I love that our kids have a fall break. It gives our family the opportunity to travel places when crowds are low without having to take them out of school. For this year’s fall break we decided to take an epic road trip to southern Utah. Our goal was to finish visiting the Utah Mighty Five–first stop, Arches National Park. Today I’ve compiled some of our best tips for visiting Arches National Park with various-aged kids.

Arches National Park with kids

all about Arches National Park

Arches National Park is located in southern Utah in the town of Moab. It is an area full of history and desert beauty. Arches is located on land associated with many Native peoples, including: the Hopi Tribe, Paiute Indians, the Navajo Nation, Pueblo of Zuni, Rosebud Sioux, and Ute Indians. There are various spots throughout the park and surrounding area where you can see well-preserved petroglyphs.

| Read: Our Tips for Bryce Canyon and All About the Utah Mighty 5 |

Arches was first made a National Monument on April 12, 1929 by President Herbert Hoover. In 1971 It became a National Park and currently encompasses 119 square miles. There are over 2,000 arches in the park, and arches are constantly in the state of falling and forming in this landscape. This park is perhaps best know for its iconic red sandstone and the famous Delicate Arch.

what hikes are good for kids?

When visiting Arches National Park with kids it’s important to plan your hikes accordingly. The good news is that many hikes in the park (with the exception of backcountry wilderness hiking) are relatively short. They also fall on the easy to moderate scale. Always do your research and keep in mind the ability of your family. With that being said, here are some hikes that we did, or recommend:

• Delicate Arch, 3 miles moderately strenuous: I am starting with this hike because for our family it was a must-do. However, this is not necessarily a very family-friendly hike. Most of it is relatively easy, but there are sections that are strenuous. There are also very steep drop-offs. Think carefully about choosing this hike if you have little ones. That being said, it is definitely a very rewarding hike and you can get right under Delicate Arch for an epic family photo.
• Delicate Arch Viewpoints, 200 feet – 1 mile easy to moderately strenuous: If you really want to see the iconic Delicate Arch but aren’t sure if you want to do the 3 mile trail with your kids, check out the viewpoints. There is a lower viewpoint and an upper viewpoint and you’ll be able to see the arch from afar for a much shorter (and less scary) hike.
• Double Arch, .6 miles easy: This is such an easy hike I almost want to call it a stroll. This is probably going to be the biggest bang for your buck, so to speak. This trail is very easy and even compact enough where one might be able to push a stroller or wheelchair, with assistance. Prep your kids ahead of time that they need to use soft voices because voices under the arch area echo loudly.
• The Windows, 1 miles easy: We chose to do this hike for a sunrise hike and practically had the place to ourselves. It’s either an out-and-back hike along the same trail, or you can go back a different way. We opted to go back to the parking lot the longer way and really enjoyed the 360 degree views of the Windows Arches. Note that the primitive route back to the parking lot can be a little tricky to follow, always look for the trail markers. Double Arch and The Windows are in the same parking lot so you can knock both these easy hikes out quickly.
• Skyline Arch, .4 miles easy: This trail is very flat and easy, making this another great hike for kids. It’s also one of the longest arches in the park, because a large boulder fell out in 1940 and nearly doubled the size of the arch opening.

where should you stay near Arches National Park?

There is one primitive campground within Arches National Park that accepts reservations between March 1 and October 31. This is the only available accommodation inside the park. However, Moab is very convenient to Arches National Park and we opted to stay there. There are several hotel, campground, and vacation rental options in Moab, Utah.

We stayed at the Springhill Suites in Moab. We choose this because of its location, room size, and hotel amenities. Springhill Suites is the closest hotel to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and we could get to the entrance to Arches in less than five minutes. We stayed in a suite with a King bed, sofa bed, and bunkbed and had plenty of space. It also had a kitchenette that we were able to utilize during our stay. And whereas Mike and I appreciated the included breakfast buffet and the laundry facilities, the kids favorite thing was definitely the fun pool area. They had a large pool, splash area, three hot tubs, and a “warming pool”. It was so nice to unwind here after hiking around the parks during the day!

do you need a reservation to visit Arches National Park?

Arches is a popular National Park and as such sees over 1.5 million visitors a year. There is one road in and out of Arches so the line can get quite long (although, we were fortunate and never had a long entry wait). To help combat crowds and long lines, the Parks Service has implemented a timed reservation system April 1 – October 31. This is a timed entry and you have one hour to enter the park once your reserved time has started. This timed reservation costs $2 on top of your entry into the park. You should reserve online ahead of time as quickly as you can. However, a certain number of spots also opens the day before at 6:00 pm MDT and I was able to secure one so we could enter a second day when we hadn’t planned to.

| Read: How to Get into our National Parks for FREE |

“What if I don’t want to worry about reservations?”

• From November 1 through March 31 reservations are not required.
• You can enter the park before 7:00 am or after 4:00 pm. Keep in mind that if you don’t have a valid reservation for that day, you will not be able to get back in if you leave.
• If you ride your bike or walk in, you do not need a reservation. However, other than the visitor center, the rest of the park is up a steep climb and it would be quite strenuous on a bike or to walk.
• Timed entry reservations will not be required for those with camping, backcountry, or Fiery Furnace permits.
• Tribal member may access the park at any time without a timed entry reservation.

what else do I need to know about visiting Arches National Park with kids?

Of course, I always recommend that you pick up a Junior Ranger booklet when visiting any National Park. It’s a fun way for kids to engage with the features of the park they’re visiting. It also helps keep them occupied while you’re driving around in the car. Especially if you’re like us and you have a strict “no screens within National Park limits” rule. You can pick up your booklet near the front entrance at the Visitor Center and have your kids fill it out throughout their day! You can download a PDF version of the Junior Ranger Booklet or become a virtual Junior Ranger by clicking here.

Have you ever been to Arches National Park in southern Utah before?