Auto Touring

Touring the scenic drive at Arches

NPS/Neal Herbert

 

Paved Roads

The scenic drive in Arches passes many outstanding natural features. Parking is limited at all destinations, and popular trailheads like Delicate Arch and Devils Garden may fill for hours at a time, especially on weekends and holidays. View the Traffic & Travel Tips page for advice on making the most of your time (and avoiding the crowds).

If you have 1.5 hours

• Drive to The Windows Section and see some of the park's largest arches. (Add a half hour to stroll beneath either North Window or Double Arch.).
• Or drive to Delicate Arch Viewpoint and see the world's most famous arch, a mile distant. Stop at Wolfe Ranch on your way back and imagine what it would have been like to homestead this relatively barren area in the late 1800s.

If you have 3 hours
Do both of the above.

If you have 4.5 hours
Drive all of the paved park roads, spending 10 minutes at each viewpoint, and be sure to visit The Windows Section, Wolfe Ranch and Delicate Arch Viewpoint.

Unpaved Roads

Rain and snow can quickly change unpaved roads to four-wheel-drive condition or make them impassable. Check at the visitor center for up-to-date road conditions

Salt Valley Road travels from the main park road to Klondike Bluffs and the Tower Arch trailhead. This road is two-wheel-drive in normal conditions.

Other roads require vehicles with high clearance, low-range four-wheel drive and technical driving skills. Vehicles with two-wheel drive or all-wheel drive do not have the ground clearance or low gearing to negotiate the steep grades, loose rocks, and soft sand found on these roads. To see what's available, view the park map. Off-highway vehicle use (ATVs, UTVs, etc.) is prohibited in the park. Read more about park regulations.