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Contact: John Lewis, 435-719-2150
The Devils Garden area of Arches National Park, including access to all area hiking trails, will be closed from April 30 through June 3 to allow construction crews to complete needed road work. During this period, vehicles may drive as far as the Sand Dune Arch trailhead where they will need to turn around. During closure of the Devils Garden area, visitors wanting to drive the Salt Valley road will need to access it from Highway 191 since access from the main park road will not be possible. Visitors will not be able to access the main park road from the Salt Valley road since it is within the Devils Garden closure and the Salt Valley road/main park road gate will be locked. Devils Garden Campground is closed through November 30, 2017. The Fiery Furnace and Salt Valley Overlook areas are scheduled to close for 28 days once the Devils Garden area is reopened. Beginning Sunday, May 14 vehicles entering the park will need to be through the entrance station by 6:30 p.m. Vehicles arriving at the entrance station after 6:30 p.m. will not be able to enter the park. Vehicles that enter the park prior to 6:30 p.m. must be out of the park no later than 7:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. The park reopens at 7:00 a.m. Monday through Friday, and is open weekends from 7:00 am Friday until 7:00 pm Sunday during this road construction project. Work along and around the park entrance road continues with construction of a new entrance lane and roundabout. Nighttime pulverization of the roads around the visitor center area is scheduled to begin Monday, May 8. Other areas of Arches National Park, such as The Windows Section, will be closed for up to four weeks once work begins in each of those areas. The park will reopen roads and trails once area construction work is completed. Given the many variables that can impact road projects of this type and scope, work dates are subject to change. As a reminder, the park will be open the following holiday weekends:
Road work will resurface, restore, and rehabilitate approximately 23 miles of roads and pullouts in Arches National Park along the entrance road (from US Highway 191 to the visitor center), main park road, the campground road, and other spur roads and loops. Road work is scheduled to last through November. Limited daytime road closures may still occur even with nighttime work. Construction crews will use pilot cars and flaggers to control traffic during the day. When partial daytime road closures are in effect, crews will limit traffic delays to 30 minutes or less per work zone. While construction crews will make every effort to minimize disruption to visitor daytime travel and activities during this project, visitors should expect frequent delays and closures. The park will post road construction updates on its official website as they become available. However, construction work schedules are subject to change. Visitors to the Moab area can find a wide variety of spectacular scenery and hikes in other public lands around the region. Information about these other travel and hiking options can be found on the Moab Travel Council’s website: http://www.discovermoab.com/. General information about Arches National Park can be found at www.nps.gov/arch or by calling 435-719-2299. Information about the other three national parks of the Southeast Utah Group may be obtained from each of their websites: Natural Bridges National Monument
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arches arches construction
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Last updated: April 28, 2017