Every year, visitors complain about diesel engines running in parking lots. Your cooperation is needed to prevent a complete prohibition on idling engines, and to help make Arches a quieter, cleaner place. Bus drivers are prohibited from idling their engines in parking lots, with the following exceptions:
-
After long uphill grades, engines may be idled for up to 15 minutes in order to cool.
-
Engines may be left running to provide cooling or heating for disabled passengers who have difficulty in disembarking.
If you must idle your engine, please park away from other visitors and nearby viewpoints. If a small parking lot prevents this, drop off your passengers, leave the lot, and return at an appointed time to pick them up.
If you have comments about this policy, please write them down and give them to a ranger. They will be forwarded to the Park Superintendent and considered in future policy decisions.
PLACES TO GO
The following areas are recommended as viewpoints and parking areas for buses:
-
Park Avenue Viewpoint and Trailhead (shown in photo above)
-
Courthouse Towers
-
La Sal Mountains Viewpoint (also offers great views of Courthouse Towers)
-
Balanced Rock
-
Windows Trailhead
-
Double Arch Trailhead (there is often more parking here than at Windows)
-
Panorama Point
-
Wolfe Ranch & Delicate Arch Trailhead
-
Delicate Arch Viewpoint
-
Salt Valley Overlook
-
Devils Garden Picnic Areas and Trailhead
PLACES TO AVOID
Fiery Furnace Viewpoint
Many vehicles may be here for ranger-guided walks, leaving little space for larger vehicles.
Devils Garden Campground
Please drive through the campground only if your group is camping there; then, be aware of children playing, bicycles, and pedestrians.
The information contained here is to pass on to your passengers. Please read it carefully; their health, and the health of park resources, depends on it.
BIOLOGICAL SOIL CRUST
Much of this desert is covered by a living ground cover called biological soil crust. Composed primarily of algae, fungus, lichen, mosses and cyanobacteria, it holds desert soils together, retains moisture, slows erosion, and provides nutrients for plants and the animals that rely on them. Ask your guests to stay on trails to protect these crusts. At most locations, excellent photographs can be taken from the designated walkways. Please inform everyone of this critical issue.
WATER
The only two locations to get water in Arches National Park are at the visitor center and at Devils Garden. If your guests are planning to walk anywhere away from the bus, they should carry water with them. One quart (one liter) per person is recommended for a two-hour hike; more is needed for longer walks. Be certain that no one becomes dehydrated.
GARBAGE
Your guests may need a gentle reminder about this. They should put all garbage, including cigarette butts, in garbage cans.
HIKING
The only regulation on group size is for overnight hikers, but large groups should consider their impact on other visitors. Consider breaking a large group into smaller ones of no more than 10 people for hikes. Rangers can provide suggestions for easy drop-off and pick-up locations for larger groups.
Nobody plans on getting lost, but it does happen! All trails in Arches are marked with cairns (piles of rocks). Hikers should watch carefully to be certain that cairns are visible at all times. If they miss one, they should go back to the last one seen. If they become disoriented, they should seek a shady spot and wait for assistance. Wandering around only confuses searchers. The importance of carrying water is critical in this situation.
PARK RESOURCES
Everything in a national park is protected. Ask your guests to leave everything as they find it: rocks, plants, animals, archeological and historical artifacts. Help preserve Arches for future generations.
