Eye of the Whale Arch
About
Eye of the Whale Arch is a natural arch in Arches National Park in Utah, managed by the National Park Service. The nearest town is Moab, about 10 miles away, and the arch sits at roughly 5,000 feet. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 78°F and October highs around 68°F, while July highs average about 96°F. Several other destinations lie within a few miles. Gravitron Trail and Zoltar Trail are both about 2 miles away, and the Arches National Park climbing area is about 2.5 miles off. Devils Garden Campground, about 4.5 miles away, is the closest place to camp.
Arch Facts
Elevation
4,976 ft
Land manager
National Park Service
Elevation from USGS 3D Elevation Program terrain data (about 10 m resolution).
Location
Eye of the Whale Arch
Utah
Name and location: U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. View the GNIS record.
Facts about this place
When to go
Best time to go: Apr–May. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 67–78°F and lows of 39–48°F.
Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Moab Canyonland Ap, UT weather station, 8.6 mi away. High / low in °F.
- Jan39° high17° low
- Feb47° high25° low
- Mar59° high32° low
- Apr67° high39° low
- May78° high48° low
- Jun90° high58° low
- Jul96° high66° low
- Aug92° high63° low
- Sep83° high53° low
- Oct68° high40° low
- Nov52° high27° low
- Dec39° high17° low
Where it is
- Arches National Park · National Park Service
- Nearest town
- Moab, Utah · 10 mi
- Managed by
- National Park Service
Source: NPS Land Resources boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1; USGS GNIS populated places
Conditions
Active alerts for Arches National Park as of Oct 9, 2026:
Trip-planning tips for 2026
Information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: NPS Alerts API
Nearby
- Gravitron TrailHiking2 mi
- GravitronMountain biking2 mi
- Zoltar TrailHiking2 mi
Arches National ParkRock climbingPhoto: inkknife_2000 (7.5 million views +), CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)2.5 mi- Devils Garden CampgroundCamping4.5 mi
State Highway 313Rock climbingPhoto: Jacob Montgomery, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)5.1 mi
Park AvenueRock climbingPhoto: logopop, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)6.1 mi- Courthouse Rock CampgroundCamping7 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Is Eye of the Whale Arch open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Arches National Park.
As of · Source: NPS · Arches National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Eye of the Whale Arch
Best months: March–May and September–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
39° / 17°
5 wet
Feb
47° / 25°
5 wet
Mar
59° / 32°
4 wet
Apr
67° / 39°
4 wet
May
78° / 48°
4 wet
Jun
90° / 58°
3 wet
Jul
96° / 66°
4 wet
Aug
92° / 63°
5 wet
Sep
83° / 53°
5 wet
Oct
68° / 40°
5 wet
Nov
52° / 27°
4 wet
Dec
39° / 17°
5 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Moab Canyonland Ap, UT, 8.6 mi away at 4,561 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
