I’ve been to Arches National Park 3 times now and I love it more with each visit. It’s hard to know exactly what to plan for different activity levels, so that’s where this guide comes in!

Arches National Park is right next to Moab, Utah, and is an iconic, fun, accessible National Park. There’s hikes for everyone at any level, including those who don’t want to hike at all. In this article I’ll share the hikes/trails I’ve been on that accomadate different activity/skill levels, and what makes each feature so cool to see. If you’re like me, you can go ahead and hit them all!

We’ll start from the easiest and go to the most difficult. I won’t be listing every thing you can do in the park (because that would take forever.) I will share the ones I’ve done, and all of these are front-country so they’re easily accessible.

What to See at Arches National Park if you’re not a hiker

There’s plenty of hikes at Arches National park that are more like “walks.” Paved, flat, short trails basically mean you just have to get out of your car and walk less than 20 feet away from the vehicle. These are perfect for those who have circumstances that make it difficult to hike, or even for those who are just not interested in hiking.

There’s some great stops you can make if this is the case:

Balanced Rock

Balanced rock is a great stop right off the highway. You can look at it from your vehicle, or you can walk around the short, paved path that shows you some more angles. Looking at the balanced rock from different angles is really cool because you see how balanced it actually is!

Double Arch

You can see multiple arches from the parking lot for the window arches trailhead. This includes double arch, which is arguably one of the three most iconic arches in the park (the others being Delicate Arch and Landscape arch, which we’ll touch more on later.) Double Arch will show up again later in my list because if you want to, you can hike up to it and even climb around underneath it.

Turret Arch

From the same spot as the double arch, you can see Turret Arch. Just turn slightly to the right and there it is! Turret Arch is called that because of the turret shape sticking out to the side of it, but it’s fun because it looks like the rock is making an ok shape with it’s “hand.”

More “Easier” hikes/activities

Most of the easiest spots to see can also be trickier for those who want them to be, which makes Arches a great place to go if you have a group with very different activity levels. If you’re looking for more activities to do at this activity level, here’s an article from a fellow travel blogger about more easy activities to do in Arches National Park.

Now, let’s talk about hikes for those who are a little more active but don’t want to go too crazy.

Moderate Hikes at Arches National Park and Things to See

There’s lots of options for moderate hikers at Arches National Park. Also, any of the easy activities mentioned above can be made moderate based off of how much you climb around.

Lower Level Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trail

The Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint Trail is a shorter, flatter trail that brings hikers to a lower view of the Delicate Arch. If you’re not planning on doing the Delicate Arch Main Trail, then this hike is well worth your time. If you are planning on hiking Delicate Arch, it may not be as worth it, since you’ll already have spent 1-3 hours realistically doing that hike and seeing the arch from the multiple angles up close that you get on that trail.

To get to the trailhead for the lower viewpoint of the Delicate Arch, just head towards the Delicate Arch trailhead but then don’t stop at the parking lot. If you continue on down the road a little further, it will take you to the parking lot and trailhead for the lower level.

From this trail, you get a view of the delicate arch without all of the work. The path is a tad rocky but is generally easy for most travelers. While it’s not as close up or the exact iconic shape from that angle, it’s a great way to see the iconic arch when you need a faster/easier option. Here’s more information on the Delicate arch trails from the National Parks Services website if you want to learn more about them.

Devil’s Garden Trail & Landscape Arch

This is the most difficult hike I’ll list in the moderate section, but I would definitely still say it’s moderate. The entire hike is filled with beautiful views and the ending is so cool! You get to the end and get a perfecct view of Landscape Arch, which is arguably the longest arch in the world. (For context, there’s an arch in China that might be longer but no one actually knows for sure, because where do you measure?)

On this trail, you pass by so many rock formations called fins, and so you get a really unique and really cool looking views the entire hike. Plus, I think landscape arch is just gorgeous. The stats for this hike are:

• Roundtrip Distance: 1.8 mi (2.9 km) 
• Time: 30-60 min 
• Elevation Change: 40 ft (12 m) 

Many people say this hike is easy, but my easy section of this article is more about flat, paved paths so this one ended up in the moderate section.

Arches National Park Hikes for experienced hikers or those with a higher activity level

I’m definitely not a super experienced hiker, and I love the first one I list here. You may be out of breath, but you’ll do great. I also included a few other options, though I’ve never personally done them.

Delicate Arch

Many people say Delicate Arch is the best arch in the park. It’s definitely the most iconic, being one of the few “logos” for Utah. Most Utah license plates actually have the delicate arch on them.

I love this hike because you get a very diverse landscape to look at as you go. First you are crossing a bridge over a stream, then you’re stepping over sparkly, geode-looking rocks, then you’re walking up a big flat red rock.

The best part of the hike is when you’re reaching the end and you come around that final corner… to see the Delicate Arch revealed beautifully before you! It’s so magical, and the first time I did this hike it caught me so off guard in the best way possible.

If you want something more challenging than Delicate Arch…

This is where you’re going to need to get a permit. There’s plenty of hikes more difficult than Delicate Arch, because they’re considered “back-country.”

One of these includes the Fiery Furnace. I’ve never done this one, because you have to get a permit for it. It is also pretty iconic from what people say, and if you’re looking for more of a challenge, this one could be it!

Devil’s Garden Trail

I’ve taken this trail to landscape arch and back before, but there is a longer version of this hike that will take you all the way over to double arch. It’s a 7.6 mile loop, so it could also be a great challenge.

I have never done a hike this long, though I have a few on my list so hopefully I will soon. Both times that I’ve been to Arches, I’ve only stayed 1-2 days, so I stuck with the shorter hikes so I could see more. If you’re staying for longer, you might consider doing one of the longer ones!

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