Things to do in Moab
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Moab
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best weather, wildflowers, river rising, crowds and peak pricing build through May.
Locals' favourite, October highs in the 70s and 80s, cottonwoods gold late October.
Spring starts, highs 65 to 85, trail running and bike events, La Sal high country still snowy.
Heat season 100 to 110 degrees, dawn hiking, river swimming, monsoon flash flood risk from July.
Cold nights and quiet, excellent hiking, short days, some seasonal closures begin.
Secret season, parks nearly empty and hotels cheapest, many restaurants on reduced hours.
What's on
- Easter Jeep Safari week ending Easter Sunday
Thousands of 4x4s, town sold out and loud, book a year ahead or avoid if not there for it.
- Cruise Moab late April
Toyota 4x4 gathering in late April.
- Behind the Rocks Ultra March
Trail running event in March.
- Perseid meteor shower mid-August
Fifty to one hundred meteors per hour at peak in dark years at Dead Horse Point.
- Moab Music Festival early September
Concerts in grottos, on rafts and in red rock venues.
- Moab 240 October
Ultra running event in October.
- Moab Folk Festival November
Intimate and beloved folk festival.
Best things to do in Moab
Delicate Arch
Utah's iconic freestanding arch on a slickrock rim, best at sunrise for light and fewer people.
Devils Garden Trailhead
Arches in concentrated form with Landscape Arch and a primitive loop of fins, spires and scrambles.
Mesa Arch
Short cliff edge arch that glows orange at sunrise above canyons and the La Sal Mountains.
Grand View Point Trail
Rim walk with the biggest panorama in Island in the Sky, the essential longer walk here.
The Windows Section
Highest reward for effort in Arches with North Window, South Window and Double Arch on short walks.
Balanced Rock
Impossible looking boulder balanced on a pedestal, a quick stop with huge photo payoff.
Park Avenue Trail
Walk between sheer sandstone walls that feels like a city street built by geology.
Dead Horse Point State Park
Two thousand foot promontory above a Colorado River gooseneck, superb at sunset with little walking.
Where to stay in Moab
Downtown Moab / Main Street
first trip, all-round base
Walk to dinner, coffee and outfitters, with dawn starts to Arches ten minutes away.
North Main / Arches gateway
families and groups
Newer chain hotels with bigger pools and easier parking, quickest access to Arches.
Highway 128 / Colorado River corridor
seclusion splurge, honeymoon
Ranch resorts beneath towers and cliffs with dark skies and the river at your feet.
South Moab / Spanish Valley
quieter, car-dependent stays
Residential valley with rentals and the golf course, quieter and sometimes cheaper.
North of town glamping and camping areas
sky and landscape lovers
Glamping and campgrounds choosing landscape over proximity, best in the right season.
Think twice about
- Green River
Fifty miles away, you will drive dark desert highways daily and miss sunrise starts.
- Monticello and Blanding as a Moab base
Fifty five to seventy five miles away, the fuel and fatigue erase most of the saving.
- North highway strip motels facing US-191
Noisy and charmless for the money in peak season, ask which side of the building your room is on.
Best restaurants in Moab
Desert Bistro
Moab's fine dining fixture for over two decades, Southwestern New American worth the splurge.
Sabaku Sushi
Excellent inventive sushi in the desert with strong vegan options, book ahead for the small room.
98 Center
Vietnamese inspired farm to table cooking that locals name as where they actually eat.
Miguel's Baja Grill
Baja Mexican and seafood on a string lit patio, fish tacos and margaritas on warm evenings.
Antica Forma
True Neapolitan wood fired pizza from Italian trained owners, a reliable family dinner.
Moab Brewery
Town's largest brewpub and living room with house beers, bison burgers and a late kitchen.
The Blu Pig
Smoked barbecue, serious whiskey and live music most nights in a blues joint setting.
Milt's Stop & Eat
Moab's oldest restaurant since 1954, walk up burgers and hand spun shakes at picnic tables.
Outdoor things to do in Moab
Hell's Revenge Trail
Guided slickrock 4x4 over steep petrified dunes and ridgelines, best on a sunset departure.
Fins & Things Trail
Gentler slickrock self drive for experienced high clearance drivers, beginners should not start here.
White Rim Trail
Hundred mile multi day backcountry loop by bike or 4x4, a return trip to plan around.
Moab Daily Rafting
Splashy Class I to II rafting beneath Fisher Towers, the river trip most visitors should take.
Westwater Canyon
Full day Class III to IV whitewater in a black rock gorge, the step up for thrill seekers.
Cataract Canyon
Multi day expedition rafting through Canyonlands with big water, side hikes and beach camps.
Slickrock Bike Trail
Famous sandstone bike trail that grips like sandpaper, steep and exposed with a practice loop first.
The Whole Enchilada
Shuttle served epic descending from alpine Burro Pass to desert rim, advanced riders only.
Best hotels in Moab
Sorrel River Ranch Resort & Spa
Luxury ranch on the Colorado River with spa, pool and horses, the resort as destination.
ULUM Moab
Resort grade glamping with ensuite tents, pools and restaurant under a massive rock formation.
Hoodoo Moab, Curio Collection by Hilton
Best luxury in town stay with spa and pool while keeping walk to dinner convenience.
Red Cliffs Lodge
Riverside ranch lodge with large suites, pool and horses, a favourite for families and groups.
Hyatt Place Moab
Modern family reliable chain hotel with breakfast, pool and quick access to Arches.
The Gonzo Inn
Boutique inn a block off Main with large suites, saltwater pool and bike group appeal.
Bowen Motel
Clean family run downtown motel where location steps to restaurants is the amenity.
Expedition Lodge
Group lodge with rooms to six and a pool, strong value for bike and 4x4 groups.
Is Moab expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $150 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $400 a person |
| Splurge | $1,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Delicate Arch: a few days ahead
- Dead Horse Point State Park: a few days ahead
- Fiery Furnace: weeks ahead
- Hell's Revenge Trail: weeks ahead
- White Rim Trail: months ahead
- Moab Daily Rafting: a few days ahead
- Westwater Canyon: weeks ahead
- Cataract Canyon: months ahead
- Lodging three to six months ahead for April to May and September to October weekends and event weeks.
- Fiery Furnace permits and Devils Garden Campground on Recreation.gov sell out, book when dates are set.
- Desert Bistro and Sabaku Sushi should be booked when you book hotels, other dinners a day before.
Is Moab safe?
- Heat and water are the hazard, carry a gallon per person per day and avoid hiking 10am to 4pm in summer.
- Flash floods threaten canyons and dirt roads in monsoon season, check forecasts before any canyon.
- Utah DUI limit is 0.05 and state liquor stores are closed Sundays, plan drinks accordingly.
Moab travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Midday Arches in summer is the top way visitors ruin Moab, hike at dawn and dusk instead.
- Do not try Arches and both Canyonlands districts in one day, Needles is a separate full day.
- Renting a Jeep to self drive Hell's Revenge on day one leads to damage and recovery costs.
Getting around Moab: public transport and more
- A car is not optional, there is no practical transit to parks and rideshare is thin at dawn.
- Downtown is flat and walkable, everything else is a drive, sort fuel, ice and water the night before.
- Rent in Salt Lake City, Grand Junction or at Canyonlands Field Airport, a standard SUV covers paved roads.
Who Moab suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Moab your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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