News

Sep 27, 2023

Arches National Park unveils new timed entry system for 2023

Arches National Park is installing an updated timed entry system for visitors in

Arches National Park is installing an updated timed entry system for visitors in 2023, with park officials announcing this week that visitors will be able to reserve tickets online to make sure they can get inside.

The new updated plan builds on what officials have learned this year from a pilot program that limited the number of visitors at any one time in order to prevent overcrowding. Just like this year, visitors planning to come between April 1 and Oct. 31 will need a reservation before entering the park between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., but in 2023 there will be some additional flexibilities built into the program, such as the ability to purchase entrance fees or annual passes in advance, according to park officials.

"During the 2022 pilot at Arches, timed entry tickets helped pace visitation into the park, lessen congestion, and enhance visitor experiences," Arches Superintendent Patricia Trap said in an email. "This year, Arches will use another timed entry pilot to test operational improvements, which should provide more opportunities for access while protecting Arches’ extraordinary landscape."

Visitors planning to come from April to October will need to book reservations on a first-come, first-served basis via Recreation.gov, which requires a $2 processing fee, starting at 8 a.m. on Jan. 10. Reservations will be released three months in advance in monthly blocks, so the only reservations available on that Jan. 10 date would run through April 30. On Feb. 1, reservations would open for the month of May, with the rest of the months following a similar schedule.

After booking a slot, visitors receive a timed-entry ticket which requires them to enter during a specified one-hour window. Once inside, they can stay the remainder of the day and can leave and reenter the park on the same day as long as they have a validated ticket. Additional details are available online at nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/timed-entry-pilot.htm.

The timed entry program has helped alleviate some of the massive strains that overcrowding put on the park in recent years, officials say. Park visitation nearly doubled from 2009 to 2021, which saw a record 1.81 million visitors counted. On many days, the park was closed entirely, with rangers simply closing the gates once all roads, parking spots and facilities were full.

With the timed entry system in place in 2022, visitation has fallen off slightly, to 1.42 million through November. Most parks have seen a dropoff in visitation during that time period, though, with a COVID-19 pandemic-induced "bubble" of Americans taking to the outdoors in 2021. The 2022 figure appears about on par with the numbers seen in 2019, before the pandemic.