Arches National Park Wildlife: 25 Desert Animals to Spot

While Arches National Park is known for its 2,000+ natural sandstone arches, bridges, and rock fins, many types of animals also call this national park home. With 57 species of mammals, almost 200 bird species, 10 types of lizard, and nine species of snake, Arches National Park wildlife is thriving!

Since Arches NP is located in the High Desert of Southeast Utah in the United States, most of the wildlife here are desert animals. Some are dangerous, but most are harmless and stay out of sight. They’ve adapted to scarce water sources and less food, but many are nocturnal animals so they avoid the hot summer daytime temperatures.

Don’t worry, there are still so many awesome Arches National Park wildlife species you can try and spot! Mule deer, golden eagles, chipmunks, hawks, ground squirrels, snakes, and hundreds more animals and birds are waiting for you at Arches.

This guide to Arches National Park wildlife lists all of the top animals, large and small, including when and where to spot (or avoid!) them. There are also some tips for families at the end so you can make the most out of your visit!

And to make your wildlife hunt even more fun for the kids, download our free Arches National Park Wildlife Bingo Card!

Know Before You Go

If spotting wildlife is your NUMBER ONE goal for park travel, then I need to let you know right up front…Arches should probably NOT be your top park pick.

I say that with so much love for Arches..it’s one of my top three favorite US national parks.

But if your family is BIG on animal spotting, there are better choices than Arches. “Like what?” you ask. My #1 recommendation for wildlife spotting is undoubtedly Yellowstone.

Arches National Park Mammals

Desert bighorn sheep are ancestral Puebloans and important to indigenous tribes in North America. This type of Arches National wildlife can get nervous with human contact, so admire them from afar.

Because mule deer are crepuscular animals, they’re a more common sight in the very early mornings and around sundown. They don’t spook as easily as other types of deer, so you are more likely to see them up close.

*Word of caution: These deer can get BIG. Since Arches is a dark sky park, once it’s dark, they are VERY hard to spot. If you are in the park at night, drive slowly as you make your way out of the park. Our family had a scary, near collision with a buck after our own stargazing ranger program one night.

Arches National Park’s desert landscapes and lack of water favors small animals like desert cottontails. A great place to spot them is the Garden of Eden, an open space with lots of small scrubs.

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Like the desert cottontail, Black-tailed jackrabbits have also adapted to a desert environment. Large ears regulate their body temperature and they’re used to living in open, sandy spaces.

And guess what? Though named “jackrabbit” this guy isn’t a rabbit at all. He’s a hare! What’s the difference? At birth, hares have fur, their eyes are open, and they are much more independent from day one as compared to rabbits, who are born naked and pretty much helpless.

Out of all the Arches National Park wildlife, antelope squirrels are one of the most active animals. You can spot these small mammals close to trails and wherever they can find food.

Rock squirrels change their active times of day depending on the temperatures. Typical animal life for a rock squirrel is to roam the national park during the day in search of food.

Hopi chipmunks survive by nibbling on the small scrubs of plant matter that grow from the salt bed underneath the biological soil crust of Arches National Park.

Like the squirrels, you’re more likely to spot chipmunks than most other Arches National Park wildlife.

No, these rats won’t leap up shouting “G’Day Mate!” Kangaroo rats are small desert rodents that hop instead of scurry. They live their entire life in a cool underground burrow that they dig into the Entrada sandstone. What these rats feed on is all plant matter including pinyon pine and the green algae by ephemeral pools.

This is a rare creature to see in the park…why? Well, their nocturnal lifestyle is part of the reason. And since Arches is a dark sky park, it gets VERY dark there…difficult to spot many of these quick little night-loving animals, for sure.

Yes, there are bears in Arches National Park! Black bears, to be exact.

Sightings are very rare as they primarily live in the La Sal Mountains nearby. Remember, it doesn’t have don’t approach any type of bear under any circumstances.

Native to the Americas, mountain lions are prey animals that primarily survive on mule deer in Arches National Park. Luckily, these big cats stay out of the way of humans exploring the park!

Definitely do NOT get your hopes up about spotting one of these elusive cats. I mention them because they are known to be in the area of the park, but spotting one of these is probably less likely than finding a four-leaf clover (and definitely more dangerous although in general, they aren’t aggressive toward humans if left alone).

Arches National Park Birds

Golden eagles migrate from the colder northern states around February, so this is the best time to spot the elusive Bird of Prey in Arches NP.

Like golden eagles, the bald eagle also flies south to Utah and the surrounding area in February. It stays part of the Arches National Park wildlife family until it’s warm enough to fly back north.

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The peregrine falcon loves to nest on top of incredibly high, perilously steep cliffs in Arches National Park. Spot them swooping from Tower Arch to feed their young in the morning and celebrate the fact they are no longer endangered!

One of the only hawk species that stays in Utah year-round, red-tailed hawks thrive against the red sandstone backdrop of Arches National Park. Their prey consists of squirrels, rabbits, reptiles, and more so few animals are safe in Arches with the red-tailed hawk around.

Natural habitats of herons include banks, creeks, rivers, and anywhere with fish. Great Blue Herons can catch prey at the ephemeral pools in Arches and cool off to maintain a healthy body temperature range.

Songbirds, like blue grosbeaks, make up a large fraction of the Arches National Park wildlife. Head to the park’s rivers and creeks early in the morning to hear their beautiful voices.

Like blue grosbeaks, yellow-breasted chats are another type of Arches National Park wildlife that likes to hang out in the vegetation near rivers and creeks.

White-throated swifts are beautiful white and green birds that you can see zipping from rock to rock in search of insects to snack on. These birds stick around Arches National Park for the hottest season, so look out for them in June, July, and August.

Always foraging for food in the grassy areas, black-throated sparrows are often easier to spot than other Arches National Park birds. This is due to their dark color and the fact they stay lower to the ground.

Named after the pinyon pine tree nuts they eat, pinyon jays (unsurprisingly) live in the Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands in Arches National Park. They are social songbirds and can often be seen flying in a group.

You can also tend scrub jays in the same places as Pinyon Jays. It can be difficult to identify which bird is which, but pinyon jays are blue all over and scrub jays tend to be blue, white, and gray.

Arches National Park Reptiles

There are eight types of rattlesnakes in Arches National Park, and the midget-faded rattlesnake is just one of them. Luckily, sightings are rare as they enter an inactive state of torpor in winter and avoid the harsh heat of summer.

This is the most common type of snake in Arches National Park. Gopher snakes are non-venomous and mostly harmless. However, their bites can hurt even if they don’t have venom and they are constrictors so leave them well alone!

The common side-blotched lizard loves basking on the rocks found all over the terrain in Arches NP. Keep quiet if you spot one as they will soon dart into the shadows if they know they’ve been seen.

Unlike the side-blotched lizard, the western-collared lizard is brightly-colored and easier to see against the red rocks of Arches. It’s known for walking on its hind legs, which is very rare in the Lizard Kingdom.

This is one of the only two animals that “made the map” – its’ mug shot is shown inside the Arches park visitor map.

Arches National Park Wildlife Tips for Families

Visiting Arches National Park with your family for the first time and worried about safety? Or maybe you’re just looking for more awesome things to do involving Arches National Park wildlife?

Fantastic! Here are some tips:

• Ask the park rangers at Arches National Park Visitor Center if there have been any recent sightings. They will be able to ease any concerns, and guide you toward possible places for spotting animals.
• Arches National Park Service runs special events during the summer months which often involve wildlife tours. Check out the official NPS website before your trip!
• Use your Arches National Park trip as a learning experience for your kids. Teach them that it’s illegal to touch, frighten, or disturb animals and about different animal species and habitats.
• Pack a long-lens camera or pair of binoculars to show your kids what the animals look like up close.
• In the unlikely event of an animal bite at Arches National Park, seek help immediately.

Arches National Park Wildlife FAQs

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