- Arches National Park halts timed-entry until Aug. 27, resumes Aug. 28.
- The break tests visitor impact during slower periods.
MOAB — Timed-entry is going on summer vacation at Arches National Park.
Park officials reminded visitors that its seasonal timed-entry program is on hiatus from Monday through Aug. 27, although visitors will still need to pay park entry fees. The program will return on Aug. 28 and remain in place through Oct. 31.
The seven-week break was planned, as it was included in the program changes announced late last year. Park officials explained that visitation "traditionally slows down" between the Fourth of July and Labor Day holiday weekends, which is why they wanted to see what would happen if they lifted the program during that time.
Aches began testing its timed-entry program in 2022 in response to crowding issues at the park. The traditional first-come, first-served entry system led to parking challenges, especially when a record 1.8 million people visited in 2021. It reached a point where rangers had to close the park's entry gates many times because its parking lots were full.
It's been used every summer since. The midsummer break to be tested this year could be adopted as a long-term solution. Officials said last year that they're close to reaching a final entry solution that could be rolled out as early as 2026.
"We've opted to continue the interim action (in 2025) while we further examine long-term solutions so that people can start making their 2025 travel plans knowing what to expect," said Lena Pace, the park's superintendent, back in November 2024.
She added that the park has received "positive comments" about the program, even though park visitation hasn't been the same since it debuted. Nearly 600,000 people visited the national park through the first five months of this year, which puts park visitation slightly ahead of last year's total of about 1.47 million.
