Everything You Need to Know About Visiting Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch picture in Arches National Park

x of x

Key Info

Delicate Arch Road
Moab, UT 84532
Official Website

Details

Hiking, Natural Wonders, Sightseeing Type
2 hours to Half Day Time to Spend

4.6

Overall

Scorecard

Value

5.0
Facilities

2.5
Atmosphere

5.0

Read about how we rank Things to Do.

Delicate Arch has to be the world's most famous natural arch. The opening beneath the arch is 46 feet high and 32 feet wide, making it the largest free-standing arch in the park, and over the years, it has become the de facto symbol of the state of Utah.

If you'd like to see the arch up close, you can take a 3-mile round-trip trail that climbs 480 feet uphill, passing the Wolfe Ranch cabin and a wall of Ute Indian petroglyphs along the way. Because the trail is not shaded, requires a steady climb and traverses a narrow rock ledge for about 200 yards, the park defines the path as "difficult" and encourages travelers assess their physical fitness before attempting the climb.

Visitors who made the trek highly recommend it, saying it's worth every step. They also advise bringing lots of water. As is the case with other attractions in the park, reviewers recommended getting here early in the morning to avoid the crowds and punishing midday heat.

If you have limited time, you can go to the Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint, then walk 100 yards to see the arch from a mile away. Another option is to go to the Upper Viewpoint, then walk about half a mile for a slightly less obstructed view. Access to the Delicate Arch is included in your park admission. You'll find Delicate Arch about 12 miles north of the park entrance. Restrooms are available at Wolfe Ranch. For more information and safety tips, visit the official NPS website.

More Best Things to Do in Arches National Park

Landscape Arch picture in Arches National Park

Balanced Rock picture in Arches National Park

Windows Section picture in Arches National Park

Double Arch picture in Arches National Park

Visitor Center picture in Arches National Park

Fiery Furnace picture in Arches National Park

Wolfe Ranch picture in Arches National Park

x of x

#1 Landscape Arch Located in the Devils Garden area, Landscape Arch is North America's longest arch, stretching an amazing 306 feet. To view the arch, you can take an easy, flat 50-minute ... Read more » (c) Swapan Jha / Getty Images

#2 Balanced Rock This iconic, 128-foot boulder, precariously perched on top of a thin pedestal of rock, is one of the park's top sights. Though it seems like it might fall over ... Read more » Robert Loe / Getty Images

#3 Windows Section The Windows Section, which is about 2 square miles in size, is home to some of the largest arches in the park, including North Window, South Window, Turret Arch and Double Arch ... Read more » Daniel Viñé Garcia / Getty Images

#4 Delicate Arch Delicate Arch has to be the world's most famous natural arch. The opening beneath the arch is 46 feet high and 32 feet wide, making it the largest free-standing ... Read more » www.infinitahighway.com.br / Getty Images

#5 Double Arch Double Arch, at 112 feet, is the tallest arch in the park. At 144 feet in length, it's also the second-longest arch in the park. Luckily, this natural wonder is ... Read more » Nigel Killeen / Getty Images

#6 Arches Visitor Center Start your park experience at Arches Visitor Center, located just a mile inside the entrance. Recent visitors call the center a "treasure trove of information." Along with exhibits inside and ... Read more » Frank Kehren / Flickr

#7 Fiery Furnace Adventurous types love to explore the Fiery Furnace, a series of narrow passageways that leads through towering sandstone walls. Since it's easy to get lost among the labyrinth and ... Read more » KatieDobies / Getty Images

#8 Wolfe Ranch In 1898, John Wesley Wolfe settled 100 acres here with his son, where they had a few head of cattle and eked out a living. They lived in a rough ... Read more » MicheleVacchiano / Getty Images