Arches National Park to pilot ticketed timed entry system next year: what you need to know

After nearly two years of record visitation and regular gate closures, Arches National Park will be piloting a timed entry reservation system starting next spring, officials said Friday.

From April 3 to Oct. 3, visitors will have to reserve a $2 ticket on a first-come, first-serve basis beginning on Jan. 3, 2022.

"By implementing a temporary, timed-entry reservation system, our goal is to better spread visitation throughout the day to reduce traffic congestion and visitor crowding," Arches National Park Superintendent Patricia Trap said in a news release. "We believe this will create a higher-quality experience while maximizing access for our visitors."

In the past decade, Arches' visitation grew by 66%, from just under a million visitors to nearly 1.66 million annually. Arches is on track to break its annual visitation record with over 1.65 million visitors through October, official data says.

Because of this, the park has been forced to temporarily delay entry to the park most days this past season as well as in 2020, closing the gates for three hours a day or more.

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"This dramatic rise in visitation has increased entrance line wait times, parking lot congestion, and crowding on trails, which can negatively impact visitor experiences, visitor safety, and park resources," the website said.

The overtourism has not only hurt visitors' experience, but the park they're coming to as well. From record levels of graffiti to human waste to emissions and noise, officials are trying to protect the resource while still leaving public lands public, they said.

In September, the park held listening sessions on possible solutions to overtourism with a public comment period in tandem, and they found that a timed entry system "could help Arches proactively pace visitation into the park."

"Timed entry reservations may provide more reliable park access and improve visitor experiences — all while protecting Arches’ extraordinary landscape," the park's website said."

Vicki Varela, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism, said Superintendent Trapp has approached this "very thoughtfully" and responded to feedback from locals and visitors.

"This is a dynamic program that will be amended as there are problems, which there will be problems," Varela told The Spectrum. "But if she is willing and able to pivot quickly .. she may have a path to solving part of the problem."

It's only a part because, in order to really solve the overtourism problem, trails need to be built out, partnerships need to be developed between the park, locals, advocates and officials, and more, Varela said.

"We are all cautiously optimistic that this could be a good tool for visitors and the community," she said.

This comes a week after Zion National Park announced one of its most popular hikes — Angels Landing — will begin using a lottery ticketed reservation system next spring as well.

Related: Zion National Park's Angels Landing transitions to lottery

And Arches' pilot just might be the beginning of ticketed entry for Arches and possibly other Utah parks as well, mirroring other popular national parks like Yosemite and Glacier National Parks.

“Additionally, we will use data gathered from this pilot to adapt and improve this system throughout the season, as well as to inform our future responses going forward,” the press release said.

How to buy a ticket

Named "Arches National Park Timed Entry Ticket" on Recreation.gov, though tickets are not posted yet, and are non-transferable and not available for resale.

After paying a $2 reservation processing fee, visitors can then buy or bring the usual park pass or entrance fee with their ID, the park's website said. To get in, you will need all three things: the ticket, a pass or entrance fee and an ID.

Tickets cover the day in Arches, or 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and allow visitors to enter during their chosen one-hour period. If visitors are planning on spending more than one day in Arches, each day must have a separate ticket.

Tickets for the 2022 season are available for purchase on:

• Jan. 3 at 8 a.m. MST: April reservations (April 3–30)

• Feb. 1 at 8 a.m. MST: May reservations (May 1–31)

• March 1 at 8 a.m. MST: June reservations (June 1–30)

• April 1 at 8 a.m. MDT: July reservations (July 1–31)

• May 1 at 8 a.m. MDT: Aug. reservations (Aug. 1–31)

• June 1 at 8 a.m. MDT: Sept. reservations (Sept. 1–30)

• July 1 at 8 a.m. MDT: Oct. reservations (Oct. 1–3)

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Tickets do not guarantee a parking spot in any area of the park, even the popular sites of Delicate Arch and Devils Garden.

A "limited" number of tickets will be available the day before the ticket date at 6 p.m., but officials are expecting these to sell out quickly.

While officials were not specific in how many tickets will be available daily, they said "designed to provide the same level of visitor access and opportunities as a typically busy day in 2019, or around 2,700 vehicles per day," though this is subject to change as they learn more throughout the season.

There is no cancellation fee and visitors can leave the park and re-enter with their ticket.

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There are exceptions to the new ticketing system.

Visitors with camping, backcountry, Fiery Furnace, or special use permits, plus those with concessions contracts, commercial use authorizations and academic fee waivers do not need a ticket. Tribal members and people cycling or hiking into the park do not need a ticket either.

No tickets will be sold on-site and are only available online, on the Recreation.gov app or over the phone at (877) 444-6777.

More information can be found on the park's website.

K. Sophie Will is the National Parks Reporter for The Spectrum & Daily News through the Report for America initiative by The GroundTruth Project. Follow her on Twitter at @ksophiewill or email her at kswill@thespectrum.com. Donate to Report for America to support her work here.

This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Arches National Park piloting ticketed timed entry system next spring