2 Best Sights in Arches National Park, Utah

Arches Main Park Road

Fodor's choice

The main park road and its two short spurs are extremely scenic and allow you to enjoy many park sights from your car. The main road leads through The Courthouse Towers, where you can see Sheep Rock and The Three Gossips, then alongside The Great Wall, The Petrified Dunes, and Balanced Rock. A drive to the Windows section takes you to attractions like Turret Arch, The North Window, and Double Arch, and you can see Skyline Arch along the roadside as you approach the Devils Garden Campground. The road to Delicate Arch allows hiking access to one of the park's main features. Allow about two hours to drive the 45-mile round-trip, more if you explore the spurs and their features and stop at viewpoints along the way.

Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway—Highway 128

Fodor's choice
Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway—Highway 128
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One of the most scenic drives in the Four Corners region, Highway 128 intersects U.S. 191, 3 miles south of Arches. The 44-mile highway runs along the upper Colorado River, with 2,000-foot red rock cliffs rising on both sides. This gorgeous river corridor is home to a winery, orchards, and a couple of luxury lodging options. It also offers a spectacular view of world-class climbing destination Fisher Towers before winding north to Interstate 70. Give yourself an hour to 90 minutes to drive it, though be aware that traffic can get congested in the summer. For the full experience, go through the ghost town of Cisco by taking Exit 214 if you're heading east on I–70 and stop by the delightful Buzzard's Belly General Store. Full of snacks, soda, art, and fun knickknacks, it's an off-beat take on a general store, and you'll likely want to take some pictures to show your friends.