Best time to visit Arches National Park
The short answer
Best months to visit Arches National Park: April–May and September–October. Daily highs run about 65–85°F, with about 85% of May's visitors.
Hardest months: December–February and July, mostly because of cold weather.
How we picked these months: each month is scored on daily highs (65–82°F is ideal), rain, snow and seasonal closures, then reduced by up to 30% for crowds, measured against the park's busiest month. We list the months within 15% of the top score (at most 5).
Weather and crowds by month
Arches National Park month by month
Park-wide averages across 6 locations. Crowds compare each month with the park's busiest month: Quiet is under 35% of it, Moderate under 60%, Busy under 85%, Peak above that.
| Month | Rating | High / low | Rain | Snow | Crowds | Closures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Poor | 39° / 21°F | 0.3 in | 3.6 in | Quiet | – |
| February | Poor | 46° / 26°F | 0.3 in | 2.9 in | Quiet | – |
| March | Fair | 57° / 34°F | 0.8 in | 1.8 in | Busy | – |
| April | Best | 66° / 42°F | 0.5 in | – | Busy | – |
| May | Best | 76° / 52°F | 0.5 in | – | Peak | – |
| June | Fair | 90° / 64°F | 0.2 in | – | Peak | – |
| July | Poor | 95° / 71°F | 0.2 in | – | Peak | – |
| August | Poor | 91° / 67°F | 0.5 in | – | Busy | – |
| September | Best | 83° / 58°F | 0.6 in | – | Peak | – |
| October | Best | 66° / 43°F | 0.9 in | 0.6 in | Busy | – |
| November | Fair | 52° / 31°F | 0.5 in | 1.1 in | Moderate | – |
| December | Poor | 39° / 23°F | 0.4 in | 4.0 in | Quiet | – |
Weather by location
Parks with a big range of elevation can differ a lot from one area to another. Open a location to see its own numbers.
Park-wide (center of the park)
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F | 20°F | 0.3 in | 3.5 in |
| February | 45°F | 24°F | 0.3 in | 2.5 in |
| March | 57°F | 33°F | 0.8 in | 1.5 in |
| April | 66°F | 40°F | 0.5 in | – |
| May | 76°F | 50°F | 0.5 in | – |
| June | 89°F | 62°F | 0.3 in | – |
| July | 94°F | 70°F | 0.3 in | – |
| August | 91°F | 66°F | 0.5 in | – |
| September | 83°F | 57°F | 0.6 in | – |
| October | 65°F | 41°F | 0.9 in | – |
| November | 51°F | 30°F | 0.5 in | 1.1 in |
| December | 39°F | 21°F | 0.4 in | 3.6 in |
Delicate Arch & Wolfe Ranch
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F | 23°F | 0.3 in | 3.6 in |
| February | 48°F | 28°F | 0.3 in | 2.8 in |
| March | 59°F | 37°F | 0.9 in | 1.7 in |
| April | 69°F | 44°F | 0.5 in | – |
| May | 79°F | 54°F | 0.5 in | – |
| June | 92°F | 66°F | 0.2 in | – |
| July | 97°F | 73°F | 0.2 in | – |
| August | 94°F | 69°F | 0.5 in | – |
| September | 86°F | 61°F | 0.7 in | – |
| October | 68°F | 46°F | 1.0 in | 0.8 in |
| November | 54°F | 34°F | 0.5 in | 1.1 in |
| December | 41°F | 25°F | 0.4 in | 4.2 in |
The Windows Section
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 23°F | 0.3 in | 3.8 in |
| February | 44°F | 27°F | 0.3 in | 3.3 in |
| March | 55°F | 35°F | 0.8 in | 2.2 in |
| April | 65°F | 42°F | 0.5 in | 0.5 in |
| May | 75°F | 52°F | 0.5 in | – |
| June | 88°F | 64°F | 0.2 in | – |
| July | 93°F | 71°F | 0.3 in | – |
| August | 90°F | 68°F | 0.4 in | – |
| September | 82°F | 60°F | 0.6 in | – |
| October | 65°F | 45°F | 0.8 in | 0.9 in |
| November | 51°F | 34°F | 0.5 in | 1.5 in |
| December | 38°F | 25°F | 0.5 in | 4.2 in |
Fiery Furnace
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39°F | 21°F | 0.3 in | 3.7 in |
| February | 46°F | 25°F | 0.3 in | 3.0 in |
| March | 57°F | 34°F | 0.8 in | 2.0 in |
| April | 66°F | 41°F | 0.5 in | – |
| May | 76°F | 52°F | 0.5 in | – |
| June | 90°F | 63°F | 0.2 in | – |
| July | 95°F | 71°F | 0.2 in | – |
| August | 92°F | 67°F | 0.5 in | – |
| September | 84°F | 58°F | 0.6 in | – |
| October | 66°F | 42°F | 1.0 in | 0.5 in |
| November | 52°F | 30°F | 0.5 in | 1.1 in |
| December | 40°F | 22°F | 0.4 in | 4.1 in |
Park Avenue
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F | 21°F | 0.3 in | 3.3 in |
| February | 47°F | 26°F | 0.3 in | 2.6 in |
| March | 59°F | 35°F | 0.9 in | 1.4 in |
| April | 68°F | 42°F | 0.5 in | – |
| May | 78°F | 52°F | 0.5 in | – |
| June | 91°F | 64°F | 0.2 in | – |
| July | 96°F | 71°F | 0.2 in | – |
| August | 93°F | 67°F | 0.5 in | – |
| September | 85°F | 58°F | 0.6 in | – |
| October | 67°F | 43°F | 1.0 in | 0.5 in |
| November | 53°F | 31°F | 0.6 in | 0.8 in |
| December | 40°F | 23°F | 0.4 in | 3.7 in |
Devils Garden
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F | 20°F | 0.3 in | 3.6 in |
| February | 44°F | 24°F | 0.4 in | 3.0 in |
| March | 55°F | 32°F | 0.8 in | 2.1 in |
| April | 65°F | 39°F | 0.5 in | – |
| May | 75°F | 50°F | 0.5 in | – |
| June | 88°F | 62°F | 0.2 in | – |
| July | 93°F | 69°F | 0.2 in | – |
| August | 90°F | 65°F | 0.5 in | – |
| September | 82°F | 56°F | 0.6 in | – |
| October | 64°F | 40°F | 0.9 in | 0.5 in |
| November | 50°F | 29°F | 0.5 in | 1.2 in |
| December | 38°F | 21°F | 0.4 in | 4.4 in |
Arches National Park by season
Spring (March–May)
Spring (March–May) is a good time to visit Arches National Park. Daily highs average 57–76°F and lows 34–52°F. Expect about 0.6 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 73–100% of the busiest month, which is peak by this park's standards.
Summer (June–August)
Summer (June–August) is a difficult time to visit Arches National Park. Daily highs average 90–95°F and lows 64–71°F. Expect about 0.3 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 77–99% of the busiest month, which is peak by this park's standards.
Fall (September–November)
Fall (September–November) is a good time to visit Arches National Park. Daily highs average 52–83°F and lows 31–58°F. Expect about 0.7 in of rain a month and little or no snow. Visitor numbers run 44–86% of the busiest month, which is busy by this park's standards.
Winter (December–February)
Winter (December–February) is a difficult time to visit Arches National Park. Daily highs average 39–46°F and lows 21–26°F. Expect about 0.4 in of rain a month and 3.5 in of snow, with up to 1 in on the ground. Visitor numbers run 19–25% of the busiest month, which is quiet by this park's standards.
For what to do in each season, see our guides to trip planning, fees and hours, trails, camping and things to do, where the planning page also has our written advice on when to go. In-depth topic guides cover individual places and hikes.
What the National Park Service says about the weather
Arches is part of the Colorado Plateau, a "high desert" region that experiences wide temperature fluctuations, sometimes over 40 degrees in a single day. The temperate (and most popular) seasons are spring (April-May) and fall (mid-September-October), when daytime highs average 60 to 80 F and lows average 30 to 50 F. Summer temperatures often exceed 100 F, making strenuous exercise difficult. Winters are cold, with highs averaging 30 to 50 F, and lows averaging 0 to 20 F.
Weather: modeled monthly averages for 2014-2023 (Open-Meteo Archive API), averaged over 6 locations. Modeled grid cells can read cooler than weather stations in deep canyons and deserts, and warmer or colder at high elevation. Visits: monthly recreation visits for 2021-2024, National Park Service.
