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Natural Arches in Texas

11 natural arches in Texas with photography planning data — sunrise and sunset azimuths, golden hour by month, Milky Way windows and estimated sky darkness. Brewster County has the most (4). The darkest skies are at Burro Mesa Pouroff Window (Bortle 1).

Top natural arches

Natural Arch
Burro Mesa Pouroff WindowBrewster County
Natural Arch
Natural BridgeCollingsworth County
Natural Arch
Southeast Rim KeyholeBrewster County
Natural Arch
Natural BridgeBriscoe County
Natural Arch
Tejas ArchCulberson County
Natural Arch
Pratt ArchCulberson County
Natural Arch
Eye of the NeedleJeff Davis County
Natural Arch
Lajitas Natural BridgeBrewster County
Natural Arch
Cerro Castellan WindowBrewster County
Natural Arch
Judys ArchRandall County
Natural Arch
Sam Bass ArchBurnet County

Natural Arches by county

Map

How to photograph natural arches

Arches glow when reflected light bounces off nearby rock — the underside of an arch often turns bright orange just after sunrise or before sunset.

  • Frame distant features through the opening of the arch for a natural window.
  • At night, arches make classic Milky Way foregrounds; low-level lighting or blue hour exposures keep the rock detailed.
  • Use a wide lens and get close to emphasize the span against the sky.
  • Never climb on arches; many are fragile and climbing is prohibited on park lands.
  • Midday sun creates hard shadows, but can light the underside through reflection in narrow canyons.

Season: Spring and autumn offer mild temperatures in desert arch country; summer heat is extreme at midday.