Arches National Park Reservations in 2025 (with FAQs)

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Confused about the Arches National Park reservation system in 2025?

Many national parks are starting to require reservations in order to enter, and while it might seem like an extra step in your planning process, there is a method to the madness–especially at a popular park like Arches National Park! Daniel and I planned months in advance to make sure that we had reservations for our trip there, but even then it wasn’t as straightforward as we would have liked.

Between tickets selling out fast, figuring out how to plan our itinerary around timed entry, and also making sure we knew what we wanted to see and when, it was more planning than I though we would need to do. However, once we got in the park, it was easy to see why they have chosen to implement a reservation system–the whole experience was much more pleasant.

If you are headed to Arches between the months of April and October, you will need your reservation in order to enjoy it. Luckily, I picked up a few tips and tricks along the way that I hope will help you put together your Arches trip!

In summary: This guide will cover why Arches has a reservation system, when you need it, how to get reservations, and some FAQs you might have!

Quick tip: You never know if someone might forfeit their reservations–it’s often worth checking back to see if someone might have canceled for the day!

Overview of Arches National Park reservations in 2025

From the dates of April 1st, 2025 until October 31st, 2025, Arches requires an entry reservation. If you plan to enter the park between the hours of 7:00 am MT to 4:00 pm MT, you will need to have your reservation in hand at the entrance to the park.

These reservations are timed, meaning that you will be assigned a period of time when you can enter. If you miss this time, you will not be allowed within the park. This is why it is important to secure your reservation in advance so you don’t arrive at the park entrance and you are required to turn around.

One change from previous years is that you will not need a reservation between the dates of July 7, 2025 and August 26, 2025 since visitation tends to slow down during that time.

Below you can read about the several ways you can make your reservations since there are a few options.

Why Arches has a reservation system for entry

Arches is a very compact park and a very popular one, as well. Over time, this has caused a lot of wear and tear on the park’s natural resources, as well as extra work on park staff. The reservation system is designed to help manage these crowds, while also making it a much more enjoyable experience for visitors.

Some of those parking lots in Arches are very small, and overly-crowded trails can be annoying to deal with, as well as dangerous in some places. By spreading out the times when people can enter, this helps to keep Arches’ formations and trails accessible for years to come, while also making your time in the park one you will remember positively.

Personally, I can’t imagine what going to the park would be like without some sort of reservation system in place–it was crowded when we were there and we have one of the earlier time slots for entry, as well!

How to get reservations for Arches

The first step is to make an account on the recreation.gov website or to download the app and make an account there. I highly recommend you do this a day or two before you plan on making your reservations. Not only will it save time when you go to check out, but that way you are less likely to lose the reservations you have in your cart.

There are several opportunities to make reservations in advance. You will want to know your exact date or dates you are planning on entering, since this will determine whether you choose to book your reservations in the three-month window or the day-before window.

Once you have set up an account, you’ll search for Arches National Park in the search bar. The timed-entry option should show.

If you plan on getting your reservations three months in advance, here is the schedule when you will want to do so:

• April 1-30 reservations–January 2 at 8:00 am MST
• May 1-31–February 1 at 8:00 am MST
• June 1-30–March 1 at 8:00 am MST
• July 1-31–April 1 at 8:00 am MDT
• August 1-31–May 1 at 8:00 am MDT
• September 1-30–June 1 at 8:00 am MDT
• October 1-31–July 1 at 8:00 MDT

There are also a limited number of tickets available the night before. These tend to sell out very quickly, so if this is the method you plan on using, I recommend being on the recreation.gov app right at 7:00 pm MT so you can snag one.

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Arches National Park reservations FAQs

Here’s some commonly-asked questions I often get when it comes to reservations in Arches National Park.

Conclusion

While it can take a bit more planning, I found that Arches’ reservation system helped to make my time there so much more enjoyable. Since crowds were managed a lot better, we were able to find parking for all the activities we wanted to experience while we were there, and it was nice to to feel overwhelmed by too many people.

I hope this has helped clarify any questions you might have about the reservation system, and has helped you figure out when you should be booking your tickets.

Have any questions about Arches National Park reservations? Let me know in the comments!