Surveys show strong support for timed-entry reservations for Arches National Park/NPS file

A survey last summer of more than 500 visitors to Arches National Park found strong support for a reservations system to manage visitation at the highly popular park in southeastern Utah.

"Fifty-seven percent reported that timed-entry made their experience in Arches NP somewhat or much better overall," noted Utah State University researchers. "Additionally, 84 percent of respondents indicated that on future visits to [Arches] they would prefer for there to be a reservation of some kind in place."

The timed entry system was used on a pilot basis last year for the park to collect information on visitation trends. That trial led to a timed entry reservation system to be used this year from April 1 to October 31 to enter the park between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. 

According to the university surveys, an 89 percent majority of survey respondents successfully acquired a timed entry ticket for their visit. Of that number, 98 percent were able to enter on their selected day. 

"Overall, only 4 percent of respondents were not successful in acquiring a ticket," the researchers said. "When asked to elaborate regarding not receiving their desired time, many respondents commented that they did not get to enter as early in the day as they would have liked to."

“This study shows that many visitors to Arches National Park had a positive experience with the pilot timed entry system,” said Iree Wheeler, PhD student at Utah State University. “Congestion and crowding were alleviated, and a majority of visitors prefer a reservation system for future trips to Arches National Park. Like any new program there are areas for refinement over time, including increased information distribution to raise awareness for the requirements.”

Other highlights from the study include: 

• 78 percent of visitors were aware of the timed entry system before arriving in the area surrounding Arches. 
• Respondents reported that the timed entry system improved their Arches experience overall, either making their experience somewhat or much better (57 percent) or meeting their expectations (38 percent). 
• 88 percent of respondents indicated no impacts to their experience, if/when required to select an alternate day to visit the park.
• Respondents gave the timed entry system good reviews, rating most components of the system and their experience navigating it as good or excellent (mean of 4.16-4.47 on a 5-point Likert scale). 

Most timed entry tickets for Arches are secured three months in advance, while the park also opens a select number of tickets for purchase one day in advance. Before Arches National Park implemented its pilot timed entry system, overcrowding compelled park staff to temporarily close the entrance gates 140 times between April 1-October 31, 2021. 

“The USU data suggests not only are visitors determined to visit special, irreplaceable places like Arches National Park, but they will adopt and adapt to new ways of accessing it,” said Erika Pollard, Southwest associate director for the National Parks Conservation Association, which helped fund the surveys. “It’s also encouraging to see a 14 percent increase in support for managed access systems, in comparison to USU’s 2021 study at Glacier National Park. In Moab and beyond, support from local businesses, advocates, and tourism partners is essential for long-term success at Arches and other parks adopting new ways of visiting.”

The 2022 USU study followed research conducted at Glacier National Park in 2021, during the first year of ticketed entry there. Based on input from 519 visitors interviewed in the Glacier study, 70 percent supported the timed entry system for future visits, seeing it as an acceptable management alternative.