Your Arches National Park CME conference.

Arches after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM Arches time. For an easy afternoon, choose one outing: the park’s scenic road, a short trail, or a walk in Moab. The National Park Service says most visits involve driving the 18-mile scenic road, and that trails range from 15 minutes to 4–5 hours. The park has over 2,000 natural stone arches. Check current entry requirements before you go; the park says advance timed-entry reservations are not required in 2026 but vehicles may be diverted from entrances when areas get congested.

Travel, accommodation and park entry are arranged separately. Your conference is built around your specialty and interests; the desert is the setting you choose for it.

Short trails, long shadows

The Park Service says many of Arches’ trails are easy to moderate and lead to viewpoints and arches not visible from the road. Many trails cross broad rock surfaces and use cairns, stacks of rocks, as markers, so pay attention to the route. Climbing, scrambling or walking on any arch is prohibited. The park’s planning page says trails range from a few hundred yards to more than 7 miles, so match the trail to the hours left after study and the heat of the day.

Driving distances inside the park add up. From the entrance station and visitor center, the park lists Balanced Rock at 9.2 miles, the Windows Section at 12 miles, the Delicate Arch trailhead at 13.2 miles, and Devils Garden at 18 miles, with drive times of roughly 15–20 minutes to Balanced Rock and 40–45 minutes to Devils Garden. Choose one section for a post-study afternoon rather than the whole road. The things-to-do page also mentions the view down Park Avenue, and the planning page notes that water is available at the visitor center and at Devils Garden, where the campground requires reservations.

Fiery Furnace hikes, self-guided or ranger-led, require reservations. Check the park’s reservation page for current rules before planning one.

Stars after a desert day

The Park Service says Arches offers some excellent night sky viewing and that the naked eye is sufficient to witness a wealth of stars. Discover Moab lists stargazing among summer activities, along with early mornings and fewer crowds. Check the weather and bring a layer; in spring and fall the park lists nighttime lows of about 30–50°F, and in summer it lists late-summer monsoon storms as a flash flood risk.

The Park Service’s things-to-do page invites visitors to enjoy the park after dark. Check the park’s current operating information, and allow for the 18-mile drive to Devils Garden if you head that far, which the park puts at 40–45 minutes from the entrance station.

Moab, the river and the other parks

Discover Moab describes Moab as a small town on the banks of the Colorado River with red-rock scenery and two national parks. It recommends starting at the Moab Information Center on Main Street, where you can buy a pass and get trail advice. The board lists Dead Horse Point State Park as one of the main destinations in the area, alongside Sand Flats Recreation Area, Corona Arch and the La Sal Mountains, and links the river to whitewater and calmwater rafting.

Canyonlands National Park is nearby, but the Park Service says its four districts are divided by the Green and Colorado rivers, with no roads directly linking them and two to six hours by car between them. Pick one district rather than planning several in a day.

When to visit Arches

The Park Service describes spring (April–May) and fall (mid-September–October) as comfortable, with highs of about 60–80°F. Summer temperatures often exceed 100°F, and late-summer monsoon storms can cause flash floods that shut roads. Winter highs are about 30–50°F, and even light snow or ice can make trails and roads impassable. The park advises avoiding strenuous activity above 90°F and drinking at least one gallon of water per day, noting that shade is rare.

Discover Moab’s Arches page also gives a season-by-season view. It says winter (December–February) brings solitude and a chance to see snow on red rocks, spring (March–May) brings wildflowers and increasing visitation, summer (June–September) brings fewer crowds, desert heat, early mornings and stargazing, and fall (October–November) is a popular time to visit, so expect more company in the milder seasons.

Getting to Arches and your study setting

Canyonlands Field (CNY) is 11 miles from the park entrance, and Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT) is 109 miles away, according to the Park Service. The park entrance is 5 miles north of Moab on US 191, and Discover Moab gives the drive as about 12 minutes. Grand Junction is the farther of the two airports the Park Service lists, so build that distance into arrival and departure days, and confirm ground transport from either airport before you book. Choose your accommodation and ground transport with both your study setting and your plans outside study hours in mind.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.