How to spend one day at Arches National Park for first time visitors

If you’re planning your very first trip to Arches National Park and only have one day to explore, you’re in for a treat. This stunning red-rock wonderland in eastern Utah is packed with natural arches, dramatic viewpoints, and hikes that range from easy to moderate. With a little bit of detailed planning, you can see it all in one day. Here’s how to spend one day at Arches National Park.

Start Early: Take a Guided Day Tour (Highly Recommend!)

If you’re visiting for the first time, I highly recommend booking a half-day guided tour inside the park.

As you know I’m a big proponent on doing a tour when you can. Especially if you’re limited on time. These tours usually start early in the morning (around 8:00 AM) and take about 4–5 hours. You’ll get to visit many of the iconic stops without the stress of driving, parking, or figuring out where to go. Plus, the guides are super knowledgeable and share tons of fun facts about the geology, flora, and history of the area.

If you’re not into doing that then skip to the next section of the must-do hikes.

Most day tours include:

  • Park Ave
  • Delicate Arch Viewpoint
  • Balanced Rock
  • The Windows Section
  • Double Arch
  • And a few short hikes along the way

While these tours won’t actually have you hike the long hikes, they will take you to the view points where you can get out, take a few pictures, walk around and hop back in the bus.

We did the sunset tour that we will talk about later on in the article, but a bus tour is a great way to get the most out of the park, especially when you’re on a tight schedule.

Midday: Hikes You Can’t Miss

Whether you did the tour in the morning or not, that will still leave you plenty of time to hike the world famous trails in Arches National Park.

1. Delicate Arch Trail

  • Distance: 3 miles round trip
  • Elevation gain: ~480 feet
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Time needed: 2–2.5 hours

For one day at Arches, this is is THE trail to do if you only pick one. Delicate Arch is Utah’s most famous landmark and what you will see posted everywhere. The trail is exposed with no shade, so bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and good hiking shoes. I went mid-afternoon and it was hot, but the views were so worth it.

Note: There’s some slickrock scrambling involved nothing too scary, but be cautious if you’re afraid of heights.

Fun Fact – If you’re asking yourself, “What’s the big deal, it’s just an arch?” then here is your answer: It’s one of the most famous geological features in the world. It’s an anomaly because you just don’t see free-standing arches anywhere else, they’re usually connected to a bigger piece of rock, Delicate Arch is just by itself which makes it incredibly unique, not to mention it’s a very fun hike.

2. The Windows and Double Arch

  • Distance: ~1 mile round trip total (if you combine them)
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time needed: 45 minutes to 1 hour

These two areas are close to each other and offer some of the most dramatic and accessible arches in the park. You don’t have to hike far to them which makes them very easy and fun to do. It’s a great place to wander, snap photos, catch the sunset and even sit in the shade under Double Arch.

You can even do a little rock climbing and climb up in the windows for a breath-taking view of the park.

3. Sand Dune Arch (Optional Bonus Stop)

  • Distance: 0.3 miles round trip
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time needed: 20–30 minutes

This short walk leads through a narrow slot canyon to a hidden arch surrounded by cool sand. It’s shady, quiet, and feels like a secret.

4. Devils Garden Trail

If you’re up for an adventure and have some time, then Devils Garden Trail is a must.

  • Total Distance: Up to 7.9 miles round trip (full loop including all spur trails)
  • Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous
  • Estimated Time: 4–5 hours for the full loop; shorter options available, you can find several spots to stop and turn around so you don’t have to do the entire thing
  • Trailhead: Devils Garden Trailhead at the end of the main park road

This trail features eight arches, including the stunning Landscape Arch (one of the longest in the world), Double O Arch, and Navajo Arch, plus narrow sandstone fins and primitive trail sections for those who want to venture further.

The first part of the trail to Landscape Arch is easy and only 1.6 miles round trip. After that, the terrain gets more rugged, with some scrambling over slickrock and narrow ledges, making it a lot more fun, but also more strenuous and time consuming, but the views are absolutely worth it.

If you find yourself with some extra time and motivation, then definitely hit this trail, even if you can only do a few miles

5. Park Avenue Trail – Arches National Park

  • Distance: 2 miles round trip
  • Difficulty: Easy to moderate
  • Estimated Time: 45 minutes to 1.5 hours
  • Trailhead: Park Avenue Trailhead near the park entrance
Park Ave Utah national park

This trail feels like you’re walking through New York city, but instead of buildings on either side, there’s towering rock walls on both sides.

It starts with a short descent into the canyon and follows a mostly flat path, that is dirt and sand. It’s very wide though so you can do some rock scrambling and have some fun. Perfect for early morning or late afternoon when the lighting is most dramatic.

This trail is the first one you’ll pass entering the park so it’s the perfect one to start with. if you don’t want to hike it you can get out an admire the canyon from the viewing area, but the hike it fairly easy and fun.

6. Balanced Rock

  • Distance: 0.5 miles round trip
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Estimated Time: 20-25 minutes

Balanced Rock is one of the most iconic sights in Arches National Park and a super easy stop for all visitors. The paved loop trail takes you right around the base of this giant formation, where a massive boulder appears to teeter on a narrow pedestal. It’s a great spot for photos, especially during sunrise or sunset when the colors are at their best.

Because it’s located just off the main road, it’s perfect for a quick walk or a scenic stretch break during your day in the park.

The park is fairly small, only takes about 45 minutes or so to drive to the end and it’s pretty much just one main road the entire time, so doing the main points of the park in one-day is very do-able. It’s a very unique park, everything is out in the open, no trees, just wide open views of the beautiful rocks.

Evening: Watch the Sunset

After your hikes, grab an early dinner back in Moab or pack some snacks, because the perfect way to end your Arches day is by watching the sunset.

As mentioned earlier, we actually took a sunset bus tour, which is basically the same as the regular day tour in the park, however here he showed us the best spot to watch the sunset.

utah national parks one day at arches

Why it’s worth it:

  • You’ll catch the golden light glowing on the red rock, this was really incredible to see
  • Pack some snacks or some drinks, lay out a blanket and take in the beautiful scenery as you wait for the sunset

This is the sunset bus tour that we went on, I definitely recommend it if you haven’t taken a tour. The guides are great, no worries about driving or parking and he’ll show you some of the best spots and hidden gems in the park.

If you don’t want to take a sunset tour then go back to the Windows and Double Arch, that is where we were told is the best view for the sunset. Relax under the large arch, in the windows or on the path, there are plenty of places to post up and enjoy the sunset.

What to Bring for a One Day at Arches National Park

  • Plenty of water (at least 2–3 liters per person)
  • Snacks or a picnic lunch
  • Sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat
  • Hiking shoes or trail runners

For a more in depth packing list, check out my article on what the pack for hiking in the desert

Final Tips for First-Time Visitors spending One Day at Arches

  • Entry Reservations: As of 2025, Arches requires timed entry tickets between April and October if you’re driving in on your own. Tour companies usually include this in your booking. This means you will need to reserve a time to go into the park the day before. This is basically to prevent overcrowding.
  • Bathrooms: There are vault toilets at most major stops but no restaurants or food inside the park, so come prepared.
  • Cell Service: Spotty at best — download your maps and tickets in advance.
  • Crowds: Arrive early or late to avoid peak congestion at Delicate Arch and Windows.
  • Food: One of the great things about Arches is that it’s maybe a 10 minute drive from downtown Moab, so you can leave the park, go to a restaurant in Moab, get a bite to eat for lunch or dinner and head back in

Conclusion

If you only have enough time to spend one day at Arches National Park, do not worry, I hope this article will help you plan and prepare and show you that it is indeed possible to do it.

Through fun bus tours, planning your hikes, meals and time, you’ll see it’s very easy to tour Arches in one day and get the most out of it!

If you’re interested in booking a 4×4 off roading tour in Arches , check out the link here!

Check out my article on how to hit all six Utah National Parks in less than a week here!

Check out my Canyonlands Half-Day Article HERE