How to Visit Arches and Canyonlands in One Day

The sun lights the arch in a warm glow. The scenery sprawls out below you, perfect as a painting. The rock formations and canyons stand timeless and seemingly unchanging for millions of years… There’s a reason that Southwest Utah has been sacred land to the indigenous peoples who lived in the area – and has been considered sacrosanct in our modern world.

Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park are two of Utah’s National Parks, also called the “Mighty 5.” (The others are Zion, Capitol Reef, and Bryce.) These five parks are among the most popular National Parks in the entire United States, especially Arches and Canyonlands, which are so easy to visit on a single trip. I had the chance to visit them both on a trip toMoab in February 2020, and was able to visit both Arches and Canyonlands in one day on the final day of my trip.

While it’s best if you can give yourself multiple days in each park, there are reasons you might not be able to. Maybe you’re doing a road trip through Southwestern U.S. and don’t have much time; maybe you’re just passing through the town of Moab or want to visit some of the other outstanding natural spaces in the region. No matter the reason – if you’re short on time in the Moab area and want to try and squeeze a trip to Arches and Canyonlands in one day, here’s how I suggest you can make it happen.

In this post, I promote travel to two national parks that are the traditional lands of the Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute) peoples. With respect, I make a formal land acknowledgment, extending my appreciation and respect to the past and present people of these lands. To learn more about the peoples who call these lands home, I invite you to explore Native Land.

This post was originally published in June 2020, and was updated most recently in April 2023.

Can You Visit Both Arches & Canyonlands in One Day?

If you’re just starting your research process, you might wonder: is it really possible to visit both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in just one day? The answer is: yes, you can visit Arches and Canyonlands in one day. It just requires planning ahead and planning for a full day of adventure. Here are some quick tips as you keep researching and planning your itinerary:

1. Get an early start and stay late if you want to visit Canyonlands and Arches in a single day. You’ll need all the daylight hours (and some nighttime ones too if you add on the bonus stargazing spot I recommend in this post!)
2. Base yourself in Moab for this day of adventure. You could also camp in Arches National Park the night before my suggested plan for this day, but you don’t want to try and drive from Salt Lake City or even Grand Junction in the morning – you won’t be able to make the whole day happen.
3. Start in Arches National Park if you want to come back to Moab for lunch (which I recommend). The entrance to Arches is only five minutes drive from Moab, so it’s an easy way to take some meal planning off your mind as you spend the rest of the day exploring.
4. Bring lots of water! You’ll be out exploring the southern Utah “high desert,” and it’s very dry year-round. There are limited/no water opportunities once you get into either Arches or Canyonlands, so plan ahead and bring plenty of water bottles (at least 2L per person – plus extra for emergencies!).
5. Wear good hiking shoes. This itinerary includes a number of short hikes (under one) and a few longer hikes. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to stretch your legs during this day, despite the driving.
6. Visit at the best time of year. The summer months are high season but also the worst time to visit Arches and Canyonlands: the Utah sun is hot and the crowds at these two parks quickly overwhelm the small parking lot at basically every site. Instead, plan your trip in autumn, spring, or winter (also called the “Season of Solitude”) – the best time to visit, in my opinion.
7. Don’t forget your America the Beautiful Pass! Since you’re entering two parks in one day, this is way easier and helps you start to recoup the pass cost right away (and then you can use it at any other parks you visit this year too!). You can get the America the Beautiful Pass from REI for $80.

One last tip: if you’re feeling overwhelmed and don’t want to drive, there is one great guided tour option that visits Arches and Canyonlands in one day. This will take the stress off and allow you to just enjoy the parks. (There are a bunch of other great tours in the Moab area if you do decide to stay longer, too!)

Okay with all that, let’s dive in: here’s what I suggest to visit Arches and Canyonlands in a one-day itinerary.

How to Visit Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in One Day

As I just mentioned, to visit Canyonlands and Arches in one day, you’ll need to rise and shine with that bright Utah sun. Check the sunrise times in advance – if you want to catch the sunrise in Arches, you’ll need to leave Moab about an hour before sunrise to make it into the park before the sun breaks the horizon. (If you want to do sunrise photography, make it 90 minutes before sunrise!)

One more time for those in the back: start your full day of adventure in Arches and Canyonlands in Arches National Park. Make the five-minute drive from Moab to the Arches entrance, then head straight into the park toward a section called the Garden of Eden. This is a great spot to watch the sunrise without any hiking.

1. Watch Sunrise at Balanced Rock

It takes about 20 minutes to drive from the Arches entrance to Balanced Rock, which is right near the turn to the Garden of Eden. You can park here and take a short walk around the huge precarious rock structure; don’t worry – this is actually one single rock formation (rather than one rock balanced on another) and has stood for millions of years.

There are a number of short trails in this area – be sure to stay on the trails as this is the best place to spot delicate biological soil in the park.

2. Visit the Windows & Double Arch

The Windows Section has some of Arches most famous rock arches, including Turret Arch, the North Window and the South Window (two arches close to one another), and Double Arch. You can take a short hike to Turret Arch and the Windows (30 minutes) and/or to Double Arch (20 minutes) as the sun begins to warm the desert.

3. Drive Arches Scenic Drive

Throughout the morning, you’ll be exploring the park along Arches Scenic Drive; this scenic road is the only paved road in the park and connects most of the main sights and best hikes in Arches.

As you arrived before sunrise, you probably couldn’t tell how epic the vistas are. Now with the sun up, continue driving Arches Scenic Drive further into the park.

4. Admire Delicate Arch from Afar

Delicate Arch is by far the most famous arch in Arches – heck, it’s on the Utah license plate! But if you were hoping to hike to Delicate Arch during the one day you have for both Arches and Canyonlands, it’s not really possible – unless you don’t do anything else in Arches National Park (which is a real disservice to the park!).

If you have your heart set on hiking Delicate Arch, plan for this longer hike to take 2-3 hours. Drive into the park at sunrise, do the Delicate Arch hike, and drive back out to Moab for lunch.

If you aren’t set on hiking to the arch directly, turn off Arches Scenic Drive to the Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint parking area. A shorter hike gives you a nice view of the arch – from quite a distance, but you can still say you’ve seen it.

After you’ve snapped a few photos, head back onto Arches Scenic Drive and continue further into the park.

5. Hike to Landscape Arch

After passing the Fiery Furnace, you’ll reach the end of Arches Scenic Drive in Devil’s Garden. This is a great spot to get out and stretch your legs with another short hike. It’s an easy hike of 1.5 miles out-and-back from the parking area to Landscape Arch – which was my favorite arch during my trip in February 2020. There’s also virtually no elevation change, making this great for visitors of all ages.

If you want to explore further, there are other arches in the area; give yourself about an hour to hike to Landscape Arch and adjust your morning schedule based on how that feels and fits into the rest of your day.

6. Enjoy the View of Park Avenue

After your late morning hike in Devils Garden, hop back in the car and make your way out along Arches Scenic Drive. One last stop worth visiting is the Park Avenue Viewpoint. Here you’ll look out at a sweeping vista of red rock formations; there’s a hike down into Park Avenue, but if you still want to visit Canyonlands today, it’s time to move on.

7. Stop at the Visitor Center

Lastly, as you leave the park, feel free to take 15-20 minutes at the Visitor Center. There is a short but great exhibit about the history of the rock formations in the park and a gift shop. That’s where I stopped to get my standard souvenir: a postcard with a classic Arches design on it, and the National Park Passport stamp on the back.

8. Lunch in Moab

Since Arches is so close to Moab, it’s actually easiest to head back into town for lunch instead of packing a picnic lunch. For a quick and easy stop, Sweet Cravings Bakery + Bistro is the place to go. The folks there make amazing sandwiches, soups, and sweets that you can order and get to the table quickly. They can even do half-and-half soup and sandwich combos with a small dessert so you can try it all!

9. Stop at the Islands in the Sky Visitor Center

After refueling in town, make the 45-minute drive from Moab to the entrance of Canyonlands National Park. As you probably already know, Canyonlands has three main districts: Islands in the Sky, the Needles, and The Maze. Each one is worth at least a day on its own – but for this half day in Canyonlands National Park, you’ll spend time in the most easily accessed which is the Islands in the Sky district.

Since you’re arriving in the afternoon, start at the Islands in the Sky Visitor Center if you want to visit it at all – by the time you’re done in Canyonlands this evening, the Visitor Center will be closed. If you do stop, inside the visitor center you’ll find info about the park, plus (yay!) a little gift shop.

10. Hike to Mesa Arch

Once you make your way into Canyonlands on Grand View Point Road, the first stop is at Mesa Arch Trailhead. There’s a parking lot and it’s a short 0.7-mile loop trail to the Mesa Arch viewpoint; you can do it within 30 minutes. This is a great short hike to stretch your legs after lunch and the drive and start to see what makes Canyonlands worthy of its own National Park.

11. Be Awestruck at the Green River Overlook

My absolute favorite part of Canyonlands was at the Green River Overlook. This is a short drive further into Islands in the Sky; it’s a few turns off the main road but absolutely worth the detour. There’s a very short flat walk to the overlook and it’s well worth at least 15-30 minutes to enjoy the view from every safe angle.

12. Hike to the White Rim Overlook

If you haven’t yet figured it out, Islands in the Sky is so named because it offers the best views of the rest of Canyonlands from above it all. As you move into late afternoon, the White Rim Overlook Trailhead is the next stop –for another hike.

White Rim Overlook Trail is a popular hike in this part of the park, and is 1.8 miles out and back; it’s one of the “long” hikes today, even though you’re short on time. From the furthest point, you’ll have another jaw-dropping view of the canyons below. In total, this one takes 45-60 minutes

13. Watch the Sunset at Grand View Point

The timing of this final stop to see the sunset requires a little bit of coordination; it depends on the sunset time on the day you visit! For the best timing, try to arrive at the trailhead no later than 45 minutes before sunset. Grand View Point looks out over both the Green River (which you also saw at Green River Overlook) and the Colorado River – it’s understandably one of the most scenic parts of the Island in the Sky District and a popular sunset spot.

It’s a short 5-minute drive from the White Rim Overlook Trailhead to the Grand View Point Overlook Trailhead; the Grand View Point trail is only 1.8 miles out and back, so you won’t need more than 20 minutes to walk to the Overlook itself.

From there, you’ll have the best views to the east and west, including Monument Basin and the Green River Overlook. It’s one of the most beautiful places in the park to watch the sunset.

Bonus: Stargazing at Dead Horse Point State Park

If you still have energy, I recommend one last extra stop on your busy day in Arches and Canyonlands. On the way back to Moab, make a short detour to Dead Horse Point State Park. This state park is quickly becoming the #3 spot to stop while exploring around Moab – and once you see the stars overhead, you’ll see why.

Dead Horse Point is stunning during the day, as you can see in the photo above… but it’s also a certified Dark Sky Park according to the International Dark-Sky Park. There are regular guided dark sky events but you can also show up on any clear night and have your mind blown by stars and the Milky Way. It’s the perfect way to end an epic day enjoying Utah’s stunning scenery.

Have any questions about how to visit Arches and Canyonlands in one day, as I’ve suggested? Let me know in the comments!

This post was created in partnership with the Utah Office of Tourism. All businesses and activities were included at my discretion.

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