Arches & Canyonlands National Parks — Interstate Access, 2026 Fees & Truck Notes

01 Park overview

Arches and Canyonlands are two adjacent parks anchored by the gateway town of Moab, together they protect 415 square miles of the most concentrated red-rock erosional landscape on earth. Arches holds over 2,000 cataloged natural arches, including Delicate Arch, Landscape Arch, and the Windows section. Canyonlands sits across US-191 to the west and is much larger but far less developed: the Island in the Sky district is the only paved-road section, perched on a 1,000-ft mesa overlooking the confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers. Both are reached the same way, I-70 Exit 182 in Crescent Junction, south on US-191. Arches now uses a timed-entry permit system April through October, and the Fiery Furnace area in Arches requires a separate ranger-led permit.

Arches contains over 2,000 cataloged natural sandstone arches in 76,000 acres
Canyonlands' Island in the Sky overlook (Grand View Point) sits 1,000 ft above the river confluence
Annual park pass for $55 covers Arches, Canyonlands, Hovenweep, and Natural Bridges
Designated International Dark Sky Parks (both)
Combined ~3.5 million visitors per year (Arches: ~1.7M, Canyonlands: ~800K)

02 Photos

Sunrise lights up the underside of Mesa Arch on the Island in the Sky mesa, framing the canyon country of Canyonlands National Park in Utah. Thomas Wolf (www.foto-tw.de) / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

03 Don't miss

Delicate Arch (Arches)
The Windows and Double Arch (Arches)
Mesa Arch sunrise (Canyonlands)
Grand View Point Overlook (Canyonlands)
Fiery Furnace ranger-led tour (Arches, permit)

04 Getting there & truck/RV access

Route from interstate

From I-70

Exit 182 (Crescent Junction) onto US-191 south

27 mi south on US-191 to the Arches entrance; Canyonlands' Island in the Sky is another 22 mi west on UT-313

Big rigs & RVs

Truck access

US-191 from I-70 to Moab is paved and unrestricted. Both parks have paved scenic drives, Arches' main drive is 18 miles, Canyonlands' Island in the Sky drive is 34 miles round-trip. Both accommodate vehicles up to standard RV size.

Parking: Arches restricts most viewpoint parking to vehicles under 30 ft; Delicate Arch trailhead has a small lot. Canyonlands has more generous lots at every named overlook. Truck-friendly fuel and parking is at Crescent Junction (TA on I-70) and Moab (multiple Pilot/Phillips 66).

Restrictions: Arches' Wolfe Ranch (Delicate Arch trailhead) has restricted parking for vehicles over 22 ft. The Cave Spring access road in Canyonlands' Needles district requires high clearance.

05 Seasonality & road closures

Best months: April to May and September to October, comfortable daytime temperatures, low flash-flood risk on the canyon trails.

Closures: No seasonal road closures on the main paved scenic drives in either park. Some unpaved Canyonlands routes (White Rim, Salt Creek) close after rain.

Notes: Summer highs routinely exceed 100°F; carry water. Flash floods in slot-canyon hikes can develop with no rain visible from the rim, check daily forecasts.

06 Entrance fees (2026)

Pass	Price
Private vehicle (7-day)	$30 (each park; or $55 annual covers both + monuments)
Motorcycle (7-day)	$25
Individual / walk-in (7-day, age 16+)	$15
Park-specific annual pass	$55 (Southeast Utah Parks Pass, covers Arches, Canyonlands, Hovenweep, Natural Bridges)
America the Beautiful (annual, all NPS sites)	$80 U.S. residents · $250 non-residents

2026 nonresident fee — does not apply here

The $100 NPS nonresident surcharge applies at 11 specifically named parks. Arches & Canyonlands National Parks is not on that list, so non-U.S. residents pay the same standard entrance fees as U.S. residents.

Fee-free days available for U.S. residents only beginning January 1, 2026.

Note: Arches uses a timed-entry permit ($2 reservation fee) typically April through October, separate from the entrance fee.

Official NPS fee page →

07 Current alerts (2)

Active National Weather Service alerts and FEMA disaster declarations affecting Arches & Canyonlands National Parks's state(s). Updated every 15 minutes.

EXTREME HEAT WARNING

Extreme Heat Warning issued July 11 at 5:14AM MDT until July 14 at 6:00AM MDT by NWS Salt Lake City UT

Great Salt Lake Desert and Mountains; Tooele and Rush Valleys; Eastern Box Elder County; Northern Wasatch Front; Salt Lake Valley; Utah Valley; Cache Valley/Utah Portion; Wasatch Back; Western Uinta B

EXTREME HEAT WARNING

Extreme Heat Warning issued July 11 at 5:14AM MDT until July 13 at 6:00AM MDT by NWS Salt Lake City UT

Western Millard and Juab Counties; Southwest Utah; South Central Utah; Capitol Reef National Park and Vicinity; Western Canyonlands; Glen Canyon Recreation Area/Lake Powell

08 FAQ

How do I get to Arches and Canyonlands from I-70?

Take I-70 Exit 182 in Crescent Junction onto US-191 south. Arches is 27 miles south, just past Moab. Canyonlands' Island in the Sky district branches off west onto UT-313 about halfway down (49 miles total from I-70).

Do I need a timed-entry permit for Arches?

In every year since 2022 a timed-entry permit ($2 plus the standard entry fee) has been required for Arches roughly April through October. Reservations open at recreation.gov 3 months in advance. Canyonlands does not currently use timed entry.

Does the $100 nonresident fee apply at Arches or Canyonlands?

No. Neither park is on the 2026 NPS nonresident-surcharge list. Standard $30 vehicle entry applies to all visitors.

Is the $55 Southeast Utah pass worth it?

If you plan to visit both Arches ($30) and Canyonlands ($30) it pays for itself immediately. It also covers Hovenweep and Natural Bridges National Monuments and is valid for 12 months.

From I-70

Truck access

2026 nonresident fee — does not apply here

Extreme Heat Warning issued July 11 at 5:14AM MDT until July 14 at 6:00AM MDT by NWS Salt Lake City UT

Extreme Heat Warning issued July 11 at 5:14AM MDT until July 13 at 6:00AM MDT by NWS Salt Lake City UT

Arches & Canyonlands National Parks on the live map