Arches National Park


 Tuesday June 18 2024

Arches National Park has instituted a timed entry for 2024. We had purchased our pass and arrived at just a few minutes before our scheduled time at 11 AM. When we turned into the park there were two lines of vehicles, at least 25 cars in each. When we got closer to the toll booth I could see that the attendant was scanning phones for the pass and then getting entry payment. I guess that means I wasn’t the only one with the 11 AM entry?

One of the many natural arches in the park



I had purchased an audio tour of the park to play via my phone. I purchased it thru Trip adviser, all they do is take your money. They did give me a confirmation number, but it was useless. I had to find the actual seller of the app tour on my own and when I did they wanted a password. None of the numbers from Trip adviser worked as a password. I said screw it; they’ll give us a map at the toll booth. 

Long range view



The moral of this story is if you purchase an audio tour, do not do it through a third party. Go directly to the app provider and make the deal there. PS: You do not need an audio tour for this park or for that matter, any of the other parks we have visited this trip!

We've seen enough red rocks for a while!



We have been in seven (If you could the Valley of the Gods as a park) National Parks on this trip. We have not even tried to grade them, as they are all very scenic and each has slightly different attributes. 
If we were to rank then parks on a list, Archer NP would be up there near the top of the list. Ironically, The Valley of the Gods would also be a contender for the top spot, and it is not even a National Park. The Valley of the Gods is just a 17 mile gravel road through BLM land.

Valley of the gods



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