Moab is an AWESOME small town that calls you back over and over!

Now that we have found Moab we try and go back every year. Here are some reasons you need to visit.

Moab is in a great location for adventure!

Moab is located in southeastern Utah, just 4 miles south of the entrance to Arches National Park, and 30 miles east of Canyonlands National Park. There are several more National Parks just a few hours away. For National Park enthusiasts like us it’s an amazing home port. Additionally, you have a river, amazing dessert, 4-wheel drives, arches beyond Arches National Park, an artsy town and so much more!

We first heard about Moab when we were researching a trip to all of the Utah National Parks. At first, we just looked at it as a place to stay and nothing more. After our visit and exploring we realized it was a destination all on its own.

You could spend weeks in Moab, UT and not get to everything there is to do here. So, here are just a few reasons why you need to visit Moab:

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National Parks

Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park are right in Moab’s backdoor. In fact, this is the best home port for each park. Within a couple hours you can also get to Mesa Verde National Park, Capitol Reef National Park and Bryce Canyon National Park. We have been to all of these parks several times and I’ll be linking up blog posts for each really soon so you can check back for those or sign up to get my emails.

Other State Parks and National Lands

In addition to National Parks nearby there are even more State and National Monuments and lands nearby.

My favorite nearby State Park is absolutely Dead Horse Point State Park. Please don’t let the name keep you away. It’s gorgeous. But definitely check out the Visitor Center to read more about how it got its name. You can stop and see this park on your way to Canyonlands National Park. It’s basically in Moab. It’s $20 to enter and if you do nothing but visit the overlook it’s worth the price of admission.

We also spent a couple hours hiking in this park and it was so lovely. We did the Dead Horse Rim Loop and the views were spectacular on the whole loop. You pass through the overlook on this loop so it’s a great overview of the whole park. You park at the Visitor Center and start and end up there. According to my watch and Alltrails it’s 5.2 miles and 875 feet of elevation. Download your AllTrails trail map before your hike because service is sketchy. I loved this hike.

There are SO MANY National Monuments near Moab. You can google and find about 15. That will be one of my next blog posts to consolidate them all in one place. Stay tuned for that in the next couple weeks.

My favorite National Monument suggestion near Moab is definitely Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It covers a massive area and you can spend days there. See why I say you can spend weeks in Moab? It’s worth a visit if you like slot canyon hikes, cool waterfalls, and desert hiking.

Moab has AWESOME backroads for exploring

Rent a Jeep

We drove from NC to Utah in our Ford F150, but we still rented a Jeep with some extra big tires to take a day trip on some awesome backroads. We got our rental from Twisted Jeeps and they were AMAZING. Not only did they quickly get us squared away with a rental, but they gave us one of their big backroad guidebooks to use to explore for the day. We thought they gave us great service so we would recommend them for sure.

We drove the Shafer Trail Road and it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Yes, it’s steep. Yes, there are tons of switchbacks and YES, it’s a bit scary at points and that’s why it’s amazing. The road is unpaved descends 1500 feet over about 18 miles. The views are stunning. Take your time and stop and look. Remember the picture from Dead Horse Point State Park? You can see the Shafer Trail in the bottom of that picture.

While driving the Shafer Trail you can see a Gooseneck in the Colorado River even closer than you can from above in Dead Horse Point State Park. You will also come to an overlook/parking area where they filmed the final scene in “Thelma & Louise” which you can watch by clicking on the link. It’s just 3 minutes long and once you do the drive you totally recognize where they filmed it.

Hiking Trails in Moab

Even if you don’t visit the National Parks, you can hike for days in Moab. And, you can see tons of Arches OUTSIDE of Arches National Park. I use AllTrails to find some great local trails, but you can also ask locals. They are super helpful. We’ve done a few new arch trails each time we go to Moab. Here are a couple of our favorites:

Corona and Bowtie Arch via Corona Arch Trail

We LOVED this hike so much. It’s just a few miles outside of Moab and it was not crowded when we were there (it was summer). It’s 2.5 miles and about 500 feet of elevation and there is scrambling, steps, ladder, and chain rope to get up to a stunning arch. You can check AllTrails to download the trail map before you go so you make sure you have service.

Longbow Arch Trail

This was another hike we did in the summer during one visit, and we left nice and early and never saw another soul until we got back to the parking lot. This was a way finding hike so your AllTrails app would help a lot. You are following cairns and paint marks to get to Longbow Arch and the app comes in super handy. This Arch was neat to climb up into and under the arch. It’s not too hard and it’s fun. It’s 2 1/2 miles and 450 feet of elevation gain. Enjoy this hike that’s just outside of Moab.

Jeep Arch

This was another fun hike. Go early and you won’t see another person. This hike is 4 miles and about 1000 feet of elevation. You get to way find, scramble and hike right through an arch at the end. It was a lot of fun. Download it on AllTrails in advance so you have your map because there are a few spots where you may get a little confused. This trail is just outside Moab and it’s great to have Arches to see without the crowds of Arches National Park.

Play some golf in Moab

The Moab Golf Course is stunning. We play a lot of golf and this was definitely up there in the beautiful golf course catagory. In 2023 it’s $68 to ride and play 18 holes and $50 to walk 18 holes and that seems like a bargain. We play here at least once each time we are in Moab and it’s always a nice challenging round. One in particular comes to mind two years ago when in the summer we experienced the most torrential rain, thunder, lightning, and hail and it did freak us out a bit. If you golf, check this course out.

Rafting

Moab is an amazing destination for rafting because the Colorado River winds its way through and around the town. We rafted the Grand Canyon for 7 days this summer and you can read all about that in this blog, but we have not rafted the Colorado here in Moab yet. I have friends who have and loved it. Just know that if that’s on your radar this is a great location for it.

If you want a multiple day rafting trip like we did in the Grand Canyon, check out Western River Expeditions. They have excellent reviews and several people we rafted with last summer used them for their rafting adventures near Moab. If you are just looking for day trips here are several that have good reviews. OARS has an outpost in Moab and has lots of great reviews. For rafting or kayaking try Mild 2 Wild rafting.

Lodging

There are lots of chain hotels in Moab so you can google your favorite if you prefer. Since we use Moab as a hub for a week or more in the middle of a long adventure trip, we prefer a house because we like to unload our stuff, cook and make lunches for our days and also to do laundry. I always use VRBO when I look for a house. There are so many great inexpensive homes and condos to rent all around Moab.

The last several visits we stayed in one of these Casita Moab #1, Casita Moab #2, Casita Moab #4, and Casita Moab #5 and they are just perfect. The only thing they didn’t have was laundry but there is one about 100 yards down the road so that made it easy. These are perfect because you can walk anywhere on the main drag including most restaurants, grocery stores, tourist shops, ice cream and tour companies. It’s great to walk to your food!

Everyone’s Favorite Thing—Food!

One of the main reasons we hike is so we can eat. I’m only half joking. When we travel, we either skip breakfast and head out early with snacks and a big lunch and then eat an early dinner or we eat a huge breakfast, take some snacks and eat an early dinner. Either way we do dinner early to beat the crowds and there can be some crowds here in Moab during certain times of the year. Here are a few not to miss breakfast and dinner spots:

Breakfast spots in Moab

Jailhouse Cafe

The Jailhouse Cafe is on Main Street in Moab and it’s a favorite of more than just us. There is almost always a line, but it goes fast, and they are hopping. The food is great. and the staff is super friendly. We usually hit this spot up more than once while in Moab. Definitely put this on your list. They don’t have a website but here is their menu.

Moab Diner

Moab Diner is also on Main Street in Moab and it’s open all day and also has amazing ice cream. Like REALLY yummy ice cream. We have eaten all meals here, but we like their breakfast the best. When we are wanting a quick breakfast before hiking or exploring, they offer super food and it’s always quick and friendly.

Dinner Spots in Moab

Antica Forma

We usually eat at Antica Forma on Main Street in Moab several times while visiting. It’s a great Italian spot with yummy pasta and great pizzas. We love to sit outside even in the summer because they have nice fans and misting water and it’s always a great spot to sit. Definitely check this place out!

Trailhead Public House

This was a new Moab restaurant for us this past summer and we LOVED it. It’s also located on Main Street in Moab. It’s a definite new favorite on our list. We had hiked 11 miles in Canyonlands and we were starving. They had amazing burgers and house made fries and one of my biggest restaurant perks, fountain Diet Coke (no Pepsi for me). The service was fast and friendly, and we will definitely be back.

There are so many good restaurants in Moab, and I would love for you to add your favorites in the comments. Almost all the restaurants are right on the main drag in Moab and easy to get to.

More of Moab

I like to share things we have actually done in the cities we visit. There is so much more Moab has to offer if it interests you including horseback riding, ATV rentals, zip lines, tours and more. If you find something great, I’d love to hear about it in the comments and I can check it out on our next visit. Moab’s main street is great fun to walk up and down to check out the gift shops and art galleries. I love to find local goods and creations. Make sure to check that out as well!

Kimmey’s Comments

I like to share my hubby’s favorite stories and memories from our hikes and adventures. Here is one of his funny Moab memories.

“We were going on a hot desert hike the next day and I had the brilliant idea to freeze my water bladder so that the bag would keep me cool while it defrosted and provide cold water throughout the hike. The only problem with that was that the seam split during freezing. I didn’t notice since the ice was of course, frozen. This allowed a slow leak down my back during the hike.

As it was very hot and the leak was down my back it was hard to tell the difference between sweat, condensation from the ice melting, and an actual leak. Hard to tell unless you walked behind me and saw the huge line down my shorts that like I had a bathroom accident.

This was kindly pointed out to me by about approximately 20 folks in their 4-wheel Jeep’s as their club was getting ready to head off on an excursion and we were trudging back to our car after my hike. Actually, they were mostly snickering at me and pointing while Stephanie who was many yards behind me to avoid being associated with a guy who looked like he had a bathroom accident, was happy to point out AFTER we got back to our car. I was apparently a good laugh to start their day.”

Thanks for reading all about our favorites in Moab. Stay tuned for future blogs about the various National and State Parks in this area. I hope you will sign up to follow my blog and if you can like, follow, and comment that would be amazing. I would love if you could follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and X.

Keep on Traveling,

Stephanie

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