Devils Garden Campground in Arches National Park: How to Get a Site, and What to Do If You Can't

Photo: NPS photo, public domain, via NPS; cropped, with lettering added by Brian Russ Guides.

Devils Garden is the only campground in Arches National Park, so it's the one you're choosing between booking early or camping in Moab. It suits tent campers and small RVs who want to wake up inside the park and don't mind skipping hookups, showers, and a camp store. If you're building a trip around the park, my Arches guide lays out one-, two-, and three-day plans that fit a stay here.

The short version: from March through October, plan on booking six months ahead, because the park says it's usually full every night. From November through February it's first-come, first-served, and that's when walking up can actually work.

The Basics

NPS lists 51 sites, two of them group sites, and no electric hookups (NPS). Every site has a picnic table and fire ring. There are flush toilets and vault toilets year-round, sinks outside the comfort stations for washing dishes, and an amphitheater, but no showers, no dump station, no camp store, and no cell service or Wi-Fi.

Water is the one fact the NPS page doesn't keep straight: the description mentions drinking water, while the amenity table says no potable water. Bring what you need, and ask at check-in or the visitor center what's running.

Photo: NPS photo, public domain, via NPS.

How to Get a Site

Individual sites cost $25 a night, with a limit of 10 people and two vehicles per site. Reservations run through recreation.gov for nights from March 1 to October 31. The earliest you can book is six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern; the latest is four days before arrival (NPS, checked November 2026). Set an alarm for the release time, and have the dates you want written down, since the good weekends in spring and fall go fast.

From November 1 to February 28, every site is first-come, first-served. NPS suggests downloading the recreation.gov app before you arrive and paying with its Scan & Pay feature, since there's no cell service at the campground to do it on the spot.

Two group sites handle parties of 11 or more: Canyon Wren (up to 35 people, reservable year-round) and Juniper (up to 55, March through October). Neither takes RVs or trailers. Group sites can be booked up to 12 months ahead.

Where It Is and When It's Open

The campground is 18 miles inside the entrance, which is off US 191, 5 miles north of Moab. NPS puts Moab, your nearest food, gas, and supplies, 45 to 60 minutes from the campground, so shop before you drive in. It's typically open year-round.

Timing changes the experience a lot. Spring and fall are mild, with daytime highs around 60 to 80°F and lows of 30 to 50°F. Summer often tops 100°F. In winter, highs run 30 to 50°F and lows can drop to 0 to 20°F, so a summer bag won't do. I covered what that looks like in Arches in December and Arches in winter. Late-summer monsoon storms can also bring flash floods. Between March and October, entrance waits can top an hour, and staying inside the park can spare you some of that line. As of November 2026 the park's alerts list no closures, and the main road is open.

What Camping There Is Like

The sites sit among slickrock outcrops and sandstone fins, and the roads and parking pads are paved, which makes it easy for small RVs and trailers. There's one accessible site, which can be reserved.

Photo: NPS photo, public domain, via NPS.

NPS says ranger programs run spring through fall and may be offered occasionally at the campground amphitheater, which sits in the shadow of Skyline Arch. Check at the visitor center for the schedule.

Photo: NPS photo, public domain, via NPS.

Photo: NPS photo, public domain, via NPS.

Rules That Matter Here

• Fires: only in the fire pits and grills. Collecting wood is prohibited. Firewood coupons are sold at the Arches bookstore from March through October (in winter, wood is sold directly at the bookstore), so buy before you head to the campground.
• Generators: allowed 8 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. Quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., and checkout is 10 a.m.
• Food: there are no food storage lockers. Keep food, cookware, trash, and toiletries inside a vehicle or a latched, hard-sided container.
• Pets: leashed, in campsites and on the road only.
• Stay limits: no more than 7 nights in any 30-day period or 14 nights a year, and a site can't be left unattended for more than 24 hours.

Photo: NPS photo, public domain, via NPS.

Who Should Look Elsewhere, and Where

Skip Devils Garden if you need hookups, showers, or a dump station, or if you're deciding at the last minute between March and October. NPS says plan on camping outside the park if you arrive without a reservation in those months, and points to discovermoab.com for the list.

One Moab-area option is the Sand Flats Recreation Area, run by the BLM and Grand County: 140 first-come individual sites at $20 a night per vehicle, plus six group sites reservable on recreation.gov (BLM, checked November 2026). It's outside Arches and a different setting (slickrock domes, near the Slickrock Bike Trail), so treat it as a base for Moab-area days rather than a stand-in for waking up in the park. Since it's first-come, arrive early.

Fitting It Into Your Trip

Devils Garden works best as a base for a two-night stay, since the campground is 18 miles in and you won't want to make that drive more often than you have to. If you can't get a site, camp in Moab and use the plans in the Arches guide for one to three days. NPS recommends entering before 8 a.m. or after 3 p.m. in the busy season.

Before you go: see Arches National Park alerts and current conditions, checked daily, for current closures and what they mean for your trip.

This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Campground seasons, fees, reservation rules, and closures change; check the park's current alerts and recreation.gov before you go.