Roadschooling Arches National Park
Roadschooling Arches National Park in only 1 day? The best way to get a lot in with a limited amount of time is with a driving tour. However, if you get there early enough, you can also manage a couple family-friendly hikes!
Things to Know Before Roadschooling Arches National Park:
- This is a popular national park destination and parking is limited, especially if you have an RV.
- It gets HOT in the summer (when we went), so you want to do your hikes early in the morning or around dusk. As well as bring basics like lots of water, sunscreen, and sun protection.
Activity #1: Hike to Delicate Arch
I mean, isn’t this the most iconic of all the arches here? We HAD to do it!
Parking: We also knew that we needed to secure much coveted RV parking space for our rig plus tow vehicle at the parking lot adjacent to the trailhead (located at Wolfe Ranch). So we got to the park EARLY, like before dawn early. Otherwise, if this parking lot is full, you will have to park at the Delicate Arch Viewpoint parking lot, about 1 mile away (and also hoof that 1 mile back to the Delicate Arch trailhead).
The Trail: You will then walk/scramble for about 3 miles between some defined trail, some slickrock with no shade, and – right before you get to Delicate Arch – a narrow ledge. Plan on about a couple hours for this hike, maybe longer if you have kids that like to stop and play among rocks! This trail also leads you past a cabin and some petroglyphs.
Another, Quicker Option: Go instead to Delicate Arch Viewpoint, where you can see the arch from a distance, after walking a half-mile trail from its parking lot (the same parking lot you would use if the Wolfe Ranch lot is full).
Activity #2: Hike to Landscape Arch
Landscape Arch is the longest of the arches at Arches National Park (and is one of the longest natural arches in the world!). It is located north of the iconic Delicate Arch, along Devil’s Garden Trail.
Parking: Devil’s Garden Trailhead. This is where you can park to hike not only to Landscape Arch but others as well.
The Trail: It is a pretty easy 1.6 mi roundtrip hike, with just some elevation changes. It should take about an hour without stopping for photos or to rest from the heat (which had already climbed by the time we wrapped up our exploration of Delicate Arch).
Activity #3: Enjoy the Views Along Park Avenue
After these two hikes, our kids were done. So we headed out of the park via Park Avenue, a driving alternative for a section of the Main Park Road.
Here we oohed and ahhed over the various rock formations along the way!
Check out our other roadschool adventures at these national parks:
Three-Day Driving Itinerary Through North Cascades National Park (WA)
A Drive Around Crater Lake National Park (OR)
A Morning at Pinnacles National Park (CA)
Overnight at Joshua Tree National Park (CA)
Grand Adventure at Grand Canyon National Park (AZ)
Exploring Cliff Dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park (CO)
One-Day Itinerary at Arches National Park (UT)
Wonderfully Wet at Zion National Park (UT)
Outdoor Science Classroom at Bryce Canyon National Park (UT)