News Release

Fee Free Weekend Planned to Mark End of the 3R Road Construction Project in Arches National Park

Date: November 30, 2017
Contact: Mary Wilson, 435-719-2140

MOAB, UT - The National Park Service is waiving entrance fees to Arches National Park on Saturday, December 9, 2017, and Sunday December 10, 2017, to celebrate completion of the months-long 3R road construction project in the park, and to thank everyone for their patience during the project.

Park officials invite the public to visit Arches the weekend of December 9 and 10 to see the road improvements that were made during the nine-month-long project, and enjoy the park during a quieter, less crowed time of year.

The previous park roads were built from 1957 to 1962 and designed for approximately 75,000 visitors per year. Arches National Park’s visitation exceeded 1.5 million in 2016, so the roads and pullouts were in need of upgrades to accommodate this dramatic increase in use.

Road work resurfaced, restored, and rehabilitated approximately 23 miles of roads and pullouts in the park including along the entrance road (from U.S. Highway 191 to the visitor center), main park road, the campground road, and other spur roads and loops.

The Federal Highway Administration paid for the project with approximately $16 million of gas taxes. Due to installation of a new water tank and subsequent water testing, Devils Garden Campground remains closed, and is scheduled to reopen sometime in December.

The park visitor center hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

General information about Arches National Park can be found at www.nps.gov/arches or by calling 435-719-2299.