Let’s Go to Arches for Spring Break 2025!

Heading to Arches National Park this spring break? We’ve written about Arches pretty in-depth over here, so check out that as you make plans. But we wanted to pitch three hikes that you should definitely check out while you’re in the park. One is super easy, one is moderate, and one is pretty darn strenuous, but they’re all awesome!

Photo by Andrew Jenkins via unsplash.com

Hear Us Out: Skip the Hike to Delicate Arch.

Ok, so as you know, Delicate Arch is the most famous arch in Arches, and probably the most famous Arch in the United States. As a result, everybody and their cousin hike to it every day of the year. So you can picture it during spring break. (And if you really, really want to, you totally can. We’ve even got a blog post covering the trail to Delicate Arch for you to check out.) But there is another way to see the famous landmark that doesn’t involve a long desert trek. So if you’re not feeling like you have it in you to hike the three-miles roundtrip, then go to the Delicate Arch Viewpoint instead. All the views, half the calories.

To get to the Delicate Arch Viewpoint, drive past the Delicate Arch trailhead until the road ends. There is a half-mile paved, handicap-accessible trail that will take you to a great overlook of the arch. And you’ll get to see what those who hike to the arch miss – Delicate Arch in the context of the larger landscape. Plus, the hike to the viewpoint is way easier.

Photo by Intricate Explorer via unsplash.com

Make a Deal with the Devil’s Garden

“But what if I, like, really want to hike?” we hear you ask. We get that. And you’re in luck. Becasuse you can head to the Devil’s Garden Primitive Loop Trail. It’s located beyond Landscape Arch – the longest arch in the world, by the way, see it while it lasts – and will lead you into the largest concentration of natural arches and bridges in the world!

It’s seven miles roundtrip, so it’s not for the faint of heart or those with medical conditions. (And since it is a strenuous and remote hike, you should read this guide first before you venture out. Please take safety seriously.) Plan on spending at least half a day on the trail. Also, when you are about to make the return trip on the other side of the loop, you will see a little half-mile detour to Dark Angel. You’ve come all this way, you should go see this huge monolith.

Photo by Intricate Explorer via unsplash.com

Tower Arch, the Great Granddaddy of Arches

If you’re willing to drive over 8-miles of washboard dirt roads, then you will find the trailhead to Tower Arch. It’s a moderate 2.6-mile roundtrip trail to Tower Arch, and it’s one of the most secluded spots in Arches National Park. And for our money, it’s also one of the coolest. Plus, it’s huge! In a way that none of the other arches are. You will feel very small.

Just as a side note: We like to think of Delicate Arch as the quintessential arch of Arches National Park (and that may be the case today) but it was actually Tower Arch, as seen in 1922 by Alex Ringhoffer, that started the process for Arches to become a national monument in 1929. So you can thank Tower Arch for your whole spring break vacation to this great national park! Enjoy!