Will timed-entry become a regular feature at Arches?

Officials at Arches National Park are seeking input on a long-term Visitor Access and Experience Plan to manage visitation at the park. 

Over the past decade, visitation to Arches has grown by 73 percent. According to Superintendent Lena Pace, the park tried several methods to adapt to the increase in visitation before implementing the timed entry system. This included doubling the amount of parking, periodic gate closures, expanding the entrance road and adding a traffic lane.

“Despite all of those measures, we’ve been unable to manage visitation until we put into place this pilot timed entry system and the bottom line: the reservation system is working really well,” Pace told the Moab City Council last week. 

Pace reported that visitation has remained the same since the reservation system was put into place. Now, with a required day and time for entry, visitation during these peak periods is simply more evenly distributed across the times of day and days of the week. 

Since its implementation in 2022, park officials have continually honed a system that works for Arches. They recently announced plans to adjust the reservation period for the 2025 season. A timed-entry reservation will be required starting on April 1, 2025, until Oct 31, 2025, but there will be no reservations required between July 7 to August 27 (after Independence Day and before Labor Day), when visitation to the park typically slows. 

The preferred approach, or alternative, for the Visitor Access and Experience Plan would establish a permanent, recurring timed entry reservation system, according to an official statement from the park. The plan also establishes that the park will maintain flexibility to “refine details over time based on feedback, conditions on the ground, or changes in how people visit the park and surrounding communities.”

Pace spoke about the socioeconomics of the change after concerns arose about how the plan might affect Moab and Grand County. 

“While visitation to Arches and local taxable sales are strongly and positively correlated, we don’t have a clear understanding of the directionality of that correlation,” Pace said. “There’s no indication also that the pilot timed-entry system is deterring visitors.” 

Pace emphasized a recent study that showed only 39 percent of Arches visitors said visiting the park was the primary reason for their trip. 

“Most of our visitors are coming for other reasons as well,” she said. “So even if visitation to Arches were to decline, we don’t believe that visitation overall to the region would decline.”

The current timed-entry system releases 70 percent of tickets three months in advance, but only 15 percent are purchased on the day of release, according to Pace. Nineteen percent of reservations are purchased on the day of the intended visit. Additionally, 37 percent of park visitors are going into the park before 7:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m., when no reservation is required.  

Pace also reported positive feedback from concessions operators who have permits to conduct business in the park. They have remarked that the shorter lines, reliable times to come into the park, and reliable parking access have positively affected the visitor experience.

“We really appreciate the city of Moab’s continued support,” Pace said. “I believe this couldn’t be done without all of our partners who are helping us to message this, who are helping us to talk to our visitors about what they’re going to experience and prepare them for an appropriate, reliable, positive experience at Arches National Park.”

Public Comment Period

Comments on the Visitor Access and Experience Plan/Environmental Assessment (EA) can be submitted through the park’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website through November 23. Click on ‘Open for Comment’ on the left side of the page to submit a comment.

To learn more about the draft plan, visit the link above. You can also view a recording of a virtual meeting that occurred on Wednesday, November 13. 

2025 Reservation Info

Tickets for April reservations will become available at 8 a.m. on January 2, 2025, setting the pattern for tickets for each summer month to become available three months in advance. 

• April reservations (April 1–30) open January 2. 
• May reservations (May 1–31) open February 1. 
• June reservations (June 1–30) open March 1. 
• July reservations (July 1–6) open April 1. 
• August reservations (August 27–31) open May 27. 
• September reservations (September 1–30) open June 1. 
• October reservations (October 1–31) open July 1. 

Starting March 31, additional tickets will be released at 7 p.m. each day for park visits the following day. Any unreserved tickets remain available for same-day booking.

Author: Heather Bergeson

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