Two Awesome Hikes (With Kids) In Arches National Park

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We thought we were going to Utah for the skiing. That was the original point of our 2018 spring break trip. 

But just for something fun and different, I also booked four days in Moab so we could take the kids to Arches National Park. After our trip to Iceland the summer before, our kids came home with a passion for hiking, and I remember Arches being a really kid-friendly place to hike (we had visited years ago for a friend’s wedding).

Psst. This post was originally written in 2018 & has just been updated for 2023!

Arches National Park: The 2 Best (Kid-Friendly) Hikes In Moab, Utah

As it turns out…Park City was amazing, but Moab made our trip. We did day hikes, night hikes, rappelled down 100-foot cliffs(!!!), and saw actual dinosaur tracks. It’s…a wildly good place to take the kids. I can’t recommend it enough. 

Here are our two favorite hikes in Arches National Park (and more about the rappelling, dinosaur tracks and our fave hikes outside of the park in a future post).

Before you head to Moab, go buy this book. We came across the Moab hiking edition of Kathy and Craig Copeland’s “Done in a Day” in a local Moab bookstore, and we’re SO glad we did. They’re opinionated and fun, and are a large reason we chose the hikes we did.

Arches National Park Hike #1: Devil’s Garden Loop

If you only have time for one hike in Utah, Devil's Garden Loop is an epic one.

If you only have time for one hike, Devil’s Garden Loop is an epic one. It was recommended to us by both locals and the book I referenced above. The trailhead is easy to find — there’s a giant parking lot and bathrooms, and the first part of the trail is, as the Copelands call it, a “pedestrian highway,” yet it remains one of the best hikes in the park (I promise!!).

The trailhead of Devil's Garden Loop is easy to find — there's a giant parking lot & bathrooms.

This well-traveled (almost sidewalk-like) path leads to Landscape Arch, the world’s longest natural arch. From there, the trail becomes more difficult and includes a bit of rock scrambling. Once you reach the main event, the Double-O Arch, you have a choice: come back the way you came via the pedestrian highway, or do the full loop, taking the Primitive Trail. There will be signs posted warning about the difficulty of the Primitive Trail…but once again, I agree with the Copelands:

“The name, ‘Primitive,’ and a sign warning of “difficult hiking” are intended to discourage neophytes. Experienced, intermediate hikers who are reasonably cautious and keep to the smaller yet distinct trail will face no obstacles of note (as long as the trail isn’t icy).

Done in a Day Moab: The 10 Premier Hikes!
The first part of the Devil's Garden Loop is a "pedestrian highway," yet it remains 1 of the best hikes in Arches National Park (I promise!!).

We took the Primitive Trail back. It was totally worth it. Here are a few highlights from the hike…..

We took the Primitive Trail back through the Devil's Garden Loop in Arches National Park. It was totally worth it
The Devil's Garden Loop in Arches National Park, Utah, leads to Landscape Arch, the world's longest natural arch.
Once you reach the main event, the Double-O Arch, you have a choice: come back the way you came via the pedestrian highway, or do the full loop, taking the Primitive Trail.
Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.
Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.
Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.
Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.

Raines managed to grow out of his hiking boots halfway through the hike. They had been FINE the day before, but suddenly, the poor kid could barely walk. And we were, um, roughly 4 miles into an almost 8 mile hike. (WTF? I mean, really.) But luckily there was a retired couple from Montana passing by, and the gentleman happened to be carrying a large pocket knife (of course he did) and he simply cut a hole in the front of Raines’ shoe.

Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.

Our hero. And his wife whipped out this insanely organized first-aid kit for Raines’ poor toe, and Mike and I looked at each other and did one of those telepathic things we do: Become Prepared Like Retired Montana Couple #goals.

Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.
Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.

A couple of miles into the Primitive Trail we…..got…lost. You’re supposed to follow these little stacks of rocks (cairns, they’re called), and we realized that we’d been hiking for a while without seeing any. We climbed up for a better vantage point and could see other people — obviously we’re saved, right? 

But upon further inspection, the 15 other people seemed to be wandering either with a hopeless air or very, very frantic one, which…ya know…neither is good. So, we backtracked back to the last known cairn and tried again.

Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.

Pax found it. With Raines hot on his heels. You had to go up and over a rock fin before the cairn was visible, but there it was. “MOM!!! I FOUND IT! CAIRN!! I FOUND IT!!!” his little voice rang and echoed off the rock. Suddenly, heads swiveled toward us. People started coming from all directions. “Don’t lose sight of those boys!” someone cried out.

Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.

Which is how Pax and Raines found themselves at the head of a parade. Good thing too. We still had 2 to 3 miles left to hike, and I know Pax was getting tired. But purpose is a funny thing, and with so many lives in his hands (haha), he took his job very seriously. They both did. 

We’re finding that the really strenuous hikes — the ones that involve lots of rock scrambling and careful balancing and something more than just walking uphill — our boys can do for hours. I never would’ve guessed that an 8-mile hike would’ve gone as well as it did.

Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.

My Wildly Opinionated Guide Of Which Devil’s Garden Arches Are Worth Hiking To

The Devil’s Garden hike takes you past 10 different arches, some of which will require hiking down offshoots (and then coming back to the main trail), which adds more miles to the hike. If you do all of the offshoots and the full loop via Primitive Trail, it’s roughly an 8-mile hike. But if you’re hiking with kids and want to choose carefully…here’s what I wish we’d done.

Offshoot 1 – Tunnel Arch and Pinetree Arch: Skip Tunnel Arch. It’s totally boring. But Pinetree Arch is super-fun and a great place for kids to explore around the arch.

Skip Tunnel Arch. It's totally boring. But Pinetree Arch is super-fun & a great place for kids to explore around the arch.
Pinetree Arch

Offshoot 2 – Navajo Arch and Partition Arch: So…we skipped these, but that was a total mistake. Not only are they gorgeous with some seriously amazing views, but they’d be a perfect place to stop for lunch. (We stopped at the Double-O Arch for lunch, but there wasn’t a great place to sit and eat.)

Offshoot 3 – Dark Angel: Most people said it’s underwhelming, and it adds the most miles, so we skipped it.

Offshoot 4 – Private Arch: It’s awesome. And a good place for an afternoon cookie break (especially if you stopped at Navajo or Partition Arch for lunch). However, if you skip Navajo & Partition arches, I’d suggest holding off on lunch until you get to Private Arch. It’s not all that far past Double-O.

Not only are Navajo Arch & Partition Arch gorg w/ some seriously amazing views, but they'd be a perfect place to stop for lunch.
Private Arch is a good place for an afternoon cookie break (especially if you stopped at Navajo or Partition Arch for lunch).

Arches National Park Hike #2: Delicate Arch

Gosh, I was so excited for this one. We did the Delicate Arch hike right before sunset, hoping to catch the arch in all of its blazing glory. Which…we did, technically. But instead of sitting there in the solitude, wondering at the marvels of the world…

I should also note that the hike up to Delicate Arch was surprisingly tough, & required walking along some cliffs that were VERY NERVE-WRACKING TO DO WITH CHILDREN IN THE DARK.

…yeah, OK. But it was still pretty cool. (Sunrise, I hear, is the time for solitude. Which I can appreciate — 5 a.m. is pre.tee. early for this girl to be on a trail.)

I should also note that the hike up to Delicate Arch was surprisingly tough, and required walking along some cliffs that were VERY NERVE-WRACKING TO DO WITH CHILDREN IN THE DARK. Headlamps were everything. But…despite all of that, we did get to watch the moon rise over the arch, and that was a pretty glorious sight. (I was also able to Photoshop a person or two out of our family arch shot, haha.)

In comparison to our Devil’s Garden experience, however, it didn’t even come close. Devil’s Garden was all our favorite hike by far.

In comparison to our Devil's Garden experience, however, the Delicate Arch hike didn't even come close.
Headlamps are essential if you're hiking Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah, to see the moonrise.
We did the Delicate Arch hike right before sunset, hoping to catch the arch in all of its blazing glory.
Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.
Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.
The mornings & nights in Arches National Park were cold, but when the sun came out, it was hot. I always brought 3 layers & swapped them in/out as needed.

Bonus: The Hiking Gear & Clothes We Took With Us To Moab, Utah

Because I always get a few questions, here’s what we wore while hiking in Arches National Park. The mornings and nights were cold, but when the sun came out (and the crazy wind died down)…it was hot. I always brought three different layers, and then swapped them in/out as needed.

The kids can’t wait to go back. I’m dying to try Fiery Furnace, but permits had to be obtained either in advance, or by showing up at certain times in person, and we just couldn’t get our act together enough. But after doing Devil’s Garden, I think the kids are ready for Fiery Furnace? 

Here’s to adventuring with kids! (Especially for you lucky Utah dwellers — what a seriously gorgeous state.)


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xo,

S

Oh, hey, Pinners…

Arches National Park in Moab, Utah, is a wildly good place to take the kids. Here are the 2 best hikes I can't recommend enough, ft. Delicate Arch & Devil's Garden.

9 COMMENTS

  1. Southern Utah is so magical. Bryce Canyon is heart-stoppingly beautiful. And when the boys are a little older, I bet they’d love some of the slot canyons in Zion NP – the Narrows is the best known one.

  2. I LOVE Moab. I agree about the hike to Delicate Arch — it is really hairy in some parts, though I’ve only done it in moonlight so there’s that. If you do it at night (we followed a very experienced local), you don’t get those crowds for sure. 🙂 Thanks for the post — must get my kids out there when they’re older!

  3. I was thinking of planning a trip out to Moab for next years spring break, my little guy will be 6 but has A LOT of energy. Do you think he would be to young? Should I wait another year?

    • As a former Utahn who’s spent a lot of time in Moab, I’d say go for it. Arches is super accessible, and you can limit the hiking while still seeing a lot of the really cool parts of the park. There’s also a ton to do in the area that’s not hiking and very kid friendly. The Colorado river runs right through town but it’s a fairly mellow section, so rafting is always an option. Just wear TONS of sunscreen. I burnt myself to a crisp one day on the river.

  4. Lovely meeting you on the trail Shana, your family made our experience more memorable. It’s fun to remember my little one sketching next to her new found friends and seeing her little back on your blog :). Shoot some of those pics my way ;).

  5. In 2021 we did a COVID redemption trip, Salt Lake City, down and across Utah to Joshua Tree and ultimately San Diego. Our favorite through 2 weeks of gorgeous hikes and drives by far was Bryce, followed by Arches and then Zion. Zion was just so busy even when starting early like we did. I cant wait to get back out there at some point. Like you said Bryce is just magical.

  6. What fun! In the summer of 2007, we took our 7, 8, and 9 year old kids on a 3 week adventure from our home in N.C. to tour the NPS. They STILL (now as 20-somethings) talk about the amazing hikes we took in Arches, Bryce, and Zion. I highly recommend then all- especially if you have kids!

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