Planning your trip to Arches National Park in 2022
Arches National Park is one of the latest National Parks to implement a system for mitigating crowds, so if you are going to visit between April 3rd and October 3rd, you will need to make sure you are prepared. If you are visiting outside those dates in 2022, the new timed entry will not apply.
Most people may initially have a negative reaction when learning a system like this is going into place, but I think it will truly make the visitor experience better. The fact is that Arches, along with other parks, have seen steady growth in visitation, which has led to issues with overcrowding on the roads, parking areas, and trails. In the past couple of years during the busy season at Arches, you could be in line to get into the park for an hour or more, and many days entry was closed entirely and arriving visitors were greeted with a sign to come back and try later. The purpose of timed entry is not to reduce visitation, but to distribute it throughout the day. This will help control some of the problems that have come about when the park gets congested. It is important to note that this is a temporary pilot system, so they will be collecting data and after this first initial 2022 test will determine if it makes sense to continue with something like it as part of a long-term strategy to manage traffic.
On to the good stuff then, what do you need to know? To enter the park between 6am and 5pm any day from April 3rd to October 3rd, you need the following 3 things:
1) Timed entry ticket secured in advance ($2.00 processing fee)
2) Photo ID
3) Park entrance fee OR valid park pass.
So, each private vehicle will need a timed entry ticket. You can get yours from recreation.gov.
Pick your date and your 1-hour slot for which your ticket will be valid for entry, add it to your cart, and submit payment information for a non-refundable $2.00 processing fee. You will then receive an email with an attached Timed Entry Ticket, which you can print, download, or screenshot. Alternatively you can secure your ticket over the phone at 877-444-6777.
When you arrive at the park entrance, the timed entry ticket holder must be in the vehicle with photo identification and you then also either pay the entrance fee ($30 per vehicle) or show your valid park pass. You can then exit and re-enter the park for the remainder of that day, but entry on a different day will require an additional timed entry ticket. Visitors have access to the entire park but are not guaranteed parking at a specific lot. Note that tickets are released by month blocks, 3 months in advance. For example, all tickets for July will be available April 1st.
Exceptions:
If you are on foot or a bicycle, you do not need a timed entry reservation. Additionally, if you have a permit for the campground, backcountry camping, or Fiery Furnace, you do not need to reserve a timed entry ticket, just present your other permit for verification upon entry.
What if I didn’t plan ahead?
If you don’t secure a timed entry before your trip, there is still hope. They do make some available on the website at 6:00PM the day before. In fact it appears, at least at the time of this writing, that they hold over 300 reservations (a few dozen per time slot). While we can’t know for sure how easy it will be to get one of these at the last minute, if I had to guess I’d say you have a pretty good shot as long as you are ready to make the purchase as soon as they are made available the night before your visit. Another option to consider is booking a commercial tour, which I’m happy to be personally offering (details coming soon! Hint: It was to do with photography). In that case you won’t need a timed entry ticket. Yet a third option is you can enter the park without a reservation before 6am or after 5pm.
Though this new system may require a little extra planning on your part, it should definitely lead to an optimal visitor experience with less chance of congestion issues in the park. If you have any questions or thoughts on any of this let me know in the comments!
