Windows Section of Arches National Park

Turret Arch seen through the north window at sunrise

The Windows, Turret Arch, and Double Arch are the star attractions you won’t want to miss when visiting this section of Arches National Park, however, there is more to see which I will reveal.

The Windows section of the park is very scenic and loaded with arches, fins, and interesting tower formations and gets lit up and glows at both sunrise and sunset.

The trails are short and easy and the trail to Double Arch is wheelchair accessible, along with the first 100 yards of the Windows Trail.

For those who want to see more, you can also explore a little further to see The Parade of Elephants, Cove Arch, Ribbon Arch, Elephant Butte, and the Cove of Caves which are within half a mile of each other.

Parking
The Windows Section is accessed by a north and a south paved parking lot that is connected by a short path between them. You can park in either one and just walk between them to see all the sites, or park in the one closest to the sites you want to see.

South Parking Lot
Is the closest access to Windows and Turret Arch

North Parking Lot
Is the closest access to Double Arch, The Parade of Elephants, Turret Arch, Cove Arch, Ribbon Arch, Elephant Butte, and the Cove of Caves

Getting there

Drive 9.2 miles into Arches National Park, take the first right after Balanced Rock into the Windows section of the park. You will follow this road 2.7 miles to its end at a circle for the Windows Section Trails. The road dead-ends here and forms a loop, there is a parking lot on the north side of the loop (Double Arch) and one on the south side (Windows). There is a trail connecting the two parking areas

Notes

No dogs, national park
The windows area is popular and can get crowded, visit early or late to avoid the crowds

Photo Notes

Early morning or later afternoon brings out the color of the rocks and defines their texture best.
A sunrise photograph of Turret Arched framed in the north window of Windows Arch is on many people’s bucket list. How to photograph Turret Arch through the North Window Arch.

The Windows & Turret Arch

The Windows look like a pair of eyeglasses and have a north and south arch (the north and south window). The trail is a loop that takes you to both arches of the Windows formation and Turret Arch which stands by itself just to the east.

The north and south windows in arches national park

The Windows

The trails circle between the arches with three spurs to the base of each arch and give you unique views from inside, in front of and behind the formations.

Route
1.3 miles total loop, 150 feet of elevation gain

From the parking lot head south, turn left at the first junction, and climb the steps to the base of North Window Arch, keep walking and you are inside the arch, with views of the landscape to the east and south.

The landscape on the other side of the North Window at sunrise

Leaving North Window Arch, head toward Turret Arch on the other side of the loop trail. You can climb up into the arch of Turret Arch and look back for a view of the Windows framed by Turret Arch.

Turret Arch

Windows section of arches national park 5

Now head back the way you came heading east to South Window Arch. The south arch is higher up so the view is from the trail below.

Continue the loop now behind the windows, with views of the backside of them, as you continue north on the trail and it will loop back around to the south parking lot.

Visiting Double Arch and the other sites

Double Arch

Visiting Double Arch can be a quick and easy out-and-back walk on a sandy trail to this stunning twin arch formation, or you can add some other close-by sites to the walk if you want to see more.

The trail takes you right to the base of the arches, or you can climb up under them for a better look. The smaller arch is 67 feet wide and 86 feet tall. The larger arch is 112-foot tall, with a 144-foot wide span, and is the tallest in the park.

Geologists believe these arches started off as just a pothole on the surface above that enlarged over time and formed an alcove that eventually eroded with water and wind into these two spectacular arches.

If they look familiar it might be because they were used as a backdrop for the opening scene of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Double arch went by a few other names over the years, like Double Windows, Jug Handles, and Twinbow Bridge.

Route
0.5 miles total out and back, 80 feet of elevation gain plus a little more if you go back to Cove of Arches

From the north parking lot, you should see the trail with lots of interesting rock formations spread out in a sweeping panorama in front of you.

Parade of elephants

On your left is the large formation called Parade of Elephants envision a line of elephants holding each other’s tails.

As you get about halfway to Double Arch keep an eye out for the small unnamed arch sitting in a picturesque scene to your right.

As you approach Double Arch, look around at all the piles of rock and alcoves that are forming in this area, these are all arches in the making.

Once you’ve climbed around Double Arch and are ready for more, look for footprints in the sand heading up hill to the left of trail just before you get to the base of the arch.

If you climb up this small sandy hill and go to the saddle to the left of Double Arch you will stand in an area where you can look behind Double Arch. This is the Cove of Caves and Cove Arch.

Windows section of arches national park 9

Behind the arches is Elephant butte, at 5653 it’s the highest point in the park and is a popular rock climbing area. Look to your northeast, there are intersting rock formations to see in the distance before heading back.

Explore Nearby...

Hikes...

Moki Mesa

Hike to a hidden shelf above the Colorado river you get to using an old cattle trail blasted out of the canyon cliff face

Seven Mile Canyon (South Fork)

This is a rewarding hike due to the large amount of famous and interesting petroglyph and pictograph panels in the area.

Moab Maiden – Hike

The Moab Maiden is a single petroglyph pecked into a large single boulder on a ridge above Kane Springs Creek. There are other petroglyphs at the cliff face at the overlook, as well as the ruin of a granary and pithouse.

Courthouse Wash (Lower Canyon) – Hike

An easy hike that takes you from the bridge in Moab into Arches National Park through a low canyon with water

Mill Creek North Fork – Hike

A local swimming hole, with a waterfall, two arches, and an amazing amount of rock art

Seven Mile Canyon ( Lower ) – Hike

Explore a canyon that was part of the Spring/Fall Anasazi migration route, originating in the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park to the La Sal Mountains. There are Barrier style rock art panels in the canyon.

Hidden Valley – Hike

Discover a hidden Valley “Behind the Rocks” in Moab, and hike a two-thousand-year-old path used by Native Americans, see many petroglyphs and two ruins

The Owl Panel – Hike

This short hike takes you to discover the Owl Panel which also has the big man, lots of sheep, and other petroglyphs.

Arches National Park...

U-Turn Canyon

Scramble up to a secret canyon in Arches National Park above Park Avenue

Sand Dune Arch

Sand Dune Arch is a family favorite, perfect for kids, it is a quick and easy stroll on a sandy easy-to-follow trail

Skyline Arch

Skyline Arch sits against the skyline at the top of a large red rock fin. A short and easy walk.

Tapestry Arch & Broken Arch

Hike to both Tapestry Arch and Broken Arch on a short out-and-back trail that leaves from the Devil’s Garden Camp Grounds

Guide for the Devil’s Garden

A special place walking through rock fins, towers and arches, see the famous Landscape Arch or hike the challenging Primitive Loop to see more remote sections of the Devil’s Garden

Windows section of arches national park 11

How to photograph Turret Arch through the North Window at sunrise

This guide will give you everything you need to know about how to photograph Turret Arch through the North Window arch in Arches National Park in Utah.

Tower Arch Hike

Rarely visited due to its location in the western part of Arches National Park, a great place to go if you want a quieter experience off the beaten path away from the crowds

Willow Springs Road

Willow Springs Road is a backdoor road into Arches National Park that avoids the toll gate, and reservation system

Park Avenue – hike

This is a fun and easy hike and is a great introduction to hiking in Arches National Park for beginners, the trail gets you quickly immersed among the high red rock features of what Utah and the park is all about.

Windows Section of Arches National Park

The Windows and Double Arch are the main attraction, but you can see The Parade of Elephants, Turret Arch, Cove Arch, Ribbon Arch, Elephant Butte, and the Cove of Caves also.

Canyonlands National Park - Island In The Sky District...

Canyonlands National Park – Island in the Sky District

The Island in the Sky district is one of the easiest and most popular districts of the park, the main attraction are the viewpoints and hiking the trails.

False Kiva – Hike

The site sits in an alcove and a stone circle. There are some handprints on the back of the wall of the alcove and some faint images that are hard to make out today.

Photography Tips for Mesa Arch

Every sunrise, Mesa Arch is descended upon by masses of photographers trying to capture their own early morning sunrise framed through the arch.

Canyonlands National Park - Needles District...

Guide for hiking Davis Canyon

Davis Canyon contains arches, granaries, ruins of cliff dwellings, and rock art including the amazing five faces pictograph

Dinosaur Tracks...

Copper Ridge Dinosaur Trackway

A short hike to see where an Allosaurus and a Brontosaurus dinosaur walked and left their footprints over 160 million years ago

Klondike Bluffs Dinosaur Track – Hike

The tracks in this area are predominantly those of carnivorous dinosaurs called allosaurus, which were probably on the hunt for other animals that would come to what was once a large body of water.

Dinosaur Stomping Grounds – Hike

Enjoy a short hike to a “mega track site” that is covered with over 2000 dinosaur tracks left on a 160 million years old mud flat.

Scenic Drives...

Guide to the Potash Road Rock Art Sites

Just a few minutes from downtown Moab, on the Potash road running along the Colorado River is the opportunity to see a half dozen sites that hold hundreds of petroglyphs and even some dinosaur foot prints

La Sal Mountain Loop

The 60-mile route follows the Colorado River, and climbs into the La Sal Mountains via Castle Valley, it offers great views of the peaks and the red rock canyons far below.

Onion Creek & Narrows Hike & Scenic Drive

A scenic drive into beautiful Onion Creek Canyon just south of the Fisher Towers with many stream crossings and a fun optional hike in a narrow canyon

Highway 128 Rock Art

An easy quick stop along scenic byway 128 if coming or going from Cisco to Moab. A large boulder with about 50 petroglyphs sits above the highway.

Potash Road / Shafer Trail

The scenic drive – Utah Scenic Byway 279, takes the back roads and runs from Moab to Canyon Lands National Park along the Colorado River

Anticline Overlook

Rarely visited by most travelers but is worth the effort. The view is overlooking Deadhorse state park and Canyonlands National Park Islands in the Sky district, to the north, looking over Hurrah Pass and the Kane Creek.