Planning a Trip to Arches National Park in 2026
In 2022, Arches National Park implemented a timed entry system to help mitigate crowds. While the trial system has generally been considered successful this far, it will not be used in 2026. This means that just like before 2022, you will be able to enter the park at any time, without having to get any timed-entry reservation. The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round.
The park service has not said why they are doing away with the timed-entry this year, so we could only speculate at this point, but regardless of the reasons, it will be interesting to see how it goes once we hit the busy season. In previous years, to get into Arches during the during the summer, you could be in line to get into the park for an hour or more, and many days entry was closed entirely and arriving visitors were greeted with a sign to come back and try later. The timed entry worked quite well from 2022-2025 in helping to control some of the problems that have come about when the park gets congested. In my opinion it, improved the visitor experience by preventing issues from overcrowding on the roads, parking areas, and trails.
What do you need to know? To enter the park in 2026, simply arrive and pay the entrance fee ($30 per vehicle, motorcycles $25) or show your park pass. If you do have a pass, you must show your ID matching the park pass. If you don’t have a pass, you can save your receipt use to re-enter the park as many times as you’d like for the next 7 days if you keep your receipt. Note that visitors have access to the entire park but are not guaranteed parking at a specific lot. To avoid waiting in Line, especially from March through October, I recommend entering before 8am or after 3pm.
Free National Parks Days
If you are visiting Arches in 2026, I thought it would be helpful to include a list of days for free entry. While many National Park sites are always free to visit, Arches is one of 63 national parks that cost between $10 and $35. In an effort to take away any potential barrier to visitors, and encourage people to get out and visit the parks, there are 10 days those entrance fees will be waived. This only applies to entrance, so additional amenities and activities such as camping, boat launches, special tours, etc., will still be paid by visitors. Also note that free entrance on these days will be for US citizens and residents only. Nonresidents will pay the regular entrance fee and any applicable nonresident fees.
Februrary 16th: President’s Day
May 25th: Memorial Day
June 14th: Flag Day
July 3rd-5th: Independence Day Weekend
August 25th: 110th Birthday of National Parks Service
September 17th: Constitution Day
October 27th: Theodore Roosevelt's birthday
November 11th: Veterans Day
I hoped this has helped in planning for a trip to Arches National Park in 2026. If you have any questions or thoughts on any of this let me know in the comments!
