Arches NP - new entry permits system

[davidmurphy02]

Arches NP is implementing a timed entry permit system next year, will be in effect April 3 - October 3. This was probably inevitable given the overcrowding and something along these lines has been done in a few other parks.

Definitely something you should be aware of if you have plans to visit Arches next year during this period.

https://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvis...ntry-pilot.htm

[Mike G]

I dream of retiring and visiting parks in the off season. I don't enjoy crowds.


Arches is fabulous, though, at any time of year. I've been in there a couple of times, in summer heat, with the crowds. Sometimes it was a bit dicey to find a parking spot. I'm sure it has only gotten worse since those visits (last one was more than 5 years ago). They have to do what they have to do!

[rbryan4]

I'll miss it but I've been to Arches enough. Was fortunate to grow up near there and visited it before there were any crowds - long before Moab and mountain biking was really a thing.

We just don't do crowds anymore.

[John in Santa Cruz]

glad we got in there a few years ago with only about a 30 or 45 minute wait in the queue and were able to find parking everywhere we wanted to stop. sure, it was insanely busy, any of the popular places we got out and walked around, there were people everywhere. We had a campsite at Dead Horse Point State Park, which was spectacular in its own way, the overlook of the Colorado meeting the Green River, was like Canyonlands Forever.

[oldwave]

I retired from the NPS after 30 years. I’ve seen this coming for a while especially in “icon’ parks. Parks with more fragile eco systems are prime candidates as well. Victims of success in a way. On the other hand there are many parks and some of lessor know ones are well worth the visit. Capital Reef is great in that area. Cedar Brakes in the Zion area etc. After going to Zion and Bryce Canon in 2018, we decided to go back either in the fall or spring. With times tickets we might feel different. NPS staffing was decimated awhile ago and has always been stretched thin. Hopefully that’s changed.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by oldwave

I retired from the NPS after 30 years. I’ve seen this coming for a while especially in “icon’ parks. Parks with more fragile eco systems are prime candidates as well. Victims of success in a way. On the other hand there are many parks and some of lessor know ones are well worth the visit. Capital Reef is great in that area. Cedar Brakes in the Zion area etc. After going to Zion and Bryce Canon in 2018, we decided to go back either in the fall or spring. With times tickets we might feel different. NPS staffing was decimated awhile ago and has always been stretched thin. Hopefully that’s changed.

in southern utah, 2 of our coolest days were spent exploring dirt roads in the Grand Staircase Escalante NM. first, Cottonwood Rd all the way north to south (returned via Kanab, and wow, the Rocking V Cafe on the main highway was awesome for dinner, then back around to where we were camping at Kodachrome Basin State Park (awesome place).

the second day involved driving south out of Escalante on Hole in the Wall Rd, then a 4x4 loop involving Right Hand Collet Canyon (a driveable slot canyon ), and back via Alvey Wash to Escalante. there was several miles of Right Hand Collet Canyon where if we'd met someone coming the other way, hah, finding a passing spot would have been challenging. I didn't stop for any good pics on that stretch, as I didn't want to lose momentum.