Moab
Have you ever wished you could visit the planet Mars? Well, look no further than Moab, Utah. Once a hot bed for uranium mining, Moab is now one of the best places in the US for outdoor summer activities.
Moab has come a long way from its early days as a uranium mining town, however if you search hard enough you can still find evidence of the towns boom and bust export. Today, Moab serves and one of my all time favorite summer recreation spots boasting a wonderful town that will remind you of a summer version of your favorite ski town. Moab is home to many things to do in the summer so here is a break down of some of my favorites and must do’s if you plan to visit:
We’ll start with the more obvious attractions: Moab’s National Parks
Arches National Park
Arguably my favorite place to visit in Moab, Arches National Park should be number one on any list of things to do in Moab. The park entrance is conveniently located right at the entrance of the city of Moab off of US Highway 191. Home to hundreds of sandstone arches, rock formations, wildlife and more, this park can keep a visitor enticed for hours or days depending on how you want to plan your trip. Personally, I would recommend blocking off an entire day for this park if you just want to see the popular sites and block of multiple days to a week if you really want to explore all that this park has to offer.
Delicate Arch
Can’t miss attractions in Arches National Park:
Court House Towers
One of the many beautiful rock formations in Arches. This one can be seen pretty well from the road through the park, its one of the few sites on this list that you don’t need to leave the car to see!
Petrified Dunes
This is a great look out spot. You can quickly pull your car over to take in the views and snap a picture.
Balanced Rock
Located right on the main road through the park, the Balanced Rock is a sight to see. Thanks to wind and water erosion and all that fun science stuff, we have a very large rock balanced on a small pedestal. Yet another attraction that you can see from the comfort of your car but will definitely blow you away.
Turret Arch
Finally time to get out of the car and go explore. Turret Arch is a crazy looking formation that is conveniently located off of the same parking lot as Window Arch, Double Arch and a few more. Definitely check out all of them while you’re there.
Window Arch
This one is really cool, make sure to check out both sides, climb around and look up when you are standing directly below the arch.
Double Arch
Double Arch is probably my favorite arch in Arches NP. You just have to see it for yourself.
Pothole Arch
Try to imagine what I-70 would be like if it wasn’t maintained and repaved every single year then take a look at this arch.
Delicate Arch
This arch is really, really cool. I’m going to guess that its the most popular arch in all of Utah, after all it is the graphic for Utah license plates. This arch is one of the few uber popular spots that you can’t quite see from the road. There is a road that veers of the main park road to take you to a viewing area but the view from down there just doesn’t do this arch justice. Take the time and do the hike up to it. The sign will tell you its a 3mi roundtrip hike and various websites will tell you that its an easy 90min hike. Its an easy 90min hike if its not hot. If its hot and sunny bring tons of water and tons of sunscreen. I’ve hiked a lot in my day and let me tell you, doing this hike in 114 degree heat on a bright sunny day is still one of the hardest hikes I’ve ever done. Again, lots of water and lots of sunscreen.
Sand Dune Arch
Ok, so maybe this is my favorite arch in Arches, I don’t know. This one is really cool. A 5min hike from the parking lot, Sand Dune Arch is a must see.
Broken Arch
Its not broken? We hiked 30min in the hot sun just to find out this arch is intact, its not broken . Give this arch another thousand years of erosion and maybe then it will be broken. Until then, its another cool site to see.
Tapestry Arch
This arch was cool. Literally though, its shaded and after an hour hike in the hot desert sun, you’ll be thankful for that.
A couple of quick tips for Arches National Park:
You need a reservation. This park requires a timed entry reservation that must be made online, ahead of time. The reservations fill up crazy fast so make sure to book in advance.
Bring lots of water and sunscreen! I cannot emphasize this enough. Late Spring (late April, May) aren’t crazy hot but once Summer kicks in, its going to be blazing hot, its going to be sunny and if you are not prepared your experience will not be a good one. Don’t forget, Moab is in the desert. I highly recommend filling up your water jugs before entering the park at Matrimony Spring (see details below).
There are some really cool looking camp spots in the park but you need a reservation. I have yet to actually camp inside Arches but its on my bucket list to see some of the arches and rock formations at night!
Canyonlands National Park
My second favorite National Park in Moab (Yes, there are only 2). Canyonlands is beautiful. The views are incredible. There is a road that takes you through the park but unless you have a supped up 4wd car or are planning to rent ATV’s or are taking a guided tour, unfortunately this park is kind of limited to great views from the road. That being said, if you have one of those things I listed above then you’re in for quite the adventure.
A few fun things to see in Canyonlands:
Island in the Sky
Check it out, this view is absolutely insane. Really all of the view point stops along the road are beautiful. I’m not going to list them all but if you see “viewpoint” on a sign, stop and take a look.
Upheaval Dome
This is one of the few places in the park that you can get out of your car and go for a short or long hike depending on what you want to do. The Upheaval Dome is beautiful and the salt in the dirt makes for some really cool looking colors. This is my favorite hike I’ve done inside the park.
Mesa Arch
I think this is the only arch in Canyonlands, at least off the road. Its no Arches NP arch but check it out because the views beyond/through the arch are incredible.
Canyonlands doesn’t get quite as busy as Arches so no reservation is required but it is a good 40min drive from town and in the middle of nowhere so be prepared for that. I cannot stress enough that for this park you really need a 4x4 to explore the entirety of it.
Dead Horse Point State Park
Its not a National Park but its close enough. Located just minutes from Canyonlands, Dead Horse is a can’t miss. Pay the state of Utah the $10 entrance fee and go take in the incredible view. It really is beautiful. From the crazy bend in the Colorado River to the Potash Ponds in the distance, its worth every penny even if you only spend 10min there.
Thats it for the National Parks in Moab, now on to some other random, cool spots that I recommend mend checking out:
Matrimony Spring
Located about 1/2mi down 128 from town you’ll see a few cars/vans/ATVs/whatever stopped on the side of the road and some people crouching down trying to fill their water bottles from a steady flow of water coming from the rocks. This may sound suss but once you taste the water you’ll understand.
Mineral Bottom
If you’re driving to find a good camp spot and want to make the people in your car squirm a bit then look no further than BLM Road 129. As your driving out towards Canyonlands of Dead Horse Point, turn off on BLM Rd 129 (Mineral Bottom Rd) and drive roughly 15mi on this dirt road. When you hit a parking lot slow way down and keep going, suddenly you’ll find yourself in some crazy switchbacks going down into the canyon below. This drive is definitely not for the faint of heart. Its a one lane, dirt switchback road with no railing and one slip up can send you plummeting over a thousand feet below (there is some evidence of this if you look closely). This road will have your passengers holding on for dear life. But when you do finally get down to the bottom, you’ll soon realize you are in one of the prettiest places in all of Moab. Make sure to take a good look at the road you just drove.
Whether you go left (towards Canyonlands) or right at the bottom, there are so many things to explore in Mineral Bottom. There are tons and tons of camp spots, a boat launch (oh, ya, when your driving down there and on the switchbacks, watch out for vans pulling rafts and trailers), a back entrance to Canyonlands (you technically need a permit for this), an air strip, an abandoned uranium mine and more!
This is my favorite place in Moab, if you can handle the drive 100% check it out
Route 128
This is a beautiful scenic alternative to taking I-70 the entire way. This drive follows the Colorado River as it bends and turns around the canyons of Moab. The route does add about 30-40min to your drive and you don’t get to stop at the super suss Area51 like gas station but its totally worth it.
Fishers Towers is a really cool stop along this route. Some really cool looking rock formations but it is a pretty long hike. However, it is a good warm up visually to what you can expect the rest of Moab to be like.
The Town of Moab
Whatever you do, make sure you fill up on gas, food and water while you’re in town. Theres not much else out there for miles and miles. If you’re trying to picture what the town of Moab looks like, picture you’re favorite ski town. Now picture that ski town in the desert, less commercial stores and restaurants and a ton of ATV, Jeep and Bronco rental shops. Thats the town of Moab for you. While I’ve never actually stayed in town because I prefer to camp, Moab does have a bunch of hotels and some really good food. I highly recommend checking out the food truck park located in the middle of town.
