The Windows & Turret Arch
1 Mile Roundtrip
Easy Partially Paved Hike to Awesome Arches
While I’ve only been to The Windows (a 1 mile roundtrip hike to the vantage point) to watch the sunrise, I can promise you that at whatever time of day you visit, it will be magnificent. Wether in newly cast sunlight or in thick fog, the Windows are a great place to start your day at Arches National Park. And you should absolutely start your day at Arches BEFORE the sun rises.
The entire vantage point around the Windows makes it ideal for an early morning viewing. You can see the nearby sandstone spires and boulders, the distant La Sals, and the looming Island in the Sky to the west. Not to mention it’s an incredibly easy stroll to the area with some of it being paved.
If you’re lucky, you’re the only one there as I have been. There’s plenty of parking in the early morning and quite a few restrooms too if that morning brew went right through you.
Turret Arch is another gorgeous sunrise spectacle just west of The Windows with the same path and parking lot and it’s amazing from both near and far.
The drive from the National Park Road to the Windows is also lined with noteworthy stops. Especially in the fog.
