Jan 27

Jan 27 Best Arches and Canyonlands in One Day Itinerary for This Year

This guide for visiting Arches and Canyonlands in one day highlights the best hikes and views in both national parks.

This Arches and Canyonlands in one day itinerary includes views like this one, where an orange rock wall has two natural windows cut into it and a third forming in a bowl shape under a cloudy blue sky.

If you’re road-tripping through Utah and have just one day in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, this itinerary will lead you straight to the best scenery and trails.

You could spend endless time exploring the 2,000-plus arches at Arches National Park and four districts of Canyonlands National Park, but on a short trip to Utah, you may need to squeeze both parks into a single day.

This guide to visiting Canyonlands and Arches in one day includes famous gems like Delicate Arch and Grand View Point, with ideas for where to hike and where to pull over for the best views. We’ve also included directions for getting from Arches to Canyonlands and tips on when to go and where to stay.

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Arches and Canyonlands in One Day Itinerary

This Arches and Canyonlands in one day itinerary includes the best hikes, drives and views in each of the neighboring Utah national parks. All of the sites from the itinerary are marked on the Arches and Canyonlands map below. You can click on the box in the top right corner to open and save a Google map to help start your planning.

On this Arches and Canyonlands itinerary, you’ll start with morning hikes and exploration in Arches National Park, switch locations in the early afternoon, and wrap up with the best overlooks and short trails at the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park.

Arches National Park is extremely popular, so I recommend here first thing in the morning before the parking lots and trails get full. You will need to reserve a timed entry ticket for the park if you’re visiting between April and October. Reservations open three months in advance for monthly blocks with a limited tickets also released the evening before. Check here for reservations.

Though both national parks are located in the Moab area, it does take about 40 minutes to get from one visitor center to the next, and even longer to drive between some of the farther destinations in the park. I recommend leaving Arches by 1 or 2 p.m. to allow enough time at Canyonlands.

You may also have to wait in line for around an hour when entering Canyonlands midday during the busy season, so factor that into your planning. I recommend packing a lunch to eat as you drive or wait in line to save time.

This Canyonlands and Arches in one day guide includes this view of Delicate Arch, a natural orange rock arch sitting atop a landscape of smooth orange sandstone with red cliffs in the background.

Arches Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch is one of the most famous landmarks in the national park and extremely popular with visitors. If you plan to tackle the challenging hike to the arch, this should be the first thing you do in the morning, as parking by the trailhead often fills up early.

The 3-mile (round trip) path climbs 480 feet to the scenic arch, where you can snap photos from several yards away or wait in line to take your picture under the rock feature. On the way, you’ll pass the old Wolfe Ranch cabin, and you can also take a short diversion to some Ute Indian petroglyphs near the start.

If you don’t want to hike the long trail, you can head to the Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint a little further down the road for a short and easy stroll to a lookout, or walk uphill on a half-mile (round trip) trail to the Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint to see it a bit closer.

Allow two to three hours for the long hike up to the arch or 30 minutes for the two short walks.

This Arches to Canyonlands guide includes this view in Arches National Park of orange rock formations naturally carved into different shapes with arches and windows under a cloudy blue sky.

Arches Windows Sections

With just half a day in Arches National Park, the Windows section is the best place to go to see several impressive rock features in a short span of time.

In one area, you can walk half a mile to the massive Double Arch and 1 mile to see the North Window, South Window and Turret Arch. Both hikes are easy but can be hot with no shade, so try to squeeze them in before noon if possible.

Allow one to two hours for this section.

This Canyonlands to Arches itinerary includes scenic drives like this one, where a paved road has orange desert with green shrubs to both sides and mountains ahead in the distance.

Arches Scenic Drive

With the rest of your morning at Arches National Park, I recommend following the Arches Scenic Drive and stopping at a few of the lookouts. The main route through the national park, the drive covers about 17 miles between the visitor center and the Devil’s Garden parking area at the end of the road.

Leaving from the Windows area, you’ll turn right to head to the farthest section of the park and then loop back around toward the park entrance and exit.

Depending on how much time you have, you can just enjoy the scenery from the car, pull over at a few overlooks, or walk a couple of the short trails, like Balanced Rock (0.3 miles) or Sand Dune Arch (0.3 miles).

Allow two to three hours for the scenic drive, depending on stops. If you do the Delicate Arch hike in the morning, you may have to cut this activity down and only stop once or twice to save time.

Arches to Canyonlands

Drive from Arches to Canyonlands in the early afternoon to avoid the hottest time of day outside. It takes about 30 to 40 minutes to get from the Arches entrance station to the Canyonlands Island in the Sky entrance, but there may be a wait to get through the gate. If you want to maximize your Arches and Canyonlands in one day itinerary, pack a picnic lunch to eat while you drive from one park to the next.

Visiting Arches and Canyon, you’ll see views like this of a canyon cut into finger like formations in a desert landscape that stretches into the distance.

Canyonlands Overlooks

The Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park sits on a mesa some 1,000 feet above canyons carved by the Colorado and Green rivers. The overlooks in the park offer stunning views of the dramatic landscapes below.

Along Grand View Point Road, you can walk across the street from the visitor center for the first glimpses and then stop at the Shafer Canyon Overlook and Buck Canyon Overlook for different perspectives. Take a brief turn off the main route to see the Green River Overlook, a can’t miss for shots of emerald water flowing through the rusty-colored landscape.

The Grandview Trail in Canyonlands National Park leads to this view of a red rock butte jutting up from a canyon landscape under a cloudy blue sky.

Grand View Point and Trail

At the end of Grand View Road, you can walk along the rim of the mesa at Grand View Point. The lookout is just a short stroll from the parking area.

If you have enough time, there is a 2 mile (roundtrip) trail to the edge of the cliff. It’s an easy hike with only a 50-foot elevation change, but the views at the end are spectacular. Along the way, you’ll be able to look toward both the Colorado and Green River sides of the mesa.

Allow 15 minutes for the overlook or one to two hours for the trail.

Mesa Arch Hike

The Mesa Arch Hike is a favorite at Canyonlands National Park, and a must if you have enough time at the end of your one day in Arches and Canyonlands. It’s an easy half-mile round trip hike to the small arch on the edge of the cliff that frames the canyon below.

Allow 30 minutes for the hike.

Tips for Visiting Arches and Canyonlands in One Day

These tips for spending a day in Arches and Canyonlands national parks includes suggestions for what to do, when to go and where to stay in Moab.

A dirt road winds in down a canyon into a valley that stretches into the distance under a cloudy blue sky in Canyonlands National Park.

Where to Stay in Moab

Moab, Utah, is the closest city to both Arches and Canyonlands. The downtown area is just 5 miles from the Arches National Park Visitor Center and about 30 miles from the Canyonlands Island in the Sky Visitor Center.

There are tons of hotels, motels and lodges in Moab to choose from. This area is very popular, especially in spring and summer, so booking early is essential.

Start your search for Moab hotels on Booking.com to find the best deals and amenities.

Best Time to Visit Arches and Canyonlands

The most popular times to visit Arches and Canyonlands National Parks are in early spring and fall when daytime temps average around 60 to 80 and nighttime lows 30 to 50. While the temperature swings mean that you’ll have to shed layers throughout the day, the weather in these seasons is the best for hiking. Both Canyonlands and Arches get crowded during these months, though, so make hotel reservations well ahead of time and arrive at the parks early in the morning. You need a timed reservation to visit Arches National Park between April and October.

While summer days are nice and long, highs soar above 100 most afternoons, so hiking is more difficult and dangerous. If you spend one day in Arches and Canyonlands during this time, plan to hike early in the morning, stick to shorter trails, and bring plenty of extra water. Toward the end of summer, monsoon season kicks in, bringing storms and flash floods that sometimes close roads.

Winter in the high desert is often below freezing, with daytime temps peaking at around 30 to 50 and overnight lows averaging between 0 and 20. When snow and ice accumulate, many roads and trails will not be accessible, so visiting in this season is risky if you’re set on particular activities.

How to Get to Canyonlands and Arches

Moab, the gateway town for both Canyonlands and Arches, is a popular Utah road trip destination, though there is also a small airport with flights operated by SkyWest Airlines. The nearest major airports in the region are in Salt Lake City in Utah (240 miles), Denver in Colorado (355 miles), Albuquerque in New Mexico (365 miles), Las Vegas in Nevada (455 miles), and Phoenix in Arizona (465 miles). Any of these make great starting points for a Southwest road trip or Colorado and Utah road trip.

This view of a desert landscape with rocks and shrubs in Arches National Park is framed by an orange rock window.

How Many Days in Arches and Canyonlands

I recommend at least one day in Arches and one day in Canyonlands, but if you have to squeeze in both Arches and Canyonlands in one day, you can get a good glimpse of both parks using the plan above. Just be sure to start very early and skip long hikes in favor of roadside views and short trails to maximize your time.

Canyonlands and Arches Admission and Reservations

Both Arches and Canyonlands charge $30 per car for admission, which is good for one week. If you are visiting Arches and Canyonlands in one day, you’ll save money by purchasing the Southeast Utah Parks Pass — $55 for a year of admission to both parks and Natural Bridges National Monument. If you’re on a road trip and visiting several Utah national parks, the best deal will be the $80 American the Beautiful annual pass, good for all National Park Service managed sites.

Between the months of April and early October, you must have a timed entry ticket for Arches National Park in addition to your admission fee or park pass. Timed Arches National Park reservations open three months ahead of time for month blocks (i.e. March 1 for June, April 1 for July, May 1 for August, etc.). A few tickets are kept aside and released the day before at 6 p.m. Moab time, but these typically sell out fast, so it’s best to make a reservation ahead of time.

What to Pack for Canyonlands and Arches

You will need seasonally appropriate activewear, hiking shoes or boots, a day pack, and plenty of water for your trip to Arches and Canyonlands in one day. A few of our favorites are linked below!