It’s been a bucket list wish for both Matt and me to see the Milky Way rise over Delicate Arch. We fell in love with stargazing in Arches National Park back in 2020, but didn’t feel especially comfortable doing a strenuous night hike when I was pregnant. So, when Matt’s parents pitched a trip to Moab as a family, I quickly asked if they’d give us a date night (aka watch the kids) while we hiked up to stare at the stars together under my favorite arch.
Quick Info About Stargazing at Delicate Arch
Best Time of Year to See the Milky Way Over Delicate Arch: Summer is the best season to see the Milky Way directly over Delicate Arch. Winter would be the worst, but you’ll see it March through September. We love September because the Milky Way is up by 9pm, so we you don’t have to stay up as late.
Try for a New Moon: The smaller the moon, the brighter the stars will be and therefore the more of the Milky Way you’ll see.
Gear You’ll Need to Stargaze Over Delicate Arch: If you are interested in stargazing in the park, we recommend getting a red light headlamp or a red light flashlight, a camp chair of some sort and a tripod if you’re looking to take photos. Also, read up on the dark sky etiquette so you don’t ruin others’ experience – the red lights are a huge part of that.
Check Out Our General Guide to Hiking to Delicate Arch HERE
Our Experience Stargazing at Delicate Arch
We arrived at the Delicate Arch trailhead about 20 minutes before sunset. This was nice because the sun was to our back which meant we didn’t need sunglasses. Also, knowing that we weren’t going to see the sunset meant that we could take our time and feel comfortable with a slightly slower pace going up the trail – since we’d just done this exact same trail 8 hours before as well.
When we got to the top, there were a good number of people up there watching the sunset – probably 50 or so and I honestly figured most of them were going to stay to stargaze for a little bit. I knew we had blue hour to get through and settled in for the next 90 minutes or so. I had brought a book to read while Matt scoped out the best spot. After that we enjoyed some snacks we brought along, and had a little date evening where we laid against the warm rock and watched the sun drop below the horizon.
One-by-one people trickled out, until it was only Matt, me and three other people. We made fast friends with two other photographers, both from the Midwest. We shared experiences from stargazing and traveling, the boys all talked camera gear and photography and we all talked about the northern lights we all saw from different places across the country earlier this year.
The Milky Way first popped out around 9pm. Matt shot a ton of photos and the other two guys up there were so cool and patient with us while we tried to get the shot I had in my head of me under Delicate Arch with my headlamp on. In fact, they helped Matt play with camera settings and even illuminated me to help with the photos. I was so excited to get it! It was nice that it was just the 5 of us because no one was upset by anything we were all doing. We would ask before stepping in a different spot to make sure we weren’t messing up photos. It was just such a positive experience.
Before we knew it, over an hour had passed and since we had the kids at home with my in-laws, we didn’t want to be out too late. So, around 11pm, we said goodbye to our new friends and headed down the trail to our car. We were talking on the way up about how we felt so confident in doing this trail in the dark because we’ve done it so many times now. Guys, don’t be like us; don’t jinx yourselves…
The trail isn’t really a path for the majority of the trail. Especially closer to the arch. You’re just navigating different sections of slick rock and sand with some arrows on poles every now and then. This is perfectly adequate in daylight and probably even perfectly adequate at night… if you’re not me.
We were riding high on the beauty of stargazing at Delicate Arch and trotting along. About 15 minutes into the hike down, though, I started getting dive-bombed by freaking bats. And in the Ozarks, our bats are really small – not that I want them flying in my face – but these were legit, good-sized bats too. And I don’t mean one or two, I mean as I lifted the flashlight up to the sky, there were hundreds of bats. At one point, one got very close to my face and I instinctively swung my arm out, then protected my face and sort-of spun in a circle. In the process of this, I got turned around and was fiercely confident that I was right about which direction was correct way back to the car. Needless to say, I was wrong. There’s a ledge portion to the trail at the end of the hike that leads you to Delicate Arch. That’s where we realized I had turned us around… So, we had to turn around, and hike the trail essentially all over again. Ugh.
Matt was very gracious because he knew which way was the right way and in the moment, he just let it go, knowing I was not enjoying the bats and that experience had me even more heightened that I was basically on the verge of being eaten by a mountain lion… Fun fact about me, my outdoor anxieties are weirdly almost 100% wildlife driven. So being able to see in a very limited window in front of me, on the move with bats flocking my face was peak anxiety for me. But, guys, I did it.
That said, I’m glad I’ve seen it once, because I’m not sure that I’ll ever do it again…
Have you ever had a bucket list experience that didn’t turn out to be everything you thought it would be? Or, at least, an element of it? I’d love to hear all about it in the comments!
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