Tick It Before You Kick It

How to Spend One Day in Arches National Park

• Alexandra Lauren | The Bucket List Mermaid • Season 1 • Episode 31

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Have only ONE ☝️ day at Arches National Park?

Check out the show notes for more resources 👉 here 

Arches National Park offers breathtaking landscapes filled with iconic natural arches and incredible hiking opportunities. 

🏜️With a carefully planned one-day itinerary, visitors can maximize their experience by prioritizing sunrise hikes, key attractions, and stargazing, leaving them with unforgettable memories. 

Listen to this episode of Tick It Before You Kick It for...

• Prioritizing sunrise and peak visit timing is essential 
• Delicate Arch is a must; consider Mesa Arch as an alternative 
• Balanced Rock offers an easy, picturesque photo opportunity 
• The windows section is a great loop for capturing multiple arches 
• The Devil's Garden area presents less crowded hiking adventures 
• Sunset at Courthouse Towers provides stunning views 
• Stargazing opportunities await in the park's dark skies

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Alexandra:

Were you on Earth and you're like, hmm, why don't you take a guess? And you're like, hmm, not sure, because I'm still not convinced that this place is Earth. Hey, adventurers, welcome back to Take it Before you Kick it. The podcast, that's all about helping you check off your adventure bucket list before. Well, you know, I'm Alexandra, your guide to all things epic, and today we are talking about Arches National Park. But with a little bit of a twist, you've only got one day to experience this jaw-dropping Mars-like landscape. Can it be done? Absolutely? Will it be forgettable? Oh, you bet your sweet hiking boots it will be.

Alexandra:

Now I have been dedicating a lot of time and when I mean a lot, I mean a lot of time creating all of these guides to Arches National Park, because I love it and I think it's such an adventurous place to go, and I want you to check it off your bucket list too, and I am here to help you. So grab your day pack, slap on that SPF and let's get into the ultimate one-day itinerary for arches National Park. Now, why am I doing one day? And it is because I have seen a lot of people who are simply driving through the Moab Canyon lands, arches National Park area and they want to know what to do with Arches National Park in one day. So we are going to talk about it. We're going to talk about the best things if you are only driving through, if you only have one day here, and then maybe we can go into more adventure ideas if you want to stay for a couple more days. Now just some backstory. I am a mermaid. I run a blog called the Bucket List Mermaid and I travel everywhere in my massive RV as a mermaid. I know you're just like questioning all of this right now, but trust me, it's a thing. Go check it out.

Alexandra:

Funny story I wasn't actually supposed to be going to Arches National Park. We were going to Yosemite and we were looking for different ways to get there, easier ways to get there, and we decided to go through the Grand Junction route all the way on I-70 and then through Moab. This was a fluke that we were even here to begin with and obviously, like you hear Arches National Park and it seems cool and I was like, oh, I bet they have wait for it arches. However, I just don't think that I was quite prepared, so I ended up spending about a week here to do Moab Canyonlands and Arches. It was definitely one of the most rushed national parks that we do.

Alexandra:

If you have listened to previous episodes, you know that I normally like to stay as long as I can in these national parks so that I can bring you the most information that we can. However, this one was a little bit rushed and I think that, compared to other national parks, it is smaller, so I think you could do it in a day, which is why I am doing this podcast. However, you need to prioritize your time because, although it is smaller than, let's say, yosemite, there is still a lot to do in this national park. So, again, I am just going to be going through my main itinerary. If I had to do it again Full disclaimer I did do it in about four days. Let's just try to cram it into one day and do our best here. So it is sunrise Now.

Alexandra:

You might not know this, you might know this, but sunrises at Arches National Park are absolutely incredible. One of the things that, if you have time if you do, if you have time that I would suggest doing right at sunrise is the iconic Delicate Arch, which I have a love-hate relationship for this arch because this arch is so popular that it's even on their license plate. So if you see Arches National Park nine times out of 10, you're going to see Delicate Arch and it is beautiful. However, it is popular for a reason. So therefore, it is very hard to get parking. It is crowded, it is chaotic. I tried to go, I couldn't even find parking, so therefore I had to like go down to a little viewpoint area and see it and it was like so tiny. So, anyway, I have a love hate relationship with this arch.

Alexandra:

Everybody, all the guides that they say, they say where should you go? First, delicate arch, and I think that that is totally correct. But you need to time it correctly. And if you can't go at sunrise, I'm going to say something so controversial here and you can come after me, but I would almost skip it. If you can't do it during sunrise, you would need to get there at a perfect, pristine time. And even if you did manage to find a parking spot let's say you were there like during midday it's going to be so crowded and you're going to get there and it's beautiful, do not get me wrong. Like you have, like this, las El Mountains in the background and it's absolutely stunning.

Alexandra:

However, after doing this entire park, I just think that there are arches more deserving of your love and praise than the Delicate Arch. Now, if you are here at sunrise, this is the only time when it is pretty much worth it. Now, if you're looking for something a little different and by by different I mean I'm going to cheat a little bit, because this really isn't in Arches National Park. However, one of the best sunrise spots in this area is actually in Canyonlands, in the Mesa Arch. It's like a portal of pure magic. It's only about a half a mile round trip hike but, trust me, oh, it's so worth the detour if you have time and you don't want to do all of the crowds at sunrise. So those are two options one for a little less popularity and one if you really just really want to see that delicate arch. Go at sunrise. Now a little bit more about that delicate arch hike. Just keep in mind that it is a 3.2 mile round trip hike. It is pretty moderate, but it is doable if you pace yourself and bring plenty of water and again, if you do want to try to check this off.

Alexandra:

I also did Devil's Garden at sunrise and this was another amazing way. Personally, honestly again, I'm saying these controversial things because I'm giving you these insider tips I loved what was called the partition arch and this is a little bit of a ways into that devil's garden loop. But, oh my gosh, I looked through and there was just the entire valley of Arches National Park through an arch. There was nobody there, because no one goes there, so hot take. I think that was my favorite option. But you need to pick which option you're going to do for sunrise. Sunrise is peak time to go to arches, so that is the one time where you need to be very, very picky with your time and you need to prioritize what you want. Okay, so now that it is mid day and I might be talking to you people who are just driving through, I'm going to tell you what I did, which, again, is kind of different from what other people did, but I really liked it.

Alexandra:

So what I ended up doing is I ended up going to Arches National Park and I ended up taking an audio tour. I am going to link it in the show notes if you want to take a look at it. It was really cheap. It was way cheaper than a guided tour I got to go at my own pace and basically every time that I would stop or hit a point, a story would tell. It's like a story of who lived there first or a you know geological, scientific, you know education about the rock formations or that kind of thing. And what I also liked about this is that it also told me where all the hikes were. So I just kind of jotted them down so if I did have extra time later I could go back.

Alexandra:

Now some of the things that I did on this audio tour which you cannot miss is number one balanced rock. It's super easy, it's really just a marvel to look at, and if you don't believe me, head to those show notes where you can see the picture of it. But basically it's like this rock that really shouldn't be there and it's kind of just balancing Fun story. The ranger told me this, but there's this little tiny white band around it. That's something about the sediment, but some dude thought that it was cemented on there and went over and tried to push it. Why would you do that?

Alexandra:

So as you go down this main stunning road of Arches National Park it's about 18 miles long total you will have several pullouts, maybe some parking lots and some viewpoints. For example, I really liked looking over the Petrified Dunes and then we also saw, like the Three Sisters one that looked like a penguin and the courthouse. But maybe skip those for now, save those for the afternoon. Go straight through and you'll see Balance Rock on the right and then you'll see this turnoff to the right and this turnoff is going to be the key because you can go to what's called the Garden of Eden. You can look over those petrified dunes and then it takes you to the window and the double arch section. Now, this section, honestly, is like the most bang for your buck, like if you do not have time and you don't have time to hike, you are literally just stopping by driving through. Go to this section, because I feel like it is just filled to the brim with these epic arches and they're all relatively close to each other and the hiking is not bad to get to them. So, for example, there's the window section, so you'll hike a little bit to the north window.

Alexandra:

If you've ever seen, there's a very famous photography spot here where, if you look through the north window, you can frame the turret arch, which is another arch that's right there, you can frame it within it and I've noticed that this is on a lot of postcards. So to all of my photographers out here, this might be a great spot for you. So, basically, this entire thing is on a 1.2 mile loop. So if you go past that north, that north window, you can either turn left to go to the south window or you can go to the turret arch. If you have time, I would suggest going to all of them.

Alexandra:

Personally, the turret arch was kind of my favorite in this area, just because it looked like I was on some Mars exploration mission and I just couldn't believe that it was real life. You'll see what I mean. As I said, if you haven't seen it again, go to those show notes. It doesn't really look real. So, after you're done with that loop and you've managed to find a parking spot because the parking spots here can be a little tricky, however, there are more parking spots here because they know that it is very popular. However, if you go across the street, you'll see this little half-mile detour towards the double arch and again, controversial opinion, but I actually liked double arch more than delicate arch, and this is because it was big, it was grand, it was unique. It basically is like two arches stacked on top of each other and it was so, so cool and the pictures were amazing and I got a magnet of double arch. You know, like the typical tourist that I have to be sometimes it's fine. So, anyway, that this entire section is absolutely beautiful.

Alexandra:

Long story short, if you only have a specific amount of time, I would 100% recommend seeing Balanced Rock and then coming here and then leaving. That's probably like the bare minimum if that's all you have time for. However, if you still do have more time, another thing that I would suggest stopping off on, just because it is so fun, is the Sand Dune Arch. This does have a loop to the Broken Arch, but you might not have time if you're just doing it within a day. However, the Sand Dune Arch is really cool. It's a very small hike and it's really popular with families because it's basically just a giant sandbox and there's like these really cool canyon walls that go above it, and I just had a really good time there. It was so cool. It was like it was private and secluded and covered, if that makes sense. Like all the other arches were out in the open, but with that one. It felt like you were more in a canyon and you were walking on sand. So definitely got a little Laura Croft Indiana Jones moment at the Sand Dune Arch and would 100% recommend checking it out. If you have time and especially if you aren't looking to hike as much, I think it would be a good option. Or if you have some small kiddos, as I said, it's really fun for them to go play in the sand.

Alexandra:

I stopped at the Skyline Arch, which is very poorly marked and I wouldn't have known about it if it wasn't for this audio guide. But basically we pulled over on the side of the road and I walked on this unmarked trail thing and I felt like I was the only one there and it was kind of sunset-ish afternoon-ish at this point and this arch was just so cool. After that we went into viewpoints like the Fiery Furnace. I got this epic photo of the Fiery Furnace with the La Salle Mountains in the back. Now, if you are wondering, if you do want to hike the Fiery Furnace, you do need a permit, so you can only go to the viewpoint, but it is still a wonderful viewpoint of the entire park.

Alexandra:

And then basically that road ends at this place called Devil's Garden. Now we were kind of talking about that place called Devil's Garden. Now we were kind of talking about that before because Devil's Garden is where that partition arch was. Now this is the longest hike in the park and let me tell you it's amazing. So for all of my hikers over there who maybe are like, oh I don't know if I want to see all like the touristy arches and I just want to hike, honestly, if you just want an adventure and you don't want to see all the crowds and you want to go to those more remote places of Arches National Park, I would actually encourage you to just skip all of it and go straight down that road to the Devil's Garden area and just do Devil's Garden and the Primitive Loop Now Devil's Garden. I ended up starting at about seven and I think I was done about 11. So this is definitely doable if you do only have a day and you might be able to fit some other stuff in there as well.

Alexandra:

Now, warning, this is notorious for being very easy to get lost. In fact, I've been on a lot of hikes, I love hiking and this is the only hike where I've gone into a little bit of panic mode because I was lost when I was trying to find Dark Angel, which is a rock formation. It's right after what's called the Double O Arch. I totally just lost my way and I was solo female hiking. I didn't have anything. I was so unprepared. This led me this is a little side tangent this led me to create a guide that is all the worst mistakes that you can make while hiking Devil's Garden. That I will link on the show notes because if you are serious about doing Devil's Garden and you're like, yes, I want to hike, I want to go on adventures in Arches National Park, you need to read it, because I I don't know what I was thinking. I just thought it was just a typical hike. It was about like eight miles for me, because I got so lost and I was like, oh, it's just like another hike, I'll get up early and I'll go do it wrong. Okay, you need to be a little prepared. And luckily I met some people on the way who gave me maps and directions. But once I hit that primitive trail, it was over. Now, if you're like, what are you talking about right now? What are you rambling on about, woman? What is going on?

Alexandra:

Basically, the Devil's Garden is a hike, a loop, if you will. That is right at the end of that road and it offers access to I think it's seven arches. Now, the ones that are the most popular is probably the most popular one is going to be landscape arch. This one people just come in, go to landscape arch and turn around. Some other ones that are very close to the trailhead is the pine tree arch and also the tunnel arch, so you don't have to go very far into the loop in order to do it.

Alexandra:

However, there are some adventurers like me who just prefer to do the entire loop and not just go to the arch of their choice and turn around. Now, once you pass, like the landscape, you can go to the partition arch, which is stunning. I said it was the only one there. I went to the Navajo arch and then I went to the double O arch, which is separate from the double arch that we talked about previously, and once I got there, you go on this primitive, primitive trail and basically the primitive trail is just you navigating around the rocks and so-called fins of these rock formations. And let me tell you, you need a map, you need very good footing, you need very good footwear. It is an adventure hike and, I'm gonna be honest, it was probably my favorite thing I did in Arches National Park. So again, if you are very adventurous, you want to do one hike and you only have a few hours, definitely head to Devil's Garden. You will get so many arches there.

Alexandra:

I think there was one called the Private Arch that was right in the middle of the Primitive Trail and that arch. I had a full meal there, like as in. Like I ate some beef jerky, I ate some of my raisins, I ate everything and I did not see one single person. So definitely different vibes than that windows section where everybody and their grandma is over there. Nobody is over here. There was a point where I slipped and fell in some water. I got lost. I had to help like a hiker up a rock. It is an adventure and I would 100% recommend it.

Alexandra:

Now you could, if you are hustling and you do have a full day, you could potentially do the route that we were on. You know like, go to the window section, go to balance rock, go to that fiery furnace, go all the way to devil's garden and just kind of go where you want. I would especially recommend you to see landscape arch, just because it is very different than the other arches that I saw, as in it's very long and skinny. So even if you don't go the full loop, it's still cool to see Devil's Garden and you can see a few arches while you're there. So if it's like kind of afternoon sunset area by this time, don't panic, you don't have to do the full thing, but just check it out just a little bit and if you do want to go on another, maybe sort of easier hike, I ended up going to the courthouse in Park Avenue for a sunset one day and, oh my gosh, it was absolutely beautiful.

Alexandra:

They have a viewpoint and then they also have a small hike that you can do down there if that interests you as well. Also, if you are listening to me talk and you're like this woman has said arches or arch about 78 million times, do not fear, because it took me a while to actually place these arches with what they actually were, and I actually wrote an entire guide on the most notable arches in Arches National Park with pictures so that you can have a face to the name of all of these arches. And if you are getting confused, I would recommend going and checking that out and listening to this while you're looking at it, just so you can be a little bit more organized, because I wasn't. You know, you can only hear so many names of arches before they all start melding together. So once you are at the courthouse again that Park Avenue trail it's a short and stunning hike. It just has these towering rock formations that kind of make you feel like you're walking through a city of stone, and then you also get the courthouse tower's viewpoint. So if you are too tired to hike, this is an easy pull off with a breathtaking sunset view.

Alexandra:

I actually got a pretty epic sunset shot over there and, yeah, I was not complaining. Also, another thing I was actually driving back from hiking and I actually put on my mermaid tail. I got some really fun photos, but I was coming back, the sun was just starting to set and it was kind of raining a little bit and I looked over and there was literally a rainbow over Balance Rock and the Petrified Dunes over there. So I got probably like one of the most epic photography shots. Again, I'm a photography nerd, so if you're not in photography, just please ignore me for a second, but I go crazy for this stuff and seriously I think that that rainbow was there for about two minutes and that was it, and I managed to get it on my camera. I had everything and it's one of my favorite photos to this day. So sunset is another amazing time that you can be in Arches National Park.

Alexandra:

By this point the sun has probably gone down, not gonna lie, especially if you've done some hiking in there. And just because the sun has gone down does not mean that the party or the fun doesn't stop, and that is because this is a notorious dark sky park and viewing area. Now, depending on the time of year that you are here, you might get a chance to do some stargazing, see the Milky Way or do some astrophotography. Again, one of the most popular spots for you to stargaze is you would guess it the Delicate Arch. That's literally everybody's answer. Like you're like what's the best spot for a sunrise? Delicate Arch. What's the best spot for a sunset? Delicate Arch. What's the best spot for Delicate Arch? It's always Delicate Arch. Oh, I'm shy, it's pretty, but man. But this time I am going to give it to it because seeing the Milky Way like come through the delicate arch with, like the mountains in the back, is literally magic, so I will give this to the delicate arch. Another place that is really really good for stargazing here is Panorama Point.

Alexandra:

Another thing that I'm going to link in the show notes is actually a tour that I found you can do a self-guided stargazing tour, and I would recommend this just because there is a lot of really cool things with the stars, especially that you know the Indians did while they were here, the stories that they would tell about the stars. I was fortunate enough to actually go on a moonlight slash, starlight hike up in Canyonlands, which is just a little bit just around the corner from Arches National Park, and we ended up looking over the rim and Arches National Park with a ranger and she pointed out some of the stars, their folk stories, and they told us some of their stories. It always involves a coyote. I don't know why. The coyote is always up to no good, so I just kind of feel bad for all coyotes everywhere, like they're getting a really bad name with these star stories. Let me tell you. But anyway, you will hear all about the mischievous coyote if you get this tour, but I think that would be really cool, especially like if you had your partner or your family and you go out there with some chairs and some blankets, you know, and go just listen to some stories about stars. It is truly magical and it is truly a bucket list experience.

Alexandra:

Now I have to put in some plugs here because I want to do everything to help you check this off of your bucket list. So I made so many guides for this park. As I said, I've been working really hard on Arches National Park, but I have entire spots for the sunrise, places to go for the sunrise, things to do, nighttime hikes. Everything will be in that guide. And then I also have another one for sunsets, because it's different, because the sun rises and falls in a different location oh, I know it's crazy. So when the sun rises it'll hit certain rocks and then when it falls it'll hit other rocks. So there are different places that you need to be for sunset and sunrise. So if you are interested in really getting into the sunrise, sunset and also the nighttime aspect of Arches National Park, I will definitely link those in the show notes for you and you can take a look. And again, with the photography, I also have a photography guide because, as I said, I nerd out about photography all the time and I also have a guide to photography for Arches National Park, so go check that out as well. And I also have a guide on hiking Devil's Garden and also the other top hikes in here.

Alexandra:

If you do have more time and I have an entire adventurer's guide Can you tell that? I have done my research on Arches National Park? I should be a ranger at this point. Honestly, I feel like I could do a guided tour through Arches National Park and I would know everything. You know. It's fine, this place is so cool and it just fascinates me. So just because I'm passionate and I'm rambling about adventure in Arches National Park, let's just go back and let's just summarize what I would do in a day Now.

Alexandra:

Step one figure out where you want to be for sunrise. Pick the best place that you think would be good for your bucket list. Maybe you go and check out that sunrise guide and you pick somewhere completely different, but pick where you want to be for sunrise. Step two if you only have enough time and you're just driving through, drive on that main road, see Balanced Rock, go to the windows section, go to the double arch, maybe squeeze in some other things, if you can, and then leave. If you wanna go hiking and you just want some serious adventure, go straight to Devil's Garden, do Devil's Garden and then do all the other stuff once you're done. If you just want a balanced day, maybe do it like the delicate hike in the morning, or go to that mesa arch in Canyonlands and then come back, go to Balance Rock, go to the windows section, maybe do some other pull-offs, maybe some parking lots, if you feel like there is something cool there that you want to see, but don't spend too much time. Like the Sand Dune Arch Again, I really liked that one Maybe the Skyline Arch Head all the way over, maybe stop at the Fiery Furnace viewpoint and then go to Devil's Garden.

Alexandra:

You might not have time to do the entire loop if you are doing this route, but maybe just go to the Landscape Arch and come back and then maybe you'll catch an epic sunset at the Courthouse or Park Avenue and then, if you are down to stay for some of those spectacular stars, I would either head up to the Delicate Arch or Panorama Point. That was a lot. That was a lot, though I was talking very, very fast during that. I really hope you got all that truly.

Alexandra:

One thing is for sure you will have unbelievable memories, killer photos that people will be like were you on Earth? And you're like, hmm, why don't you take a guess? And you're like, hmm, not sure, because I'm still not convinced that this place is Earth. And you will have another checkmark on your adventure bucket list. So, have you been to Arches? Did I miss one of your favorite spots? Let me know. And if you love this episode, subscribe, share and leave a review. It just really helps this adventure loving community grow. And until next time, keep chasing those bucket list dreams and take it before you kick it.