Arches National Park, UT

Arches National Park boasts many wonderful sights including natural arches and interesting rock formations, but the thing that will always stand out most to me was the intense, saturated color. The fiery orange of the landscape set against the crisp blue of the sky with bursts of colorful flowers scattered about was almost overwhelming to my senses. I'll never forget it!

What You Need to Know

Like most National Parks, there's so much that can be done here: camping, backpacking, and much more. Be sure to check the NPS website for all the possibilities! You could certainly spend a week or more just exploring and taking it all in. For us, though, we found it to be a great day stop on our Grand Canyon loop trip. You'd be surprised at how much you can see in just a few hours!

The entrance and Visitor's Station is at the Southern most part of the park. Spend some time in the Visitor's Center, check in with a Ranger, and then consider walking the Nature Trail to learn more about the flora you'll encounter in the park.

There are many easy, short trails along the driving route and lots of picture-taking and overlook areas, too. If you have plenty of time, definitely consider one of the longer, more difficult trails! 
Check the park website before going so you can get an idea of the trails ahead of time or ask a Ranger when you arrive.

There are bathrooms scattered throughout the park, but there are not any restaurants. Be sure to take snacks and plenty of water.

Most of the trails are safe but rough so strollers won't work well.

Remind kiddos to stick to the marked paths. With so much open space and rocks to climb, it's very tempting to want to go off-path. However, there are many delicate ecosystems that need us to look out for them.

For safety precautions, click here.

Check out some of the Ranger-led programs prior to setting out. Personally, I think stargazing at Arches would be amazing!