Fat Girls Guide To: Arches National Park

Welcome to the our Arches National Park guide. For over 100 years federal agencies have managed the 400+ national parks. To celebrate they wave the entrance fee at all national parks to celebrate their birthday . We want to encourage you to explore the outdoors this year at Arches National Park.

It’s also important for us to mention Making National Parks Accessible to Native People Again and to other People of Color.  Out of the 292.8 million visitors to national parks in 2014 only 22% were People of Color. Which is precisely what makes initiatives like Diversify Outdoors so important.

In an effort to help diversify the outdoors we are creating a Fat-Friendly National Parks Guide! We’ve asked members of our Facebook Community to share photos, tips, and stories from past national park visits. Here’s what some of our members had to say about Arches National Park.

River Rae

Arches National Park is located in the state of Utah and perched high above the Colorado River. It has the densest concentration of natural stone arches in the world. There are over 2,000 documented arches in the park, plus pinnacles, balanced rocks, fins and other geologic formations.

Entrance Fee:

Standard Pass: $15 – $30
Annual Pass: $55

2026 Free Entrance Days:

February 16: Presidents Day (Washington’s Birthday)
May 25: Memorial Day
June 14: Flag Day/President Trump’s birthday
July 3–5: Independence Day weekend
August 25: 110th Birthday of the National Park Service
September 17: Constitution Day
October 27: Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday
November 11: Veterans Day

Beginning in 2026, 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.

Best Time to Visit:

April, May, September, October when the daytime temperatures average about 60 to 80 degrees.

Worst Time to Visit:

June, July, and August are still peak season for the park despite 100 degree temperatures. Summer is when kids are out of school and families go on vacation.

Tasheon and Friends

“It was busy AF and we went on like Monday in the spring! But there was plenty of room to spread out and lots of accessible trails.” The following parts of the park are ADA compliant: Devils Garden Campground site #4H, Park Avenue Viewpoint, Balanced Rock Viewpoint and Picnic Area, Wolfe Ranch Cabin and rock art panel, and Delicate Arch Viewpoint. Get more wheelchair accessibility tips here.

Julissa

The Windows Section contains a large concentration of arches and is one of the most scenic locations in the park.

Christina

“I loves Arches National Park. We had the most beautiful day there.” Double Arch is the third-longest/widest arch in the park, at 144 feet (44 m) across.

Megan

 Delicate Arch is undeniably the most famous natural stone arch in the world. This is the ideal place to watch the sunset.

Kailey

Arches was a favorite on our honeymoon. We woke up for sunrise at The Windows Section. It’s a popular spot that you don’t want to miss!

Sam

Over 2,000 arches have been discovered and recorded in Arches National Park. This number changes, as new arches are discovered and others collapse.

Erica

“Arches National Park has lots of easy hiking options with fun rocks to climb all over. It has an incredibly diverse landscape with amazing sunsets.”

Do you want to be featured in our National Park Guide?

Comment below with tips for your favorite National Park or email us your photos and suggestions.

Team Fat Girls

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