Sun Outdoors Arches Gateway

If your family is headed to Arches National Park, your campground choice matters more than most people realize. Sun Outdoors Arches Gateway puts you right at the doorstep of one of the most spectacular landscapes in the country — and its on-site amenities make it a genuine resort experience rather than a minimalist roughing-it situation.

Located on US-191 just north of Moab, the resort is a few miles closer to the Arches entrance than downtown campgrounds, which translates to a real advantage when timed entry reservations require you to be at the gate by a specific time. Families with young kids know how unpredictable morning routines can be; shaving ten minutes off the commute actually matters.

The resort features multiple accommodation types — tent sites, RV hookups, and cabin-style options — plus a pool that becomes the undisputed highlight of every late afternoon. After hours of hiking under the Utah sun, a pool jump is the single fastest way to restore collective family morale. Playgrounds on site give kids something to do during the slower parts of the day.

Views from the campground are quintessential Moab — red sandstone formations rising in every direction, big sky above, and that electric feeling of being in a place that looks like nowhere else on Earth. Kids who have never experienced the Southwest often respond to this landscape with genuine awe, and that reaction is worth something.

Book early — this is a popular property and spring and fall weekends sell out months in advance. Summer availability can also be tight, and premium shaded sites go first.