One Breathtaking Road In Arches 'Provides Access To All Developed Areas' Within The National Park

Home to the "Mighty 5" national parks — Arches, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, and the impressive Capitol Reef — Utah enjoys a wealth of natural wonders. Travelers who want to witness the majesty of all five landmarks can embark on a road trip with stops at each park. However, for sightseers seeking a more focused exploration of one park's beauty, Arches National Park is the place to go. Full of red-rock arches and awe-inspiring pinnacles, the park's Arches National Park Road gives visitors access to incredible views and all of the region's developed areas.

As you traverse this 36-mile round trip drive (also known as Arches Scenic Drive), expect to stop at plenty of pull-off spots along the way. With majestic sandstone rock formations around every corner and speed limits between 15 and 25 mph, Arches National Park Road encourages visitors to go slow and soak in the scenery. While this scenery can attract crowds that slow the drive down further (especially during the high season from March to October), savvy travelers can avoid traffic by visiting in December and January or arriving early in the morning or later in the afternoon. Winter visitors may encounter another layer to the scenic drive's beauty on rare yet wonderful snow days, when frost covers the red rocks.

Arches National Park Road begins immediately after the visitor center and wastes no time in leading sightseers to the park's first stunning viewpoint. Less than 2 miles from the visitor center, Moab Fault Overlook showcases its namesake fault line. Just down the road, majestic views continue at Park Avenue Viewpoint. Here, visitors can park and follow a short, paved walkway to an overlook full of bizarre and beautiful rock formations with nicknames like "Queen Nefertiti" and "The Corndog." From there, you can either hike along Park Avenue Trail or keep following Arches National Park Road to Courthouse Towers Viewpoint.

Find another parking lot at Courthouse Towers Viewpoint, and pull out your camera for pictures of the Three Gossips, The Organ, and Courthouse Towers. Eagle-eyed sightseers may even spot Sheep Rock and Tower of Babel down the road. Photographers who can't get the right angle from Courthouse Towers Viewpoint's parking area can head to pull-off spots further down Arches National Park Road for a better view. From Tower of Babel, travel 2 miles to witness the vast desert vistas at Petrified Dunes Viewpoint.

During the last leg of the Arches National Park Road drive, cruise past the irreverently named Phallus Pillar to a parking lot in front of the mind-boggling Balanced Rock. Here, a massive boulder teeters atop a mudstone pillar, showing park visitors the precarious nature of the region's rock formations. Before reaching the end of the road at Devil's Garden, look for Arches National Park Road's other notable landmarks, like the Sand Dune and Skyline arches.

Wondering why we didn't mention iconic park locations like Delicate Arch, Wolfe Ranch, and The Windows Section? It's because these captivating landmarks require a detour off Arches National Park Road. If you have extra time to explore the park, take these worthwhile detours for enchanting views and fun adventures.

Park guests who refuse to leave without seeing Delicate Arch will need to turn right off Arches Scenic Drive onto Delicate Arch Road. Unlike many other park attractions, Delicate Arch isn't easily seen from the main road. For excellent views, park in the lot at the end of Delicate Arch Road and follow the nearby trail to Lower or Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint. For the best views, follow the tricky Delicate Arch Trail from the historical Wolfe Ranch and past the Ute Indian Petroglyphs to get as close as possible to Delicate Arch itself.

The next detour showcases the park's Windows Section. Situated just past Balanced Rock on The Windows Road, this detour features views of Pothole Arch, Garden of Eden, Cove Arch, Cove of Caves, and Parade of Elephants. In addition to these gorgeous spots, the road also leads to famous landmarks like Double Arch, Turret Arch, and The Windows formation. As the park's tallest arch, Double Arch is popular for everything from hiking and sightseeing to picnics and weddings. Southeast of Double Arch, hikers can discover more on Windows Loop Trail, which leads to Turret Arch and the North and South Window arches. If not even these beloved beauties are enough to satisfy your craving for red-rock landscapes, peruse more gorgeous views at nearby Dead Horse Point State Park.