Arches National Park Reservations + How To Get Them If They’re Sold Out
Since 2022, Arches National Park has implemented timed-entry requirements for vehicles. During busy summer months, you must have Arches National Park reservations to enter during the day. This program only applies to vehicles entering the park, it does not apply to anyone entering on foot. Although, without a park shuttle walking isn’t an ideal way to see the park.
Why have they implemented a reservation system? In 2009, the park had 996,312 annual visitors. By 2019 the park had 1,659,702 visitors – a 66% increase in visitors in just 10 years!
The problem with such a big increase in visitors is that the park hasn’t gotten any bigger, and the parking infrastructure cannot support the increase in vehicles.
In this article:
- 2025 Updates For Arches National Park Reservations (there are several changes)
- Important dates for reservation releases
- Alternate options for getting into the park
- What to do if Arches tickets are sold-out
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Arches National Park Reservations Dates & Details
As much as the timed-entry systems in our National Parks are inconvenient, they’re better than the alternative — mass chaos and cars circling for hours hoping for a parking spot.
Many of the National Parks that have implemented timed-entry systems are still trying to figure out the best way to manage crowds, so the pilot programs are changing slightly each year.
Because Arches National Park reservations are considered a “pilot” each year, the rules change slightly year to year. Be sure that you’re using the current years information (there’s a lot of outdated info I see people share with good intentions, but they don’t understand that the rules are not consistent every year.)
For the 2025 season, Arches National Park reservations will look like this:
Dates Requiring A Reservation: April 1 – July 6 and Aug 28 – Oct 31
Entry Time Requiring A Reservation: between 7am – 4pm
Ticket Times Available: 1-hour blocks starting from 7am to 3pm
Exemptions: Camping, backpacking or Fiery Furnace hike reservations
This means if you plan to enter Arches National Park between the hours of 7am – 4pm from April 1 – July 6 or between August 28 – October 31 you must have Arches National Park reservations – either a timed-entry vehicle reservation or a reservation for camping, backpacking or the Fiery Furnace hike on the day of your entry.
If you are traveling to Arches National Park in winter, or during the off-peak season (November through March) there are no reservations required for entry.
Arches National Park reservations are granted in one-hour increments. When you reserve your timed-entry ticket you’ll have the option to choose your entry time preference:
7:00-8:00, 8:00-9:00, 9:00-10:00, 10:00-11:00, 11:00-12:00, 12:00-1:00, 1:00-2:00, 2:00-3:00 or 3:00-4:00
There are a few important things to note about this reservation system:
- You have to enter Arches during the one-hour period on your ticket
- You only need one reservation per vehicle (not per person)
- You cannot enter Arches National Park before the time on your reservation
- Once you’ve entered Arches during your one-hour window, you’re free to exit and re-enter as you please for the remainder of that day
- Arches National Park reservations for vehicles are only good for one day
Additionally, you will still be required to pay your admission ($30/vehicle good for 7 days) or have an annual America The Beautiful parks pass.
Pro Tip: If you plan to visit more than 2 National Parks within 12-months this pass will save you money! It’s $80 and you only need one per vehicle for free entrance to each National Park. I’ve had this pass for several years and saved hundreds. Some parks also have an express line at the entrance gate which can save you hours getting into the park during the busy season.
How To Get 2025 Arches National Park Reservations
This is where things get a little confusing.
Timed-entry vehicle reservations can be made up to 6 months in advance and are released in monthly blocks. This is different than in years past when they were released 3 months in advance! I expect this is going to trip up visitors who try to book 3 months in advance, only to find reservations were already released months prior.
The earliest you can reserve tickets is January 2nd. This includes all dates in April, May and June. Then, Arches National Park reservations are released on the 1st of the month for tickets 6 months out – see the table below.
All tickets are released at 8 am MST (or MDT for reservation blocks released after we switch to daylight savings time). There’s a lot of moving pieces and the system is far from streamlined!
I highly recommend reviewing this chart and creating a calendar reminder for the release date.
|
Trip Date |
Reservations Released |
|---|---|
|
April |
January 2 @ 8 am MST |
|
May |
January 2 @ 8 am MST |
|
June |
January 2 @ 8 am MST |
|
July |
February 1 @ 8 am MST |
|
August |
March 1 @ 8 am MST |
|
September |
April 1 @ 8 am MDT |
|
October |
May 1 @ 8 am MDT |
Reservations go quickly, especially for peak weeks (like July 4th) so I recommend logging in a few minutes before tickets are released so you’re ready to add them to your cart as soon as they’re available.
You will need a recreation.gov account before you can make a timed-entry vehicle reservation for Arches National Park.
What To Do If Arches Nation Park Tickets Are Sold-Out
Don’t worry if you aren’t able to secure a reservation for the dates of your trip to Arches National Park, you still have options, even if Arches tickets are sold out:
Enter the park before 7 AM or after 4 PM
Arches National Park is open 24 hours a day. You can enter the park any time. Typically, the entry gates are staffed during business hours, but even when they are unstaffed you’re still able to enter (just be sure to use the honor system to pay your entrance fee!)
During the dates when a timed-entry reservation is required, you can only enter the park between 7 am and 4 pm if you have a reservation. However, there are no reservations required if you plan to enter before 7 am or after 4 pm. Sunrise in Arches National Park is magical – I highly recommend entering the park early (before 7 am) to watch sunrise at Delicate Arch and beat the crowds!
On my last visit to Arches National Park, I entered the park before sunrise. There were already several cars ahead of me, and the parking lot to Delicate Arch trailhead was halfway full even before 6am!
Keep in mind that even with timed-entry the park will still be at full capacity during the day. Getting an early start to the day means you can enjoy the best hikes in Arches without crowded trails or parking lots.
Later that day, when I left the park in the late afternoon the line of cars waiting to enter Arches stretched down the main highway. And I was visiting Arches in October… which is considered the off-season!
I’d caution you that entering Arches after 4 pm does not guarantee you entry – it just means you don’t need a reservation. If the park is full, the entrance will be temporarily closed until congestion clears. Temporary gate closures are common during the summer.
For this reason I recommend getting to the park before 7 am because you’re more likely to get through the entrance than if you come at 4 pm. Parking will also be much easier earlier in the day.
Get Alternate Arches Reservations For Camping, Backpacking Or Hiking Fiery Furnace
Timed-entry vehicle reservations for Arches National Park do not apply to visitors with a camping, backpacking or Fiery Furnace hiking reservation.
Camping and Fiery Furnace hiking reservations sell out quickly, so you’ll want to plan ahead, if possible.
Campsites can be reserved 6 months in advance.
Fiery Furnace hike permits can be reserved 7 days in advance.
Backpacking permits are available in-person only (at the Backcountry Permit office 2282 SW Resource Blvd. Moab, UT, 84532) up to 7 days before your backpacking date.
While the backpacking reservations are less expensive, they’re also a bit of a gamble because you cannot secure them until you’re in Moab.
Cost of camping at Arches National Park: $25
Cost of Fiery Furnace hiking reservations: $10
Cost of backpacking reservations at Arches National Park: $7
Next-day Arches National Park Reservations
This is also a bit of a gamble, but Arches will release a limited number of tickets one day prior to entry.
The day before your visit to Arches National Park you can try to secure one of these tickets which are released at 7 pm MDT.
The number of tickets released each day will vary based on park conditions and the number of visitors expected. While it is not a guarantee that any day-prior reservations will be released, it’s fairly common for many to open up so as long as you’re online exactly at 7 pm you have a decent chance of snagging one.
Visit Canyonlands National Park
If all else fails, consider heading over to Canyonlands National Park! It’s just 30 minutes from Arches to Canyonlands, and there are lots of great things to see.
Even though they’re fairly close to each other, there’s quite a variety in landscapes between Arches vs Canyonlands. Canyonlands, as the name implies, has vast views of massive canyons while Arches boasts the worlds most dense concentration of naturally formed arches.
How Much Do Arches Vehicle Reservations Cost?
While the timed-entry vehicle reservations are considered free, there is a $2 online processing fee. The fee is non-refundable, so effectively the cost to get a timed-entry reservation is $2.
Don’t forget, you will also need to pay the park admission ($30/vehicle) or show your Annual National Parks Pass at the entrance gate.
Keep Planning Your Trip To Arches National Park
Check out these additional resources for your trip to Arches National Park!
