We’ve written about this before, but one of many reasons we choose camping vs. hotels in national parks is the easy access to hiking trails. Getting an early morning start before the crowds at the gate and staying until sunset are some of the best parts of camping in the parks. This becomes especially important in parks with extra crowds like Arches. That’s why you don’t want to miss camping in the Devil’s Garden Campground.
What do you need to know about camping in the Devil’s Garden Campground?
Devil’s Garden is the only campground in Arches National Park. It’s a front-country, modern campground for RVs and tents right off the main park road. It’s where we’d recommend camping to beat the crowds, enjoy the Arches night skies, and be close to great hiking trails.
Quick Look
Where is the Devil's Garden Campground in Arches National Park?
Address:
Arches Entrance Road
Moab, UT 84532
GPS:
Latitude
38° 46′ 36.9998″ N
Longitude
109° 35′ 21.0001″ W
Devil’s Garden Campground is a front-country campground in Arches National Park. It’s the only campground in the park boundaries and has sites for both RV and tent camping. As mentioned above, Devil’s Garden Campground is popular because it’s the only campground in the park and one of the few campgrounds in the Moab area. Devil’s Garden is also well connected to the trail system. The hiking trails from the campground lead directly to some of the most popular attractions in the park.
To find the campground, enter Arches National Park at the main park entrance. Travel on Arches Entrance Road 18 miles to the turnout and parking area for Devil’s Garden. The entrance to the campground is well marked on the right side of the road as you approach the Devil’s Garden area.
Indigenous Roots at Devil's Garden
As part of our commitment to a more Diverse NPS, Park Chasers wants to acknowledge that the lands we now enjoy were once the home of many different indigenous communities.
According to the National Park Service (nps.gov):
“What is now Arches National Park was a ceremonial area for people who lived and farmed in the Moab valley. Moab is the only major crossing of the Colorado River for hundreds of miles, so this area saw extensive travel and trade, making it an important cultural feature for all tribes on a regional scale.”
The lands around Devil’s Garden Campground and Arches National Park once belonged to members of the:
- Pueblo of Zuni (or A:shiwi),
- the Hopi Tribe,
- the Southern Ute Indian Tribe,
- Ute Indian Tribe-Uintah and Ouray,
- the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, and
- the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians.
To learn more about native communities in the area – visit Native Lands.
To learn more about our commitment to greater diversity, inclusion, and access to public lands visit DiverseNPS.
What amenities does Devil's Garden Campground have?
Devil’s Garden offers many amenities of a fully-developed campground, including 51 fully reservable sites.
You can expect to have these amenities when you visit the campground:
- Potable water and flush toilets. There are no showers in the campground; however, we paid for a shower at the nearby KOA.
- Sites accommodate both a tent or RV (no electric or sewer hookups, but fully paved approaches in each site are available).
- Some of the best night sky viewing in Arches.
- Evening ranger programs in the campground.
- Easy access to the park’s hiking trails which lead directly to Devil’s Garden and Broken Arch.
Can you make reservations at Devil's Garden Campground?
Devil’s Garden Campground is open year-round. Reservations are required in the park campground during the peak season from March to October. Reservations can be made online using recreation.gov, on a rolling 6 month advanced schedule (e.g., booking March 2022 reservations begins in September 2021). No reservations are required and sites are available on a first-come, first-serve walk-up basis from October to March.
Unlike parks like Zion and Rocky Mountain National Park, a reservation in the campground does not allow visitors to by-pass park capacity closures. Arches National Park receives extremely heavy visitation and regularly temporarily restricts entrance to the park once capacity is reached. This closure usually occurs between 7 am and 12pm. Visitors with campsite reservations are not exempt from this closure.
Where can I hike near the campground?
Hiking is one of the most popular activities in Arches National Park. From the Devil’s Garden campground, visitors can hike to:
- Devil’s Garden – connected network of hiking trails to Landscape Arch (the longest in the park), Tunnel Arch, Pine Tree Arch, and Double O Arch.
- Broken Arch & Sand Dune Arch – Two of our favorite spots in the park!
Staying at Devil’s Garden also allows you to bypass the morning entrance rush at the gate to visit popular sunrise spots like Delicate Arch.
Other #parkchaser tips to know?
- Arches can be busy at all times of the year. The campground reservations book early online. Set a reminder on your calendar to book your online reservations well in advance.
- Firewood is not available for sale in the campground. Buy a coupon at the Visitor’s Center and pick up details on where to get firewood there.
- Arches National Park is so close to Canyonlands National Park. Don’t miss out on the chance to see one of our favorite national parks – take the time to drive to the Island in the Sky or Needles areas of the park!
