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Arches National Park Searching For Solution To Parking Problems At Delicate Arch Trailhead

Published Date

March 11, 2014

If you've ever tried to find a parking spot at the Delicate Arch Trailhead in Arches National Park, you know there's not enough space to meet demand. But how should the national park address the problem?

That's the question park officials are hoping to find an answer for. They currently are collecting public comments as part of an Environmental Assessment process to analyze the effects of implementing parking congestion management strategies at the Delicate Arch/Wolfe Ranch area.

Strategies such as expanding the existing parking lot, eliminating roadside parking, and implementing a reservation system are being considered, and public comments will help the NPS develop alternatives to be evaluated in the EA.

Parking at the Delicate Arch/Wolfe Ranch trailhead is frequently congested, causing visitors to park outside of paved areas and along roadsides, resulting in damage to soils and vegetation. Flooding is also an issue in the area since Winter Camp Wash bisects the road, requiring closures of the Delicate Arch Viewpoint Road during flood events. As a result, a plan to help determine specific goals and objectives for the management of congestion and flood related issues in this area of the park is needed.

Delicate Arch is one of the most popular visitor destinations in the park, with daily visitation to the site during the peak season being approximately 2,000 people. The Delicate Arch/Wolfe Ranch parking lot has 73 vehicle spaces, which is insufficient for today’s visitation, park officials said.

The EA will result in a decision-making framework that 1) analyzes a reasonable range of alternatives to meet objectives of the proposal, 2) evaluates potential issues and impacts to the park’s resources and values, and 3) identifies mitigation measures to lessen the degree or extent of these impacts.

You can find the park's scoping document, and be able to leave your comments, on this page. Public comments are being taken through April 8, 2014.

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Comments

Submitted by y_p_w on March 12, 2014 - 2:13pm.

I guess shuttles are workable for certain situations. I've been on the Zion shuttles. Neither the Bryce Canyon shuttle nor the Sequoia shuttle was mandatory. In any case, I never saw any parking issues at those places. I know there are seasonal mandatory shuttles, such as the Point Reyes lighthouse shuttle from the Patrick Visitor Center for access to the lighthouse or Chimney Rock. That operates on weekends during the prime whale watching season. Muir Woods runs a shuttle too during weekends during prime season. However, those two examples in Marin County actually require a fee in addition to regular park fees.

I was lucky enough to find parking the time I went to Delicate Arch. However, I've also seen situations where parking lots filled up and some people even resorted to parking illegally. The Bumpass Hell trailhead parking at Lassen often fills up given the short season. It's legal to park on the side of the road, but some people can't even move their cars 100 feet and park right at the entrance to the parking lot. The LE rangers have a field day with their ticket books during prime season.


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