"Timed entry takes the guesswork out of whether you’ll be able to visit and helps Arches use its limited staff and resources for more national park protection and less traffic management work" -- NPCA's Cassidy Jones
MOAB, UTAH – Arches National Park released a draft Visitor Access and Experience Plan today, in a move that park advocates see as a strong step towards making its popular seasonal timed-entry system permanent. Arches began to pilot its current system in the summer of 2022, following a visitation increase of 74% between 2011 and 2021. Prior to the timed-entry system, the surge in visitors led to overflowing parking lots and dangerous traffic back-ups outside the park, compelling staff to close the park entrance 118 times during the summer of 2021.
“Among the biggest benefits of the timed-entry system at Arches are the predictability, efficiency and safety it provides to both visitors and park staff. Timed entry takes the guesswork out of whether you’ll be able to visit, and it helps Arches use its limited staff and resources for more national park protection and less traffic management,” said Cassidy Jones, Senior Visitation Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). “As a lifelong Utahn and former National Park Service ranger and on behalf of NPCA, I strongly support making the Arches timed-entry system permanent.”
Throughout the pilot program and in years leading up to it, park managers conducted extensive studies and outreach to gateway community members and park advocates. Ashley Korenblat, who co-owns Western Spirit Cycling in Moab, also endorses the plan. “Arches is a Utah jewel, and critical to the state’s brand,” said Korenblat. “The ever-improving reservation system ensures that visitors and locals alike have a quality national park experience. Before it, we were in real danger of losing a key economic driver for both Grand County and the state. Now we have a program that will work long into the future and continue to bring revenue to Utah and awe to our visitors.”
Research conducted by Utah State University (USU) during the first year of the timed-entry system at Arches found that 84% of respondents would like to have a reservation system in place for future visits. Iree Wheeler, the study lead researcher, notes, “I spent more than 30 days in the park and surveyed nearly a thousand visitors when Arches first launched its pilot program in the summer and fall of 2022. I learned a majority of visitors had a positive experience with timed-entry, and repeat visitors felt that it helped decrease traffic congestion and crowding within the park. While the system will be regularly fine-tuned, timed-entry allows Arches staff to maintain a positive experience for visitors.”
Similar studies conducted by USU when Glacier and Rocky Mountain National Parks launched pilot managed access programs in 2021 also showed strong visitor support. Rocky Mountain made its pilot managed access program permanent earlier this year, following a similar process that Arches is undertaking through this public plan.
The plan will be open for public comment through November 23, 2024, with additional opportunities led by the Park Service for in-person and online discussion.
# # #
About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.
