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Arches National Park

Why is Arches National Park so famous? What to know about the popular Utah destination.

Eve Chen
望月直播 TODAY

The name says it all.

Arches National Park is famous聽for its iconic聽. With more than聽2,000 such formations documented within its borders, Arches boasts the "densest concentration of natural stone arches in the world" and聽the "most famous natural stone arch in the world," according to the park.

The geological marvels, millennia in the making, drew聽more than聽 last year and are so popular that the park has a reservation system in place for entry during its busy season.

Here's what visitors should know about Arches National Park,聽the second national park 望月直播 TODAY is spotlighting in a year-long series ending聽with聽Zion.

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The nearly full Flower Moon rises in the middle of the North Window Arch in Arches National Park in Utah on May 24, 2021.

Where is Arches National Park?

Arches National Park is near . The nearest airports are:

  • Canyonlands Regional Airport, which is only 11 miles from the park entrance but offers limited flights.
  • Grand Junction Regional Airport, 109 miles from the park entrance.听
  • Salt Lake City International Airport,聽230 miles from the entrance.

When did Arches become a national park?

Arches became聽a national park on .听Before that, it was .听

President Herbert Hoover established聽the national monument in 1929. Presidents聽Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight聽Eisenhower expanded and reshaped its borders聽before President Richard Nixon declared Arches聽a national park in 1971, according to the park.

How many acres does Arches National Park cover?

Arches National Park spans , or 119 square miles, according to the park.

Did Native Americans live in Arches National Park?

The Hopi Tribe, Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, Las Vegas Paiute, Moapa Band of Paiute Indians of the Moapa River Reservation, Navajo Nation, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Pueblo of Zuni, Rosebud Sioux, San Juan Southern Paiute, Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe of Uintah and Ouray Reservation, and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe all have , according to the park.

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What is the most popular arch at Arches?

聽is not only the most famous arch at Arches National Park, but it's also "the most famous natural stone arch in the world," according to the park. It's聽also the largest free-standing arch in the park, with a聽46-foot-high, 32-foot-wide聽light opening.

is the longest arch in the park. It聽also has the of any arch in North America, with a light opening spanning 306 feet, the park says.

Delicate Arch is a must-see site for many visitors at Arches National Park.

What are some little-known facts about Arches National Park?

鈻 The whole area used to be underwater.听"During the lower Triassic Period the area of Arches National Park was covered by a shallow, marine sea," according to the .听

鈻 The weather can be wild, swinging by more than in a single day.

鈻 The park's iconic聽 isn't actually balanced but attached. "The slick rock boulder of Entrada Sandstone sits attached to its eroding pedestal of Dewey Bridge mudstone," according to the park, which notes the boulder alone weighs an estimated 3,577 tons, about the weight of聽27 blue whales.

鈻郝 in the park are more complex than meet聽the eye. Using a digital camera that captured images聽at different infrared wavelengths, a park volunteer helped uncover rich details that weren't visible to the naked eye in 2007.

鈻 The was carried through Arches National Park ahead of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.听

Balanced Rock stands 128 feet tall and can be seen from the road at Arches National Park.

What is the best month to visit Arches National Park?

Arches National Park's are March through October, with the weeks around Easter,聽Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend being聽"especially busy," according to the park. Travelers who hope to avoid crowds may want to visit in聽November, when crowds are thinner and it's not too cold.

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How many days do you need in Arches National Park?

Visitors can spend as little as a聽day in Arches National Park or two to three聽days slowly soaking it in.听聽allows visitors to聽聽among one of the darkest skies in the Southwest, according to Arches.

How long does it take to hike Arches National Park?

Several , like Sand Dune Arch Trail and聽Double Arch Viewpoint and Trail, can take as little as 15 minutes. Others, like聽Delicate Arch Trail and Devils Garden Trail, take several hours.听

A group of visitors try to jump in unison at North Window in Arches National Park on June 21, 2013.

How long does it take to drive through Arches National Park?

It would take about to drive all of Arches'聽paved roads, with short stops at scenic outlooks, according to the park.听

Can you just drive through Arches National Park?

Cars are the most common聽mode聽of transportation in the park, which offers no public transportation. Visitors can see several sites from the road, but many require hiking in.

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Can I get into Arches without a timed entry?

Timed-entry reservations are required to enter Arches between聽7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily from April 1 through聽Oct. 31.听Tickets聽cost $2 per vehicle and are available at .

Reservations are required in addition to , which cost $30 per private vehicle,聽$25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person without a car, including cyclists and hikers.

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What time does Arches National Park open?

Arches聽National Park is open 24 hours a day. Visitors should plan聽to arrive聽early in the morning or . The park notes that聽many trailhead parking lots can fill up by 7:30 a.m. during the summer, but congestion clears up by late afternoon when visitors are rewarded with stunning sunsets and a spectacular night sky.

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What is the Mighty Five in Utah?

There are five national parks in Utah聽鈥撀燗rches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef聽and Zion, which together are known as the .

Arches is only about 30 minutes away from .

Which park is better, Zion or Arches?

Neither. They are both awe-inspiring聽in their own ways.

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