This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The National Park Service has some good news and some bad news for visitors to Arches National Park.

The good news is that the popular Devils Garden hiking trails will open Friday at 7 a.m. after being closed for several weeks for road work.

The bad?

The Fiery Furnace and Salt Valley Overlook areas are scheduled to close Sunday at 7 p.m. for up to 28 days. During the closure period, the parking and hiking areas will be inaccessible, and self-guided permits and ranger-led tours of the Fiery Furnace will not be available.

Park officials also stressed that the Devils Garden Campground will be closed through Nov. 30, which means campers will have to find some place to stay outside of the park until then.

While the park is open 24 hours on Friday and Saturday, it closes each night Sunday through Thursday at 7 p.m. Vehicles must be out of the closure area no later than 7 p.m. on those days.

On Sunday through Thursday, visitors must arrive at the park before 6:30 p.m. After 6:30, visitors will not be able to travel past the visitor center.

The visitor hours will increase to 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on June 23. Park Rangers will present nightly evening programs at the visitor center at 7 p.m.

Construction crews have also been making good progress in their work around the entrance road. They are expected to be finished by June 23, with the night barricade moving from the junction of the main park road and Highway 191 to near the visitor center.

The park will also be open with no road construction during the following summer holidays:

Independence Day • It will be open from July 3, 7 a.m. to July 5, 7 p.m.

Pioneer Day • The park will be open from July 21, 7 a.m. to July 25, 7 p.m.

Labor Day • The park will be open from Sept. 1, 7 a.m. to Sept. 5, 7 p.m.

UEA fall break • The park will be open from Oct. 18, 7 a.m. to Oct. 22, 7 p.m.

Other areas of Arches National Park such as the Windows will be closed for up to four weeks once work begins in that area. The park will reopen roads and trails once construction work is completed.

Crews have been resurfacing, restoring and rehabilitating approximately 23 miles of roads and pullouts, including the entrance road, main park road, campground road and other spur roads and loops. Work is scheduled to continue until November.

Limited road closures may still occur, even with the nighttime work, so visitors can expect possible delays up to 30 minutes per work zone.

For information, log on to www.nps.gov/arch. The Moab Travel Council's website at www.discovermoab.com also offers information on other outdoor opportunities outside of Arches.

— Tom Wharton