The Windows

This post is part of a series on Arches National Park. You can find the others by clicking on these links: 

• Park Avenue
• The Windows
• Delicate Arch
• Sand Dune Arch
• Skyline Arch
• Devils Garden

Logistics:

• Distance: About 1 mile (1.6 km) for loop, not including primitive trail
• Elevation: +164 ft (50 m)
• Difficulty: Easy
• Facilities: Pit toilets and picnic tables
• Dogs Allowed: No
• Parking: At trailhead

Getting there: First Head to Arches National Park

You will need to pay an entrance fee, which is good for 7 days, or have an America the Beautiful Pass. There are also certain Fee Free days and did you know that 4th graders can get a free annual pass?

Once you’re in the park, the Windows trailhead is 11.5 miles (18.5 km) past the Visitor Center.

After you continue past the Petrified Dunes, on your right, you’ll see Balanced Rock. Don’t worry, you’ll know which one it is. We have yet to actually stop here and do the short hike around it but it’s on our future hike list. Just past Balanced Rock, you can continue straight toward the back of the park, or turn right on a branch that leads toward The Windows Section. This area of the park includes sights such as the North and South Window, Turret Arch, and Double Arch, just to name a few.

Don’t forget to check out the Arches National Park Service website before you go for operating hours, alerts, information about road conditions, and other pertinent information. You don’t want to drive all the way to your destination only to find out that something is closed.

This easy hike is about a mile (1.6 km), The first 100 yards are flat and then the trail travels up a slight incline with stone steps to aid you. You can make a loop that includes the North Window, South Window, and Turret Arch. There’s also an option to add on to this distance by taking the primitive trail back to the parking lot from the South Window viewpoint. Here’s our hike on Gaia GPS, without adding in the primitive trail section:

If you are hiking clockwise, you’ll first reach the North Window. After leaving the flat path, here you can see the steps you’ll climb, with the window behind them:

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You can continue further through the arch and scramble around the rocks on the other side. From here you can glimpse a view of the primitive path option back to your car.

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The north side of the North Window is also a great place to get a “window to the windows” shot. Here are photos looking through the North Window toward the South:

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Continuing clockwise on the path, you will reach the South Window next. For some reason, I did not get a photo of this one. I guess that means we’ll have to go back!

Maybe I lost focus on the South Window because the kids started finding places to climb along the way.

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Please remember to hike only on washes or slickrock while in Arches. The desert floor in this area contains cryptobiotic crust that is extremely fragile. One step will kill it. It’s alive, protects the desert, and may take decades to recover, if ever, once destroyed by human footprints.

Next along the route is Turret Arch. I need to get more pictures of this one too. It’s really stunning.

After Turret Arch we has spent so much time scrambling around on the rocks and taking photos, we elected not to go back on the primitive trail. We headed back to the car for more adventures.

From the same parking lot as the Windows, you can reach Double Arch by following a 0.5 mile, relatively flat, gravel path. Double Arch is really two giant arches, which are joined at one end. You can see it from the car but it’s worth it to make the short trek to see it up close.

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While you are in Arches National Park, this is definitely a stop I would recommend. From one parking lot you can see many different gorgeous views. This might not be a hike for your endurance training, but it’s worth it!

Next up in our Arches National Park adventure is Delicate Arch.