A method to design a critical height of embankments is presented so as to mobilize fully soil arching in pile-supported embankments. The behavior of the load transfer of embankment weights on pile cap beams was investigated by a series of model tests performed on pile-supported embankments with relatively wide space between cap beams. The model tests explained that the behavior of the load transfer depended very much on the height of embankments, because soil arching could be mobilized in pile-supported embankments only under enough high embankments. The measured vertical loads on cap beams coincided with the predicted ones estimated by the theoretical equations, which have been presented in the previous studies on the basis of load transfer mechanisms according to either the punching shear failure mode during low filling stage or the soil arching failure mode during high filling stage. The mechanism of the load transfer was shifted beyond a critical height of embankment from the punching shear mechanism to the soil arching mechanism. Therefore, in order to mobilize soil arching in pile-supported embankments, the embankments should be designed at least higher than the critical height. A theoretical equation to estimate the critical height could be derived by equalizing the vertical loads estimated by the load transfer mechanisms on the basis of both the punching shear and the soil arching. The derived theoretical equation could predict very well the experimental critical height of embankment.