Are you an adventurer? Do you enjoy scenic landscape views? Do you look for the darkest skies? If you answered yes to any of these, then you need to visit Arches National Park. Arches NP offers adventure, scenic views and amazing dark skies for stargazing.
I wanted to visit this beautiful place for years but just never found a way, until this year. Oh yes, July 2022 I finally made it to Arches NP. Just saying this place was amazing would be an understatement. It lived up to its name and so much more.
Where is Arches National Park?
Arches NP main entrance is on the north edge of Moab, UT along Hwy 191. If you are driving the Interstate 70 then exit Hwy 191 heading south about 27 miles.
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Beautiful Landscape Views
If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit or can’t, don’t worry, I have some photos below. Check out the gallery below to see some of the amazing views we saw while we were there. Click each image to see the full size.
Dark Skies Viewing
Arches National Park is far enough away from manmade lights which offers some of the darkest skies in the U.S. Many stargazers visit the park every year to take in the abundance of stars they can see. This park is a giant playground for astronomers and photographers wanting to capture photos of the stars.
We visited the park at the right time as the moon didn’t rise until nearly 11:30pm. The late moon rise offered a couple super dark hours to photo the Milky Way. Below are a couple photos I took of the Milky Way.
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Summary
The Arches National Park lived up to its hype, it did not disappoint. I am thankful I had the opportunity to visit on this trip across the Interstate 70. If you ever travel along the I-70 across Utah I strongly recommend visiting this amazing park.
We only had a few hours of daylight and I wish we had more time. The park is very large and spread out so plan a couple days and nights to really take in its beauty. If you are looking for a place to view the stars, look no further than Arches NP. It is truly an amazing place to enjoy the dark skies.
Have you visited Arches NP? Do you have plans to visit Arches NP? If you have visited or plan to please leave a comment below. If you have visited, please let me know what you thought of this place. Also, let me know what you think of this article by giving it a star rating below.