Imagine spending three magical days exploring one of the most popular national parks in Utah, but instead of just doing all of the typical touristy things, you also get to scramble primitive routes, discover natural arches that fewer than 2% of visitors see, and camp under the perfectly visible Milky Way.
Make this happen by using my jam-packed three-day Arches National Park itinerary!
As someone who’s explored this park many times, I’ve discovered some pretty amazing hikes, routes, and overlooks that I can’t wait to share with you in this itinerary!
Not only will you be checking off the classic bucket list hikes, but you’ll be diving deep into hidden corners of the park that many visitors don’t see or even know about.
With my 3-day Arches itinerary, you’ll get to cruise the scenic drive and stop at viewpoints, hike trails with epic views, and venture off the beaten path to discover some pretty amazing hidden gems.
Who’s ready to explore?!
Jam-Packed 3-Day Arches National Park Itinerary
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Getting to Arches National Park
Arches National Park is conveniently located just outside the outdoorsy town of Moab, in southwestern Utah.
If you’re not local to Utah or don’t live within driving distance, the easiest way to get to Arches National Park is by flying into Grand Junction Regional Airport in Grand Junction, Colorado.
From the airport, rent a car and drive less than two hours to the park entrance.
Where to Stay When Visiting Arches National Park
If possible, plan on staying four nights so you can spend three full days exploring Arches National Park.
I recommend camping inside the park or staying in Moab. Here are the best places to stay:
- Devils Garden Campground – in-park campground in the heart of the red rocks, my recommendation for maximizing your time inside the park; site 21 has insane views!
- Red Cliffs Lodge – riverside retreat with unbeatable views, offers horseback trail rides, waterfront cabanas, and a heated pool, 30 minutes from the park entrance
- Under Canvas Moab – desert glamping with safari-inspired tents, perfect basecamp for exploring both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks
IMPORTANT: Devils Garden Campground reservations sell out quickly, so plan ahead and book your campsite 6 months in advance.
When to Visit Arches National Park
Arches is beautiful (and open) year-round, but I recommend visiting in the spring or fall to avoid the extreme heat and cold temperatures.
We’ve been in late September and early June, and both months were overall pretty great. June was a bit hot though!
3 Day Arches National Park Itinerary Overview
Day 1: Cruise the Scenic Drive + Stop At All Overlooks + Hike Short Trails
Day 2: Hike to Delicate Arch + Windows + Broken/Tapestry Arch
Day 3: Explore the Fiery Furnace + Devils Garden Primitive Loop
Day 1: Explore the Scenic Drive
There’s no better introduction to Arches National Park than cruising the scenic drive! I almost always do exactly this when I’m exploring a national park for the first time.
There’s just something welcoming about zooming out and getting a wide-angle overview of the park I’m about to dive into and explore.
Aside from driving the main park road, you’ll spend today stopping at all of the scenic overlooks and hiking the short trails along the way.
Before you head to the park entrance, note that there’s no food in Arches National Park. For this itinerary, your best bet is to pack/make your own meals to maximize your time spent in the park. Or, you can pop back out to Moab to grab a bite in between adventures.
Alright, let’s head into the park!
Once you pay the $30 entrance fee (or show your America the Beautiful Pass to get in for free!), make a pitstop at the visitor center to grab a map, stamp your passport book, and fill up your water bottles. Keep in mind that there’s no water until the very end of the road at Devils Garden!
The main park road is 18 miles, stretching from the Visitor Center to Devils Garden. As you cruise the road, stop at any scenic overlooks that catch your eye. And if you need a break from driving, hop on one of the many trails to stretch your legs and explore further!
From scenic overlooks to short hikes, these are the stops I’d recommend making on the main drive (from beginning to end):
- Park Avenue Trail – easy 1.8-mile roundtrip hike through a rocky corridor (or just check out the viewpoint)
- La Sal Mountains Viewpoint – view of the rocky scenery and mountains
- Courthouse Towers – view of the sandstone monoliths
- Petrified Dunes Viewpoint – view of ancient dunes that have cemented into sandstone
- Balanced Rock Trail – easy 0.3-mile hike around the famous Balanced Rock
- Panorama Point – great picnic spot with 360-degree views
- Salt Valley Overlook – views of the valley and mountains
- Fiery Furnace Viewpoint – views of the maze of sandstone pillars
- Sand Dune Arch Trail – easy 0.3-mile roundtrip hike to a natural sandstone arch
- Skyline Arch Trail – easy 0.4-mile roundtrip hike to an impressive arch
If you have extra time, take the two paved side roads – Windows Road and Delicate Arch Road. If not, don’t worry; you’ll be driving those (and hiking some fun trails off them) tomorrow!
After a full day of driving, hiking, and gazing at scenic vistas, it’s time for dinner! Head back to your campsite to cook up a cozy meal or drive into Moab and grab some tacos and margaritas at Fiesta Mexicana.
Then head to your accommodations to rest up for tomorrow’s epic adventures!
Psssst: If you’re camping at Devils Garden (10/10 recommend), make sure to look up in the middle of the night! Since Arches is an International Dark Sky Park, the Milky Way is perfectly visible on a clear night!
Day 2: Delicate Arch + Windows + Broken/Tapestry Arch
Today, we’re knocking out two classic hikes and an underrated one! You’ve likely heard of the two classic hikes (they’re classic for a reason), but I’m willing to bet you’ve never heard of the other one.
Once again, it’s best to bring your own meals into the park…at least your lunch! Because today is going to be filled with hiking, hiking, and more hiking haha. And you’re likely not going to want to leave the park!
First up, Delicate Arch! An Arches itinerary just isn’t complete without a hike to the most famous arch in the state…or dare I say, country??
There’s a reason this one is proudly plastered on Utah license plates. And you’re about to find out why!
For the best views and to beat the crowds, I’d recommend rising before the sun and hiking this trail at sunrise.
Not only will you grab a hard-to-get parking spot, but you’ll get to avoid the dreaded “photo line” that forms at the base of the arch. Don’t get me wrong – I’m glad people are polite enough to allow everyone a chance at snapping their photo, but the wait can be painfully loooooong.
The hike to Delicate Arch is 3.1 miles roundtrip, and while it’s not a hard trail, it does have pretty consistent, mildly unrelenting elevation gain.
On the 1.5-mile hike to the arch, you’ll pass the historic Wolfe Ranch Cabin before following an obvious trail that eventually climbs up slabs of slickrock. The route becomes less defined in places, with some exposed sections, as you make your way toward the base of the arch.
Since there are no obstructions (and therefore, no shade) along the trail, the views along the entire trail are breathtaking!
When you turn the final corner and Delicate Arch comes into view, you’ll realize that all the hard work of climbing and navigating sandstone has paid off.
If you go anytime other than sunrise or sunset, you’ll likely encounter other hikers at the arch. Be respectful and let everyone have a turn at taking photos of the arch by forming a line beside it.
Once you’ve snapped your photo, take a seat on the sandstone and soak in the views of the arch and surrounding landscape while munching on a snack. And if you’re like me, you’ll probably find yourself just as entertained watching the steady stream of hikers line up for their turn to take a photo haha.
If you’d prefer a shorter, easier hike to see Delicate Arch – or want to experience both perspectives – head to the end of Delicate Arch Road and park in the large lot. From there, a quick 1-mile roundtrip hike takes you to two scenic overlooks, Upper and Lower, where you can admire Delicate Arch from a distance.
Next, make your way to the Windows section. You may notice I intentionally skipped this road on your first day…that’s because I saved it for you to explore today!
After turning onto the Windows Road, make a pitstop at the Garden of Eden to get an expansive view of the surrounding red rock landscape.
Then park in the large lot at the end of the road to explore the Windows section.
On the south side of the lot is the Windows Trail. This is a 1.5-mile trail that leads to three impressive arches, one of which you can walk through. Part of the trail is primitive, but you can skip this portion if you’d rather.
On the north side of the lot is the Double Arch Trail. This is a 0.6-mile trail that leads to the tallest arch in the entire park! An optional scramble at the end adds some excitement for those interested.
Before your final hike of the day, fuel up with a lunch at Devils Garden. If you’re not camping and don’t have a campsite to eat at, you can sit and enjoy lunch at the nice picnic area nearby.
Once you’re finished with lunch, head to the Devils Garden Campground to hike the last trail of the day: Broken Arch.
If you’re camping at Devils Garden, you can conveniently park at your campsite and walk to the trailhead. If you’re not camping here, park in the small lot near the end, next to the restrooms.
The Broken Arch Trail is probably the most underrated hike in the park. We couldn’t believe no one was hiking this one!
Just 1.9 miles in length, this looped trail leads to two natural arches: Broken and Tapestry. And if you missed Sand Dune Arch on Day 1, you’re in luck; you can easily add it on to your hike for just 0.7 more miles!
This hike is a fun one. Not only does it lead to some seriously underrated natural arches, but it also boasts gorgeous views and some exciting rock scrambling through narrow canyons at the end.
As you uncover jaw-dropping arches, navigate through sandstone fins, and take in the sweeping views of the surrounding red rock and mountains, you won’t believe this is one of the least-hiked trails in the park.
When you’re finished with all of your fun hikes, cap off your day with a meal in Moab. For a variety of food, drink, and dessert, hit up the Food Truck Park!
Then head back to your campsite or other accommodations to rest up for tomorrow, which – spoiler alert – might be the best day on this itinerary!
Day 3: Fiery Furnace + Devils Garden Primitive Loop
Alright, we’ve arrived at your final day. But don’t be sad because, as I mentioned above, this is my favorite day on this entire itinerary!
I’ve got two epic (primitive) hikes in store for you today: the Fiery Furnace and the Devils Garden Primitive Loop. Both of these are going to blow your mind!
First up: the Fiery Furnace!
The Fiery Furnace, named after its flaming red rocks, is a maze-like labyrinth of towering sandstone fins, narrow canyons, and natural arches.
Due to the fragility and complexity of this route, permits are required to enter the Fiery Furnace. This visitor restriction is one of the reasons so few people get to see it each year. The other reason? It’s extremely challenging and intimidating. But that’s part of the fun!
Limited ranger-led tour permits are dished out daily in the spring, summer, and fall for those who feel nervous about attempting it on their own.
But for those feeling adventurous (and capable of route-finding), I’d highly recommend wandering through these canyons on your own. Snag a self-guided permit to explore the maze of red rock at your own pace!
Stumbling upon natural arches that less than 2% of visitors have seen, climbing up giant mansion-sized boulders, and hopping across giant chasms are just a few of the exciting things you can look forward to.
You will get lost, but that’s part of the excitement!
Lastly, end your day with one final great adventure: Devils Garden Primitive Loop! Slip a packed lunch into your backpack to enjoy at one of the natural arches because you’re going to be on this trail for a while!
Most visitors will park at the Devils Garden Trailhead and venture to one or all of the following arches: Landscape, Tunnel, or Pinetree. I can see why; the paths to these arches are short and easy, and the arches are gorgeous.
But the same people who hike to those turn around and head back to the parking lot and therefore miss the best arches in the area: Partition, Navajo, Black, Double O, and Private.
So how do you see all of these? By venturing beyond Landscape Arch, beyond the crowds.
Similar to the Fiery Furnace, this is a primitive route. The terrain past Landscape Arch is rugged, rock scrambling is required, and route-finding is necessary.
To complete the Devils Garden Primitive Loop, you’ll have to hike (and scramble) around 8 miles in total, navigating narrow ledges with steep drop-offs, route-finding slickrock, crossing a pool that may be filled with water at times, and scrambling sandstone fins on hands and knees.
Reward yourself for conquering two of the hardest, most epic, and most rewarding routes in Arches National Park with a cold drink and bar food at Trailhead Public House and Eatery before getting one final night of rest (and one final look at the Milky Way) in Arches.
Finish Planning Your Trip to Arches
Make trip planning a breeze with the help of my guides!
- 6 Best Hikes in Arches National Park
- How to Conquer the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park
- Broken Arch Trail Guide: How to See 3 Underrated Natural Arches!
- What Are the Best Arches at Arches National Park?
- Complete Guide to Exploring Arches National Park
- Arches Vs. Canyonlands: Which National Park Should You Visit?
Discover Your Next Adventure
Where to next? I’ve got some suggestions!
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