Arches NP Timed Entry

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Chicago Transplant
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Arches NP Timed Entry

Post by Chicago Transplant »

Not sure if everyone is aware or not, Arches is piloting a timed entry reservation for 2022. The dates requiring a reservation are 4/3/22 to 10/3/22. I usually go in the fall when I go (spring is for backcountry skiing), but if you are a spring Arches person the window for reservations opened January 3 for the month of April. Reservation fee is $2 on top of entry fee/season pass and applies to motor vehicles, you can walk or bike in without a reservation (just need to pay the normal entry fee). If you are a someone who likes to go to Arches in the spring, now is the time to get your reservations for April as they have been open for 2 weeks. I checked, and so far no days are sold out in April (yet). Here is the schedule on when reservation blocks are being released:
On January 3rd, 2022, tickets will release for April 3rd through April 30th.
On February 1st, 2022, tickets will release for all of May.
On March 1st, 2022, tickets will release for all of June.
On April 1st, 2022, tickets will release for all of July.
On May 1st, 2022, tickets will release for all of August.
On June 1st, 2022, tickets will release for all of September.
On July 1st, 2022 tickets will release for October 1-3.
Note: An additional release of day-before tickets will occur at 6 pm MT/8 pm ET nightly.
here is the link:
https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/ ... ab=booking

FAQ from the Park Service:
https://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/ ... ry-faq.htm
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Re: Arches NP Timed Entry

Post by dr_j »

Sign of the times. I took two trips to Utah over the past two months, and managed to get another look at Arches, Bryce, and also hiked Angels Landing in Zion. I had the feeling that permits and reservations were imminent. I remember hiking 0.5 Dome three times about 20 years ago, now I've tried something like six times to get a permit and can't get one! Same with Whitney, Mt. St. Helens, the Wave, those are tough permits to get. Heck, we're seeing this coming for the more popular 14ers.

The Zion crowds were pretty insane, I can see why that hike in particular is going to a reservation basis. Arches wasn't so crowded, but then again I went just before New Years, and there is still quiet to be found once you're off the paved trail. Ditto for Bryce, 95 % of the visitors were within a half mile of the rim. I hiked the Peekaboo loop and saw maybe 10 people total.

For Zion, given that Las Vegas metro (2.5 million) is within a 3 hour drive, and SLC metro (2+ million) within 4 hours, it's not surprising. Plus people are flying into nearby airports, which seems to be a more recent phenomenon. I remember the summer family trip, by car! Also it's world class scenery and people for all over the world want to see it.

That calmness of a national park is long gone, or you have to look much harder.

It's that delicate balance between what the national park ideal is- the Ken Burns documentary delved into this, and I see both sides of the issue. There's likely to be a back and forth between visitors coming away with an awareness that these are places to protect, while the very nature of having millions of visitors makes it hard to preserve.
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Re: Arches NP Timed Entry

Post by Scott P »

Lottery or not, the area is a zoo in Spring and Fall (and often Summer). December and January are usually the only time I go now days. I have been twice in two weeks (it's only 1.5 hours from my house) and it's still OK in January. The weather is usually nice too.

Of course, Arches actually has three driving entrances so you can still visit the park without having to deal with the main entrance. You can hike to places such as Delicate Arch without having to drive into the park at all.
Last edited by Scott P on Tue Jan 18, 2022 11:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Arches NP Timed Entry

Post by derekpetrie »

I visited Moab this past October over school break for my kids (Front Range school district.) We hiked delicate arch trail at night, and I was able to get into the park for some sunrise photos. But forget about trying to enter at any point during the day.

At least Moab has quite a bit to offer outside of the NPs too, some just takes effort to reach!
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Re: Arches NP Timed Entry

Post by jrs1965 »

I was in Moab the third week of November for the Dead Horse Ultra. Crowds weren't too bad. Visited Arches, Canyonlands, Dead Horse State Park. One evening we had gone to see the sunset at Delicate Arch. The crowds were a bit much for the sunset. The original picture here probably had like a dozen people in it until I photoshopped them out...
Arch.jpg
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Re: Arches NP Timed Entry

Post by XterraRob »

Thank you for the heads up.
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Re: Arches NP Timed Entry

Post by JGiffinPhotog »

Moab has exploded over the last 10-12 years. Last time I was there (October 2020) it took 45 minutes to get into town from around the Arches main entrance. Just insane. Any more I prefer to just drive an extra hour to the San Rafael Swell area, though that area is seeing more visitors recently, too. There are still plenty of places to escape the crowds, even in the zoo around Moab, but sometimes have to wade through the crowds to get there. The high desert of southern/western Utah has so much to offer it's not too difficult to find some hidden gems away from the masses.
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Re: Arches NP Timed Entry

Post by two lunches »

JGiffinPhotog wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:24 pm The high desert of southern/western Utah has so much to offer it's not too difficult to find some hidden gems away from the masses.
just the facts, folks
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