Best Time to Visit Arches

Mar–May · Sep–Oct

These five months are the window every regular plans around: highs in the 60s and 70s, the rock walls at their reddest in low-angle light, and no timed-entry gate to clear in 2026. Devils Garden Campground books months ahead through this stretch, so reserve it the day your dates open on Recreation.gov, or stay in Moab and roll in at dawn.

What's open: Park open year-round, 24 hours a day; Devils Garden Campground takes reservations March through October; entrance waits can exceed an hour midday March–October.

Jun–Aug

Summer is the hard season. Highs run past 100°F most of July and August and have hit 116°F at the visitor center, which the Park Service warns can make strenuous exercise difficult. The trip works only if you flip your day: be on Delicate Arch or the Devils Garden loop by sunrise, retreat to a Moab room with air-conditioning over the 10 a.m.–4 p.m. furnace, and come back for sunset and the dark-sky hours.

What's open: All park roads, viewpoints, and trails open; afternoon thunderstorms can wash out the unpaved Salt Valley and Willow Flats roads; new-moon weekends are the darkest skies of the year.

Jan–Feb · Nov–Dec

Winter in Arches is cold, mostly empty, and one of the most photogenic times to come. Snow dusts the fins and arches for a few days at a stretch; daytime highs sit in the 40s and 50s; the lines at the entrance kiosk are gone. Trails ice over in shaded spots, so bring traction devices and treat it as a season for short hikes and overlooks rather than the big-mileage days.

What's open: Park and roads open; Devils Garden Campground goes first-come, first-served (no reservations); unpaved roads can be impassable after storms; visitor-center hours are reduced.