Summer temperatures can reach or exceed 110°F 43°C, so it is important to carry and consume enough liquid to keep you hydrated. One gallon of water per person per day is recommended. When hiking on open rocky areas, be aware that lightning is a danger during storms. Also, the dry sandstone-dominated terrain is susceptible to flash floods during thunderstorms. The most intense thunderstorms occur from July through September, during monsoon season.
Many of the formations within the park are sandstone and can easily crumble when climbing. Numerous individuals must be rescued each year after they scale a formation and then discover that they cannot easily get back down; know your limitations, and be aware that it is usually easier to climb up a formation than it is to climb back down.
precautions before you visit
Stay on the path: Throughout the park and the Southwestern national parks, you will see warnings about cryptobiological soil. Footprints erode the soil and destroy years of growth.
Leave your dog at home: As the climate indicates, there is extreme heat in the summers. Perhaps more importantly, the environment is not supportive of domesticated pets. There are reasons that there are still 1000-year-old corn cobs in archeological sites: items do not deteriorate like they might in your backyard. Cactus and Fido do not make for good bedfellows.
Leave only your footprints, take only photographs: Do not take rocks or any other type of souvenir from the park. Allow your grandchildren's grandchildren to see the park as you see it when you visit it. Throughout the Southwest, you will walk right next to archeological sites. These are rapidly disappearing as people take just one little thing back home.
fees/permits
Park entrance fees are $10 for private vehicles and $5 for individuals on foot, bike, or motorcycle. These fees allow entrance for seven days. Alternatively, the $80 Multi-Agency pass allows entry pass, amongst others, to all national park areas for one year. It also allows entrance to parks of other agencies. The $50 National Park Pass, which allowed entry to all national park areas for one year was discontinued by the national parks service in 2007. If the entrance booth is not manned, there is an electronic kiosk to pay the entrance fee and receive a receipt to place on your vehicle's dashboard.