The name Moab, Utah may not ring an immediate bell, but the small town in southwest Utah is the launching point for two incredible US National Parks! Arches National Park is one of the most iconic, and most visited parks in the US, filled with incredible hikes and scenic spots that have been carved out of the rock over hundreds of centuries. But its neighbor, Canyonlands, flies under the radar for many visitors and is such a hidden gem of the National Park system. Any trip to Moab deserves ample time in both parks!
There are a few airport options for getting to Moab, and all involve renting a car - it’d be tough to visit without one! The furthest away of the three is Salt Lake City (SLC), which leaves you with about a 3.5 hour drive to Moab. The pro to flying to SLC is that it’s the largest of the three airports, and provides the most diverse flight options for getting in and out. While that drive might sound like a bummer, it’s a really pretty trip!
Provo Airport (PVU) is a smaller regional airport that leaves about a three hour drive to Moab. PVU is only served by Allegiant Air, which is a small regional airline, but does often have really great deals! If your home airport flies Allegiant, this could be a good option, but flight times are limited and less flexible with fewer routes in and out of the airport.
Grand Junction Airport (GJT) in Colorado is another regional airport, about an hour and forty five minutes from Moab with flights from American, United, Delta, and Allegiant! The Delta flights are from Salt Lake, so maybe worth avoiding that plane leg and just driving, but on American, you can go direct from Dallas and Phoenix. If you can score an affordable route to Grand Junction, this is the way to go!
There’s truly not a bad place to stay in Moab, so my best recommendation is to not blow your budget! Every hotel and motel has a pool, as do a good number of the apartments and rooms on Airbnb or VRBO. And in general, the town is small and easy to get around, so you don’t have to worry about being in a bad spot. The closer you are to Center Street, the more likely you are to be walking distance to food and shopping.
We’ve stayed in the Big Horn Lodge on multiple occasions and loved it. It’s one of the lowest priced motels in the area, has a super comfortable bed, and is right in the thick of the action. Honestly, you can’t go wrong here, and I don’t know that any of the higher priced places are worth the splurge here! Plus, if you’re like us, the majority of your time will be spent in the parks anyways.
Just because it’s a small town, there’s not an infinite number of food options, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great spots!
Moab Coffee Roasters has some of my favorite espresso I’ve had anywhere, and is a perfect place for starting your morning! They’ve got great, locally made baked goods and breakfast sandwiches as well. I would pitch some other breakfast places, but I’ve started every morning here.
Right downtown is the Moab Food Truck Park, which is usually home to 3-4 trucks. I’ve only tried food from Paninis Plus, but it was a great sandwich, and the perfect food to take with you into the parks for later in the day!
Antica Forma does amazing Neapolitan-style pizza, and their bruschetta and garlic bread are both top notch. The Antica Forma pizza is so. stinkin’. good. and has become a baseline to which we compare other pizzas.
It wasn’t open yet by the last time we went, but we’ve also heard good things about Moab Kitchen, the first 100% vegan spot in town! If you’re a plant-based eater, this is definitely a spot to check out!
Unfortunately, both Arches and Canyonlands are not dog friendly in any way. One of our favorite walks with Zero was right down the Colorado River. You start by parking at Lions Head Trailhead right at the edge of town, and takes you winding through the canyons along Highway 128. It’s a paved trail the entire time, and was an incredible place to see the sunrise change the colors of the walls all around you!
As far as dog boarding, there isn’t a big pet store in town, which are usually the places that offer the most flexibility in pick up and drop off. It’s honestly hard to recommend anywhere from our own experience, because it was not good; Zero got out of the woman’s house, which she later somehow tried to blame us for, and asked for more money despite already having well overcharged us. I can’t find her listing on Google anymore, so don’t worry about ending up in that same situation!
So far, I’ve visited 28 National Parks in my life, and I have Arches down as my 2nd favorite. This place is incredible. Truly beyond words. There are so many incredible trails to do, and things to see, so I would definitely recommend two full days inside the park to not feel rushed. From the middle of Moab to the Visitors Center is about two miles.
When you first get into the park, stop at the La Sal Mountains Viewpoint - it’s a great stop for an incredible panorama of the landscape we’re lucky enough to get to explore. It’s also a great place for photos at sunset as you’re leaving and reflecting on the day.
Arches is best known for Delicate Arch, which you’ll see pictures of in every place you go to, and is also the background for the state license plate. There are three main viewpoints for the Arch, two of which are hikes and only one of which I’ll recommend. The Delicate Arch Trail is about 3.5 miles roundtrip, and while it’s pretty uphill for most of it, it’s a really doable trail for all ages. Especially in summer, bring plenty of water, because it gets HOT. This is the hike to do.
But, if that’s not your speed, let me dish on the other two viewpoints. You’ll see signs when driving in for the Lower Viewpoint - follow those. Right at the parking lot, there’s a great spot to see the arch from. No hiking involved! You’ll see signs for another hike from there, but in my opinion, it’s really not worth your time. You get essentially the same view as from the parking lot spot, but have to hike like a mile to get there. It’s just...not really worth it.
Devils Garden is the area of the park most likely to close due to weather conditions, so make sure you check before you drive out there! It’s the westernmost area of the park and even if you don’t plan to hike through here, the drive is amazing and worth the little bit of time it takes to get there! The hikes in Devils Garden are definitely some of the harder trails in the park, so be prepared with enough water and snacks before starting!
Here’s another area of the park that is absolutely iconic. The hike up to the massive Turret Arch is really straightforward, and we were able to do it carrying an 8 week old Isla easily!
Park Avenue is the first area you’ll hit as you’re driving in, and is an awesome canyon to hike into and stand amongst the giants. It’s home to my favorite rock in the park, which I’ve dubbed Middle Finger Mountain.
Here’s another really easy hike that gets you some amazing pictures, and also just makes you think, “How did this get this way??”
Canyonlands is actually divided into four sections naturally divided by the dried up Colorado River and its tributaries. Important to note these sections are not connected. Island in the Sky and The Needles are accessible from Moab, with Island in the Sky being about a 25 mile drive from downtown.
The views in the Island in the Sky section of the park are amazing, and this area is actually home to an arch hike that you’ve probably seen pictures of! I always thought Mesa Arch was in Arches, because, well, yeah...but that’s not the case! In fact, this is one of my favorite hikes out of all the National Park hikes we’ve done. It’s not a particularly difficult hike, but the view, along with the up close, personal interaction with the Arch gives me chills. This should go without saying, but be careful at the edge, and don’t look down if you’re scared of heights!
The entire time you’re driving in the area, you’ll see a dirt road winding down the cliff, and may even see a couple cars driving down! That’s Shafer Trail, and if you’ve got a car with four wheel drive, you can take the trip down and back up. This is definitely not for the faint of heart or the timid driver/car passenger, so know your limits before you start! There’s not really much of a chance to turn around and you’re looking at a few hour experience!
The Needles is a section of sandstone pinnacles about 75 miles south of Moab - it’ll take you about an hour and 45 minutes to get there. Be prepared for a full day from Moab, bringing with you at least a gallon of water/person, and plenty of food for snacks and meals. Between at least three hours of driving roundtrip to get there, plus time in the park, you’ll be gone most of the day!
The wildest thing to see in The Needles is the Druid Arch. The arch reminds me of the aliens from War of the Words. The hike is definitely a trek; it’s about 10.5 miles out and back with about 1500 feet of elevation gain. But, this is totally worth it.
While you may start out just planning a trip to Arches, don’t forget about its neighbor! Canyonlands is absolutely worth at least a day as well. Having a town like Moab in the heart of these parks makes them so accessible. Even if you’re just visiting for a weekend trip, it’s hard to go wrong being in the beautiful canyons of Utah!
