Windows Section: Arches' Easiest Walk to Massive Arches

Delicate Arch gets the most attention in Arches National Park. But it’s 3 miles with 480 feet of gain, and the midday crowd at the viewpoint makes a good photo nearly impossible. The Windows Section gives you arches that are wider and taller than Delicate Arch, on a 1-mile flat loop, with room to stand under them and look up.

That’s not a consolation prize. It’s a different kind of impressive.

The Three Arches

North Window is the anchor. It’s 51 feet tall and 93 feet wide, a broad horizontal opening in a fin of Entrada sandstone. Walk up to it and stand underneath: the opening frames a wide view of the canyon below, and the scale becomes real in a way that photos don’t fully capture.

South Window sits on the same rock face, a few hundred feet south. It’s roughly similar in scale, and the two openings side by side give the section its name. From the right angle, you can see both windows in a single frame. That view, with both arches open against the sky, is one of the most reproduced images in the park.

Turret Arch is the most architecturally interesting of the three. It’s a free-standing arch, meaning it’s fully detached from the surrounding fin on both sides. It also has a smaller secondary opening visible from the right angle, a circular hole above and to the left of the main arch opening. Most people walk through the main opening, which is possible and worth doing. The interior gives you a different perspective on how thick and solid the rock is above you.

The Primitive Trail

The standard loop approaches all three arches from the front. You walk toward them from the parking lot, visit each one, and return. Most people do this and leave.

The primitive trail goes the other direction. It’s 0.6 miles and loops behind North and South Windows, bringing you up to the openings from the back side. Instead of looking at the arch from outside, you’re standing behind it and looking out through the opening toward the canyon. The view reverses: the canyon and distant terrain are framed inside the arch opening like a window in a room.

The surface is rougher than the main loop and less clearly marked. It’s not difficult, but you should watch your footing. The crowds drop significantly once you’re past the main viewpoints. This is where you get the Windows Section to yourself, even on a busy day.

If you have an extra 30 minutes and the energy, take the primitive trail. The composition from behind the arch is worth seeing once.

Double Arch: 0.3 Miles Away

The Windows Section trailhead and the Double Arch trailhead share the same road area, 0.3 miles apart. You can drive between them in two minutes, or walk if you don’t mind the road shoulder.

Double Arch is worth the detour. It’s two arches that share a single common abutment on the left side. When you stand underneath on the canyon floor, one arch frames the sky directly above you. It’s a disorienting and impressive view, the arch is so large that it’s hard to take in as a single shape. The short trail is 0.5 miles round trip from its own trailhead.

Most people do Windows loop first, then drive to Double Arch. Add 30 to 45 minutes. The two together cover 1.5 miles total on easy terrain and represent four major formations in one area. That’s an efficient morning in any park.

Scale, Crowds, and Timing

The Windows parking area fills before 9 a.m. on peak spring and fall days. If you pull in at 10 a.m. on a Saturday in October, expect to circle the lot or park along the road shoulder. Arrive before 9 or come back after 3 p.m. and the crowds thin considerably.

The park requires timed entry permits from April through October, so you’ll need to book your entry window in advance. The Windows Section is about 11 miles from the entrance station, so plan for 20 minutes of driving once you’re inside.

The formations here are open and visible. You don’t need to squeeze through narrow slots or scramble up anything. That means kids and older adults handle this trail without trouble. It’s also stroller-accessible for most of the main loop, though the surface gets rocky near the arches.

Heat matters here just as it does anywhere in Arches. No shade on the sandy flats between the parking area and the arch bases. July and August mornings are workable before 10 a.m. The rest of the year, the Windows Section is comfortable almost any time of day.

Photography at the Windows

North and South Windows face roughly northeast. Morning light hits them directly in the early hours, putting warm light on the face of the arches and leaving the opening framed against a bright sky. This is the most photogenic time.

The classic “eye” shot: position yourself inside the arch opening and frame the canyon through it. You’re standing in the arch with the landscape visible through the opening. It works at both North Window and Turret Arch. At North Window, the canyon below and the distant La Sal Mountains in the background make the composition. At Turret Arch, the secondary opening adds a second element to frame.

Afternoon light comes from the west and backlights the arch faces, which creates contrast but reduces detail in the rock. It’s workable but not the best. If you want the standard front-lit arch photos, go early.

The primitive trail’s back-side compositions are less dependent on time of day because you’re looking out through the opening rather than at the arch face. Any time you get clear sky and good visibility on the canyon below, the back-side view works.

Combining Windows Section With a Full Arches Day

The Windows Section and Park Avenue together make a good half-day without the effort of Delicate Arch or Devils Garden. Both are accessible, photogenic, and done before 11 a.m. if you start at 7:30.

Do Park Avenue first while the morning light is on the east-facing fins, then drive to the Windows Section. Add Double Arch while you’re in the area. That’s roughly 3 miles total, covers four major formations, and wraps up before the midday heat sets in.

Save Delicate Arch for a separate morning when you can dedicate the whole day to it. The Windows Section deserves to be a destination on its own, not a quick stop on the way to something else.

Frequently Asked Questions