Arches National Park draws roughly 1.5 million visitors annually, with Delicate Arch as a standout attraction. National parks recorded a peak 331.9 million visits in 2024, and summer crowds have pushed many busy parks to adopt timed-entry reservation systems. Visitors often need both an entrance fee and a timed permit, and strained National Park Service budgets have exacerbated congestion and long car lines. Some people consider shifting to state parks, but early-morning arrival at national parks typically avoids crowds, provides superior lighting and viewing conditions, and simplifies logistics even where reservations are required.
We were sitting smack-dab in the middle of Arches National Park, which welcomes about 1.5 million visitors each year. Specifically, we were in front of Delicate Arch, an attraction so famous it's featured on the Utah license plate. But, on a morning in August, my boyfriend and I practically had the place to ourselves, watching golden hues slowly cascading over the smooth red rocks of the Utah desert with just a handful of other park visitors.
Those visits typically crest in the summer months, which has led the busiest parks to implement a reservation system during peak season. In addition to paying your entrance fee, you'll need to nab a timed-entry permit just to get into the park. These systems work to combat the crush of crowds the parks were seeing, but they've made planning a national parks getaway a logistical high-wire act.
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