Salt Lake City To Arches National Park Road Trip Itinerary

Utah is one of the best places for a road trip. The landscape is incredibly diverse and there are so many great things to see and do, especially along the drive from Salt Lake City to Arches National Park.

I recently spent a few weeks in Utah. My route covered all of Utah’s National Parks (the Mighty 5) and started in Salt Lake City.

While the most direct route will get you to Arches in just under 4 hours, I recommend a detour through the Wasatch Mountains via Park City.

The drive is stunning and there are several great stops on this detour. Plus, it’ll only add about an hour to your drive.

In this article:

• The best drive from Salt Lake City to Arches National Park
• What to do along the way
• Itinerary for Arches National Park & Salt Lake City
• Where to stay
• Additional options for your Salt Lake City to Arches National Park road trip

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Salt Lake City To Arches National Park Road Trip

The drive from Salt Lake City to Arches National Park takes close to 4 hours (or 5, if you’re detouring through Park City.) It can be done in half a day, but I think 1 to 2 full days is ideal for this road trip.

The scenic route takes you through the Wasatch Mountains, to Park City and Midway before merging back into the direct route from Salt Lake to Arches National Park north of Provo.

From Provo, both routes will take you through Spanish Fork, Price and Green River on the drive to Arches National Park.

You will definitely need your own vehicle for this trip. I recommend DiscoverCars for vehicle rentals.

They aggregate deals across most national and regional rental companies, so they tend to have the best prices. I also like that they offer free cancelation (up to 48 hours ahead) if your plans change.

If you’re up for more of an adventure, Utah is one of the best places to road trip in a campervan (I traveled full-time in mine for years, Utah is one of my favorite destinations and has tons of free camping!)

Outdoorsy is like the AirBnb for campervans. There are tons of options, layouts and prices available. Plus, it’s a great way to save on hotel costs.

Best Stops From Salt Lake City To Arches National Park

By detouring through the Wasatch Mountains, to the east of Salt Lake City, you can add some really fun and unique things to do on your Salt Lake City to Arches National Park road trip!

Olympic Park & Park City

Olympic Park and Park City are less than 1 hour from Salt Lake City and have a variety of fantastic outdoorsy things to do!

Olympic Park is the site of the 2002 winter Olympic Games (which return again in 2034!)

They offer a one-hour guided tour ($20) and a free museum inside the visitors center with lots of interactive exhibits.

They offer an alpine slide, ziplines, tubing, scenic chairlifts, bobsled races and an airbag jump.

Just up the road is Park City. This is a great spot to stop for lunch and window shop along historic main street.

From Park City, you can head into Brighton for some scenic afternoon hikes, or, if hiking isn’t your thing, continue to Midway and Homestead Crater.

Brighton & Big Cottonwood Canyon

This area is home to Big Cottonwood Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains. This is a great spot for hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking or camping.

Some of the best hikes here include Lake Catherine and Donut Falls (3.3 miles).

Lake Catherine trail is 4.6 miles round-trip and takes you past several lakes (Mary and Martha) before looping around it’s namesake, Lake Catherine. The entire hike is stunning.

It can be fairly steep, though — especially the first half mile, but expect a fairly consistent incline the entire trek in. In total, it’s 1,200 feet of elevation gain and rated as a moderate hike. Plan for about 3 hours to complete.

Donut Falls trail is a shorter 3.3 mile hike, just down the road from Lake Catherine. It’s a much easier hike with only 500 feet of elevation gain.

At the end of the trail is a unique waterfall. The falls flow through a hole in the rock, which is where the hike gets its name. You can complete this hike in an hour and a half to two hours.

Midway & Homestead Crater

Homestead Crater Mineral Dome is also worth checking out! It’s a geothermal hot spring you can swim, snorkel or scuba dive in!

The most unique part is that the swimming hole is located in a beehive shaped dome of limestone. Advanced tickets are recommended.

Fifth Water Hot Springs

Fifth Water Hot Springs is about 1 hour south of Salt Lake City, along the way to Arches National Park.

Whether you take the detour route through Park City, or head directly to Arches National Park from Salt Lake City this stop is along your drive.

There’s a short hike to the hot springs (4.6 miles out-and-back) that’s fairly easy and follows the river.

At the end of the trail is a series of small hot pools at the base of a waterfall. During the weekends, it can get quite crowded. However, when I visited during the week it was easy to find a quiet spot to soak.

NOTE: Parking is a bit of a challenge here because the lot is so small, so you may have to wait a few minutes for something to open up, or park along the main road in and walk a little farther.

Don’t forget to pack a towel! My favorite is the Nomadix Original, but I’ve reviewed all of the best travel towels I’ve tried here (I’ve tried quite a few!)

Goblin Valley State Park

From Fifth Water Hot Springs to Green River is approximately a 2 hour drive. Green River is a great spot to fill up on gas and grab a snack.

If you’re taking the scenic route from Salt Lake City to Arches National Park, you’ll head southwest towards Goblin Valley State Park, which is just under an hour from Green River.

Otherwise, you’ll continue southeast towards Arches National Park, approximately another 45-minute drive from Green River.

Goblin Valley State Park is located near Hanksville and offers some really unique hikes and landscape views.

While you’re here, be sure to hike The Goblin’s Lair (2.3 miles to a deep slot canyon) and Carmel Canyon Loop Trail (an extension of Goblin’s Lair to The Three Sisters formation and adds about a half mile to the loop trail.)

Moonscape Overlook

Nearby to Goblin Valley State Park is Moonscape Overlook, which is one of the coolest views you’ll find in Utah.

You’ll take Factory Butte Road to get to Moonscape Overlook. It’s a dirt road and can be a bit rough, especially after rain. It’s best to have a high clearance 4×4 vehicle for this.

If you don’t have a 4×4 vehicle, guided tours to Moonscape Overlook are also available.

TIP: There is also tons of free campsites nearby on BLM land.

I think the best views of Moonscape Overlook are at sunrise or sunset, when the rocks glow and the landscape has more contrast from the shadows.

Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park is just half an hour from Hanksville. I personally think Capitol Reef is one of the most underrated National Parks and if you’re this close, it’s absolutely worth a visit.

You can see a lot of the park in just a few hours. I recommend visiting the Orchards (you can even pick your own fruit during late summer), taking the scenic drive and hiking a very easy 1-mile round-trip trail to Sunset Point.

If you’re up for more, I really enjoyed the 3.1 mile hike to Cassidy Arch. It starts in a sandy wash, but quickly heads up into the canyon. The end of the trail has a large arch, and you can frequently find people repelling.

Cassidy Arch is actually named after infamous outlaw Butch Cassidy! Legend says he used this area as a hideout.

Other fun things to do in Capitol Reef include a horseback ride through the Water Pocket Fold (which is a fascinating geological “wrinkle” in Earths crust that’s over 100 miles long), canyoneering, and a 4×4 excursion through Cathedral Valley.

Dead Horse Point State Park

Dead Horse Point State Park is a quick 30-minute drive south from Arches National Park. It’s a smaller park so you’re able to see the highlights in a few hours.

I highly recommend watching sunset from Dead Horse Point (all the way at the end of the park road). It’s one of the best sunsets I’ve experienced to date, and from the overlook you have sweeping views of the deep river canyon below.

The entrance fee is $20 per vehicle. Unfortunately, because this is a state park they do not accept America The Beautiful annual passes.

Canyonlands National Park

Canyonlands National Park is also near Arches National Park. It’s about 45-minutes from Arches to Canyonlands main district – Island In The Sky.

Island In The Sky is the most popular district in the park because of its proximity to Arches, easy access and paved roads, and a majority of the park’s highlights.

Canyonlands is so massive you could easily spend a week there, but a majority of the park is very remote and requires a 4×4 vehicle.

Instead, most visitors spend a day exploring the best Canyonlands National Park hikes along the scenic drive (including Mesa Arch and Grand View Point.)

Luckily, a majority of the best things to do in Canyonlands National Park are easy to access from Island In The Sky Road.

Arches National Park Itinerary

The drive from Capitol Reef to Arches National Park is just over 2-hours. You’ll head through Green River before taking RT-191 south towards Moab.

I recommend spending at least one day in Arches National Park. In my experience, one day is enough to see the best parts of the park.

Moab is just 5-minutes down the road, and has great options for hotels near Arches National Park.

There are also several campgrounds near Arches National Park, although there is only one campground inside the park, so you’ll either need to make reservations well in advance.

Get An Early Start And Watch The Sunrise At Delicate Arch

Set an early alarm and head straight to Delicate Arch for sunrise in Arches National Park. This is the best time to see the arch, as well as avoid crowds.

Later in the day, parking becomes challenging. The hike is completely exposed, too, so it can get quite hot in the afternoon.

The hike to Delicate Arch is just over 3 miles round-trip and takes about 45 minutes to get to the arch.

TIP: Start your hike at least an hour before sunrise so you’re able to get a good spot and arrive early enough to see the sky changing colors before the sun pops over the horizon.

The Windows Section

Next, take the short drive to the Windows section before the late morning crowds arrive. This area of the park is the most crowded, and also has exceptionally few parking spots.

There are two trailheads that start from the Windows parking area. The first is Windows Loop and Turret Arch – this is one of the most popular spots in Arches, and it’s an easy 1.2 mile hike with multiple arches to see.

On the opposite side of the parking area is Double Arch trail. This is my favorite arch in the entire park!

Double Arch is massive and so hard to comprehend unless you see it in person! The trail is mostly flat and very well maintained.

Explore Devils Garden

After, head farther into the park. Devils Garden is as far as you can get on the main road and many of the best things to do in Arches National Park are located here.

Hikes near Devils Garden include the complete Devils Garden Loop (7.9 miles, hard hike). Or you can complete sections of the loop for shorter hikes, like Landscape Arch Trail (1.9 miles, easy trail) or extend it a bit to do the Double O Arch trail (4. miles, moderate hike).

TIP: Aside from the visitors center, Devils Garden is the only area in the park with drinking water. I recommend refilling your water bottles while you’re here.

NOTE: If you’re visiting Arches National Park with your dog there are limited places they’re allowed to be, but Devils Garden is a good place to walk them as long as it’s in the parking lot or picnic area and not on the trails.

Balanced Rock

Balanced Rock is a quick stop and right along the main park road. There’s a short path (0.3 miles) around the rock formation so you can see it from all angles. The path is flat and mostly paved so it’s very accessible and easy to walk.

NOTE: On your way from Devils Garden to Balanced Rock be sure to pull off at Fiery Furnace overlook, along Arches Scenic Drive, to check out some deep red rock formations. This is a really unique section of the park and worth a short stop!

Park Avenue Viewpoint

By now you’ve covered the highlights in Arches National Park, so it’s time to head back towards the entrance. Be sure to stop at Park Avenue Viewpoint on your way!

The viewpoint itself is beautiful (especially at sunset), and it’s also the trailhead for one of the best hikes in Arches National Park!

There’s a 0.9 mile one-way trail from Park Avenue to Courthouse Towers (or 1.8 miles out-and-back). Depending on which spot you start from you’ll have the uphill portion first or last – Park Avenue is the higher point.

Arches Visitor Center

I always recommend checking out the National Park visitor centers. They’re a great resource, and you can usually find a ranger on duty who can give you maps and information on the best hikes for your abilities and interest, as well as trail postings or closures because of wildlife activity.

If you like to collect stamps in your National Parks Passport book, this is also the place to get those!

I’ve been collecting stamps since 1999!

Arches Visitor Center also has a nature trail behind it, which is a short and easy trail with information posted that gives details about the wildlife and ecosystems in the park.

From the visitors center, Moab is only a 5 mile drive and is a great place for dinner.

Things To Do In And Near Salt Lake City

If you have time, spend a weekend in Salt Lake City before or after your trip to Arches. There are so many great things to do, including many fun day trips from Salt Lake City.

Downtown Salt Lake City Activities

There is plenty to do in downtown Salt Lake City! From museums and history tours to walking food tours or bus tours to see the highlights. There’s a huge variety of fun things to choose.

Some of the most popular downtown Salt Lake City activities to do:

1. Natural History Museum of Utah: Incredible dinosaur exhibits and panoramic views from the foothills.
2. Red Butte Garden: Botanical gardens and hiking trails with city views.
3. Clark Planetarium: Hands-on exhibits and immersive shows perfect for kids and adults alike.
4. Utah’s Hogle Zoo: A non-profit zoo that upholds the highest animal care standards.
5. Utah Museum Of Contemporary Art and Utah Museum of Fine Arts
6. Temple Square: A historic landmark and cultural hub right in the heart of the city.
7. Liberty Park + Tracy Aviary: A local favorite with walking trails, paddle boats, and one of the oldest aviaries in the country.

Great Salt Lake & Antelope Island

While you’re in Salt Lake City, I recommend stopping by Antelope Island. It’s a state park, just outside the city, where you can see buffalo, big horn sheep and antelope.

The park entrance fee is $10. You can get more information from their official website.
Or, you can take a private 5-hour guided tour.

There are a few great hiking trails in the park, like Lady Finger Trail (half a mile, easy trail) or Lakeside Loop (5 miles, easy trail) which takes you along Great Salt Lake with many opportunities to spot bison grazing.

SLC To Arches National Park FAQs

Salt Lake City To Arches National Park Road Trip – Next Stops

Consider extending your Salt Lake City to Arches National Park road trip with these additional stops!

More Road Trip Destinations:

Arches to Canyonlands National Park – 30 minutes
Arches to Zion National Park – 4 hours
Arches to Las Vegas – 6.5 hours

Additional Utah Itineraries:

Mighty Five Utah National Parks Road Trip
Zion National Park Itinerary
Bryce Canyon National Park Itinerary