Visitors to Arches National Park will soon need reservations to access the park’s iconic arch formations and other red rock features, the National Park Service announced Friday.
The timed-entry reservation system launches next year and is part of a pilot program aimed at reducing traffic congestion and crowding. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 1.6 million visitors have visited Arches annually.
“We’ve had to temporarily delay access into the park by closing the gates when all of our parking lots are full,” said Kaitlynn Thomas, a spokeswoman for the park. “And so a timed-entry system reduces the need for that.”
The pilot program runs from April 3 to Oct. 3. Visitors can begin making their reservations, which are good for a one-month block, at recreation.gov starting Jan. 3.
The park system will open reservations three months in advance, following this schedule:
April reservations (April 3–30) open Jan. 3.
May reservations (May 1–31) open Feb. 1.
June reservations (June 1–30) open March 1.
July reservations (July 1–31) open April 1.
August reservations (Aug. 1–31) open May 1.
September reservations (Sept. 1–30) open June 1.
October reservations (Oct. 1–3) open July 1.
After making a reservation, visitors will receive a timed-entry ticket, allowing them to check in within a designated one-hour window, which will fall sometime between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. on a given day.
The designated one-hour window is only for initial entry. Once visitors enter, they can stay as long as they would like or leave and re-enter the park with the same validated ticket. Timed entry reservations won’t be required for visitors with camping permits, backcountry permits, Fiery Furnace permits or special use permits.
If you didn’t nab an early reservation, a limited number of reservations will be available for purchase at 6 p.m. the day before intended entry, also through recreation.gov. Reservations will not be available at the park entrance.
“We believe this will create a higher-quality experience while maximizing access for our visitors,” Arches National Park Superintendent Patricia Trap said in a statement. “Additionally, we will use data gathered from this pilot to adapt and improve this system throughout the season, as well as to inform our future responses going forward.”
