Utah's Arches to require timed tickets as visitation swells
A Utah national park famed for its otherworldly sandstone arches will require visitors to get timed entry tickets during its high season next year, the second Utah park to implement a such a system as visitation swells
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Utah national park famed for its otherworldly sandstone arches will require visitors to get timed entry tickets during its high season next year, the second Utah park to implement such a system as visitation swells.
Arches National Park officials said Friday they're not trying to decrease the number of visitors overall, but rather spread them out over the course of the day. The announcement came a week after nearby Zion National Park said it would require reservations to hike the famed cliffside Angels Landing trail.
At Arches, visitation skyrocketed 66% over the last decade, and is on track to break another record this year with nearly 1.7 million visitors as of the end of October, said park spokesperson Kait Thomas At times, Arches has gotten so crowded officials have had to close the gates for hours at a time to delay entry.
Tickets will be available for a total of 2,700 vehicles per day, about the average number on a busy day in 2019, she said.
“We’re not trying to limit visitation, we’re just trying to be distributed,” Thomas said.
The system will only be in place between April and October next year, and tickets are only required from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. People can enter without a ticket outside those hours and months.
Reservations can be booked on a first-come, first-served basis on the website recreation.gov starting Jan. 3. Each ticket costs $2 and will allow people to enter within a one-hour window. The program is considered a temporary pilot and may change as needed after the rollout.
Arches is located in southern Utah and known for its sandstone arches, the most famous of which is Delicate Arch, a soaring formation that’s featured on many Utah signs and license plates.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.