Looking for Advice on Crowds in Arches, Canyonlands

I have been doing some planning for a weekday visit to a couple of Bucket List locations, Arches and Canyonlands. In doing so, I looked at the Park Service web sites, and they paint a rather pessimistic picture of park overcrowding, unavailable parking, etc all the way through mid-October. I am looking at a trip the first week of October, intending to avoid weekends because of the crowds.

 

I would appreciate hearing some actual experience with these parks at that time of year. Do the parks get as crowded as advertised? Arches warns of sitting in line at the entrance for 30 minutes or more to get in, and parking lots full all day throughout the park. This would get me to abandon the October plan and maybe look at January or February.

 

Other pertinent information: I live in Las Vegas and have been to almost all other parks in Utah, most of them many times. I will be driving to Moab in my small front-wheel drive car - no backroading for me (I won't be bringing any ground clearance with me).

I went to Arches and Canyonlands in April, apparently the beginning of the busy Spring season. You will not need a special car for the highlights unless you want to travel off road. All the roads are very good. You might run into some cattle along the way as I did. See the movie here and some of my shots from our trip.

Link: Southwest USA 2018 - Digital

 

 

Arches had a waiting line of 20-30 minutes to get in. We walked around the Windows area and we able to get parking pretty easy. Link: Google Maps If you want to get there when one no one is around, get on line before the park opens in the AM.

 

See Dead Horse Point State Park. Google Maps It's on the way to Canyonlands National Park from Moab. But the views and shots are worth it. There's a ten dollar charge I think I recall for Dead Horse Point State Park. The other National Parks have their own fees but you could buy a national pass. Check at the gate when you pay at the first national park..

 

Then continue to the Green River Overview Link: Google Maps and Grand View Overlook in Isle in the Sky in Canyonlands. Link: Google Maps

 

There are other stops in Canyonlands and Arches that I didn't mention. You can cover all three site in a full day but two days will give you a much more relaxing tour.

 

Another beautiful trip that you can cover in a morning is the Colorado River SCenic Bypass. It's out of Moab. The turnoff is right before Arches. The whole round trip is about 50 miles. Here's the link for the trip. Stop at Moab Museum of Western History. This area was used for over 100 Hollywood movies with John Wayne etc, and a bunch of cowboy and science fiction movies over the decades. Then stop off in Castle Valley. It's got some wonderful shots inside this valley. Link: Google Maps

I have tried to beat the tourist season by traveling out of season.

 

Here is my visit to Mt. Rushmore on the 9th of May 2015. It snowed about 25 inches in Rapid City.

 

There is a moral to be drawn from this, I suppose, but I had a wonderful trip.

I live in New Mexico and have been to Arches N.P. a number of times, though not in several years. Personally, I think winter is a beautiful time to visit the area, and being the off-season, rates are lower. Peak season accommodation in Moab is starting to get rather expensive.

 

Alan Klein has some good suggestions. You might consider the route he mentioned and ending up in Grand Junction, CO, where you can visit the spectacular Colorado National Monument.

I have not been to either of these Parks in five years so I cannot comment on current crowds. My favorite trip to Arches and Canyonlands was in December for many reasons: fewer people; sun lower in sky all day long so better landscapes can be easier to get; peaks in the background had snow on them adding to scenic beauty; sunrise and sunset times are easier to manage. The only time I had issues with too many people was at Mesa Arch in Canyonlands at sunrise. Alan's list is a great one. If you want to try and get a moonrise shot in Arches at the Window, usually two days before full moon works if you want some natural twilight light. On the day of full moon it will be dark when the moon rises. If you are worried about people being in your shots, take a 10 stop ND filter for long exposures and maybe the people will "disappear" from the pictures.

My thanks to everyone for the help - I am better educated than when I started. But something new has been added - the threat of a government shutdown (more accurately called a government lockout - end of rant).

 

Several years ago I set up a trip to Glacier NP, and had no-refund reservations, when the last shutdown/lockout occurred. I had access to the park for 2 days and was kept out for the rest of the week by the armed rangers at the gates. That isn't going to happen to me a second time. So my trip to Arches/Canyonlands/etc has been rescheduled for this coming winter, when summer crowds and political posturing should not be a factor.