Arches National Park Activity and Calendar Guide
Welcome to the Arches National Park Activity and Calendar Guide.
Below you will find information about visitor centers, ranger led programs, activities for children, and special events that occur on certain dates or throughout the year.
Below you will find information about visitor centers, ranger led programs, activities for children, and special events that occur on certain dates or throughout the year.
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Activity and Calendar Information
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Visitor Center
Arches National Park is open year round. The majority of park visitors come March through October, with lowest visitation in December and January. You can enjoy sightseeing by personal car, hiking, biking (established roads only), picnicking (3 designated picnic areas in park), and camping.
| Open | Close | Hours | Location | Phone |
| All Year | 25 December | 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Nov - Mar Extended hours Apr - Sep |
Just inside the Park Entrance | 435-719-2100 |
| Available Facilities |
| The visitor center houses a museum and exhibits. A short orientation program is shown in the auditorium on the hour and half hour. Information is available and books and maps are sold by the Canyonlands Natural History Association, in the visitor center. |
Special Events and Programs
There is an annual sunrise Easter Service.
Junior Ranger Program
As in other National Parks, Arches has a Junior Ranger Program for youth. If you are between the ages of six and twelve, and you are planning to spend at least one day in Arches, pick up a Junior Ranger booklet at the visitor center. You must complete several activities in the booklet, like word games, drawings and fill-in-the-blanks about why you shouldn't chase or catch lizards. You must also gather a bag of litter or bring twenty aluminum cans to be recycled and attend a ranger program or watch the slide program at the visitor center. A junior ranger is someone who promises to take care of Arches National Park. It is a great way to learn and have fun in the park! When you are a junior ranger, you will be able to teach others about how best to take care of nature. Age-appropriate activity booklets and ranger-led programs guide children through an exploration of the diverse habitats found in Arches National Park. When the children have completed their assigned tasks, their certificates are signed and they are presented a Junior Ranger badge.
Ranger Activities
Ranger / Naturalist programs include scheduled walks, guided hikes and evening campfire programs by rangers, mid-March through October. Check bulletin boards in the park for details. Tickets may be purchased up to seven days in advance for the popular Fiery Furnace ranger guided hike at the Arches Visitor Center. Fees are charged for Fiery Furnace permits and guided hikes.
Fiery Furnace Walks
Rangers lead walks into the Fiery Furnace twice each day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. These 2.5 to 3 hour hikes are moderately strenuous, requiring the occasional use of hands to scramble through narrow cracks and along narrow ledges. Visitors are encouraged to accompany a ranger for safety and to reduce impacts. In order to visit the Fiery Furnace without a ranger, visitors must obtain a permit (fee charged) at the visitor center. In order to support the program, fees are now charged for Fiery Furnace walks. The cost is $ 6.00 for adults; $ 3.00 for children six to twelve years old and adults sixty-two or older. Group size is limited, and these popular walks often fill a day or two in advance. Make your reservation and pay your fee at the visitor center up to seven days in advance of the walk, and for groups of no more than ten people. Larger groups can request a special tour by contacting the park; a minimum of four weeks' notice is advised.
Other Guided Walks
Rangers lead easy, one-hour walks each day at different locations throughout the park.
Evening Programs
Join a ranger at the Devils Garden campground amphitheater (next to Canyon Wren group campsite and across the road from campsite #25) nightly. Programs last about forty-five minutes.
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