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Arches National Park in Winter

January 24, 2022

Arches National Park is an absolutely stunning destination in the American West that deserves a spot right at the top of your National Park bucket list. Arches joins Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion in making up what is known as “The Mighty Five” of Utah National Parks. 

All are absolutely worth the time it takes to get here, and if you have 7-10 days or more, you can string them together into one epic Utah National Parks adventure.

Arches National Park is out-visited by Zion in the southwest, but it’s still in the top 20 of America’s most visited national parks, which is why a Winter trip to Arches starts to make great sense if you have the flexibility.

A few cool facts about Arches National Park. The park was established in 1929 as a National Monument, later becoming a National Park in 1971. The elevation range is 4,085 feet to 5,653 feet, so if you’re arriving from a lower elevation, it’s definitely a good idea to be mindful of drinking extra water and taking lots of breaks when hiking.

There are over 2,000 arches that have been documented within the park! You’ll find more arches here than anywhere else in the world. But before you worry about fitting 2,000 arches into one day, you won’t be viewing anywhere near that number as many of the arches are much smaller formations that are spread across the 119 square miles of the park.

Still, there are several that are quite easy to view up close in even a half-day visit here, which is the bare minimum I would recommend when planning a trip to Arches. 

It takes quite a bit of time to drive through the park. It’s slow going, and you’re going to want to stop and take in all the amazing views from each pullout and vantage point. Plus, there are very few arches you can actually see from the road, which means you’re going to have to park and walk at least a short distance if you want to experience the beauty of what this park has to offer.

Why Visit Arches in the Winter?

To avoid crowds, Winter is hands-down the best time to visit Arches National Park. Daily vehicle entrances into Arches are lowest from late October to mid-March. Attendance starts to climb exponentially starting around the Spring Breaks weeks of mid-March and continues to stay strong throughout the Summer and into the onset of Fall.

Parking is slim within Arches, so the lots fill very early in the morning during peak visitation months. When this happens, vehicles may be delayed or prohibited from entering the park, causing a huge (and depressing) line to form outside the entrance station. This can definitely be a bit of a bummer, especially if you’ve only planned a limited window for visiting the park. 

To avoid this, we highly recommend visiting Arches during the Winter. For reference, our most recent trip was on a Friday in early January. We entered the park around 2 pm with zero wait and were able to find plenty of parking at every trailhead. Even with the gorgeous weather that we had that day, sunny and low 50s in Fahrenheit, trail congestion was pretty low. We definitely didn’t have Arches all to ourselves, but it was still very peaceful and not overcrowded as the park can definitely become on a summer day.

Photographers will also find that the quality of light is more forgiving during the middle of the day during Winter. The sun angle is lower, and the sun sets at a pretty early hour, around 5 pm. This can both be a plus and a minus, depending on how much you’re trying to fit into one day. 

Getting Around Arches National Park in the Winter

Parking, walking, and taking pictures all takes time, even if you’re just visiting the closest of the arches. It can be useful to look at a list of the Arches trail distances before your trip to get a realistic idea of how long even some of the shorter trails will take and accessibility concerns. 

As just one example, the trail that leads to an up-close view of Delicate Arch, the world’s most famous stone arch according to the Arches NPS website, is 3 miles roundtrip with a 480-foot elevation gain. If you’re an experienced hiker, and everyone in your group is too, you can probably make it out and back in a couple of hours. That’s if you’re not planning on staying very long at the arch site itself. 

If you don’t have time or aren’t up for the 3-mile Delicate Arch trail, there are two other viewpoint areas for Delicate Arch. You’ll be able to see it, but it will be a significant distance away. 

This is important to note for anyone wanting to take a photograph of Delicate Arch. Within this article, there are two images showing two different vantage points of Delicate Arch. The up-close image showing Delicate Arch was taken at the end of the 3-mile trail Delicate Arch Trail. The further away image was taken from a 0.5-mile viewpoint trail across a canyon from Delicate Arch. 

The Windows Section of the park (seen above) is another absolutely must-see destination within Arches. There are numerous significant formations within this area, including three profoundly spectacular arches (North Window, Turret Arch, and Double Wall) all in one spot! 

If you end up with only a half-day to spend in Arches National Park, and you have to decide between places to see, I highly recommend not missing the Windows area. Windows is relatively quick and easy to see, and about half of the trail is accessible for those with mobility limitations. Be sure not to miss the trail to Double Arch located right across from the parking area at Windows. 

Much of your hiking at Arches will be on Slickrock and uneven terrain. In the winter, it’s good to be prepared for ice with microspikes or YakTrax and trekking poles for added stability.

Winter Camping at Arches National Park

If you love to camp, Devils Garden Campground is an absolutely gorgeous place to spend the night. And if you’re traveling to Arches during the Winter, there’s a decent chance you can snag a spot, especially if you’re staying during the week versus the weekend. 

In the Winter, camping is $25/night at Devils Garden, and the sites are first-come. 

If you can’t score a site within the park, there are several BLM campgrounds nearby that are $20/night. No reservations are accepted at these BLM campgrounds, with the exception of Ken’s Lake Campsites where reservations can be secured during the “high use seasons”. 

Weather at Arches National in the Winter

In comparison to the 100+ degree temps of the summer months, daytime temperatures are quite pleasant during the Winter at Arches, averaging between 44 and 56 degrees Fahrenheit from November to February. 

If you’re coming from a warmer climate, this might seem a bit chilly. But as many of the days are quite sunny in Utah, and there isn’t much shade within the park, we think you’ll stay pretty toasty if you’re dressed in layers and are hiking at all during your visit here. In

At night, things get a bit more frigid. The average lows for December and January, for instance, are 22 degrees Fahrenheit. So if you’re planning a winter camping trip, it can be useful to bring a 4 Season Tent and a Sleeping Bag Rated for Cold Weather. It’s not a bad idea to have some Hand or Foot Warmers or breathable cold weather clothes such as Smartwool layers and socks. 

What Else is There to do in Moab During the Winter?

Moab is a fun and artsy city located about a 10-minute drive from Arches National Park. There are all sorts of restaurants, galleries, boutiques, and local shops to browse. Off-roading by way of ATV on backcountry trails is an extremely popular activity, and there are several companies that offer rentals and guided tour experiences. 

We’ve done this several times, and it’s not for the faint of heart. Territories around Moab can get a little difficult to navigate and traverse. You’ll be riding on the edge of a cliff at times and without cell service. 

Not far from Moab is a truly amazing vacation rental, Base Camp Adventure Lodge, that is unlike any other overnight stay you’ll probably ever experience. Think authentically-built native Hogans (ancient Navajo mud huts) in the middle of nowhere and underneath a night sky with so little light pollution you’ll feel at one with the universe. 

Other cool things to do in Moab include a visit to The Hole N’ The Rock, a curious roadside attraction that is basically a large home carved out of a huge rock. Visitors can take a 12-minute guided tour through this unique destination that also features an exotic zoo and the largest collection of Lyle Nichols metal art sculptures.

You can also hit another of the “Mighty Five” with a stop at Canyonlands National Park. Canyonlands is a massive territory and is divided into three sections, Island of the Sky, The Needles, and The Maze. The most popular and most-visited of the three is Island of the Sky, which is about a 30-minute drive from Arches. 

If you’re starting your day early at either Arches or Canyonlands, you could potentially squeeze in a visit to both in one day. With that said, considering the shorter daylight hours of the winter months, if you want to go at a more leisurely pace or you’re considering any amount of hiking, we strongly recommend spreading these Arches and Canyonlands out over two different days.

Welcome to travels and curiosities!

Winter Gear for Visiting ARches

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Image Credits:

All Arches National Park photography and text by Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities, with the exception of the snowy winter image of Arches formations by Charles Knowles/©knowlesgallery - stock.adobe.com and the Delicate Arch Trail View by Colin D. Young/lightphoto2 - stock.adobe.com. Additional image credits are as follows: Trail Ridge Road - Elaine Skylar Neal/Travels and Curiosities; Elaine Skylar Neal portrait by Michael Mustin. For Pinterest Pin image credits, click on the respective Pin image.