.
Special Programs - Park orientation program is shown in the auditorium every half hour.
Exhibits - Museum with exhibits on the park's natural and cultural history. Sales area features books, maps and other publications.
Available Facilities - Restrooms, drinking water.

From : http://www.utah.com/places/national_parks/arches.htm
View a 360° panorama of Arches! The world's largest concentration of natural stone arches is found in Arches National Park. Over 2,000 of these "miracles of nature" grace the 73,000-acre area. A 40-mile round-trip paved road in the park leads to the major sights, including Balanced Rock, Skyline Arch, Double Arch, Fiery Furnace, and Delicate Arch, the park's most famous geologic feature.

 The entrance to the park, 5 miles north of the town of Moab via US 191, is a winding road cut into a sheer sandstone wall directly behind the visitor center. This drive, rising up, is as striking as the views from atop the plateau, where you are welcomed with dramatic and sweeping vistas. Here the park opens up into a red, arid desert punctuated with oddly eroded sandstone forms such as fins, pinnacles, spires, and balanced rocks, and arches. Visitors can see many of these arches in the distance from the paved road. Short trails, leading from pullouts or car parks, bring you beneath these forms, where the scale of nature's forces is appreciated.

The La Sal mountains, the second highest mountain range in the state, are located east of the park and can be seen from many viewpoints within Arches. The high mountain peaks, as well as the blue sky or desert clouds, serve as a dramatic backdrop to the red sandstone desert.

Recreational activities within the park include hiking, backpacking, technical rock climbing, and biking (only on the roads). Backcountry overnight hikers must pick up a free backcountry permit at the visitor center.

 Arches offers a wide variety of hikes, many suitable for all ages and abilities. Longer and more strenuous hikes are also available. The hike to the famed Delicate Arch is 3 miles round trip. Delicate Arch can also be seen from a viewpoint. Two trails in the vicinity of this viewpoint offer different views of Delicate Arch. Elsewhere in the park, trails guide visitors to several other arches.

In summer, rangers lead guided walks into the Fiery Furnace, a labyrinth of sandstone canyons; reservations are required and may be made at the visitor center. Other guided walks and campfire programs are offered daily.

Hiking through the rolling sandstone of Arches is to follow in the footsteps of prehistoric Native Americans who roamed southeastern Utah between 700 and 1200 AD.

 The visitor center is open year-round. Visitors are encouraged to stop by and learn how to visit the park with minimum impact to the fragile desert environment. Here you will find maps, brochures, and books to help you enjoy your visit. A slide orientation program, geology museum, and history exhibit are also available.

Water is available seasonally in the year-round campground. Accommodations are available in Moab. Entrance fee is $10 per vehicle or $5 per person. Annual individual passes at $25 per person are available (good for entrance into Arches, Canyonlands, Hovenweep and Natural Bridges).