Things to do (and eat) in Moab
Moab, a small town nestled in Utah’s red rock district (oooh yeahhhhh baby), has occupied a special place in my heart since my first trip there with my parents and sister way back in 2017. Since then I’ve explored it six or seven times, once for a week straight as I worked remotely from the library parking lot (the WiFi was splendid and social distancing was… necessary). To say this place rocks is an understatement and I’m excited to share some of my favorite adventures and food recommendations.
Delicate Arch (2024) - This photo is a 24 shot panoramic HDR composite and is extraordinarily high definition. I love that you can see the little details in the rock if you zoom in!
Short Adventures (less than a half day)
Double Arch, The Windows, and Turret Arch Loop: These iconic arches are clustered together around 20 minutes into the park on the right after you pass Balanced Rock. You can pick and choose what you do here, but if you have an hour or two I’d recommend doing the short 1.5 mile hike around the Windows Arches and ending at Turret Arch. It’s a great way to see the desert and get away from the throngs of people.
Delicate Arch Trail: the most well known arch in the world deserves its own line on this list. Sure, it’s crowded and people will be in your photos, but you’d be remiss to miss out on seeing this beautiful and unique sandstone feature. Pro tip, if you hike it at night you can get some nice time away from society and see some of the darkest skies in the United States.
Grandstaff Trail: Not in Arches National Park, this hidden gem of a hike is just outside Moab and is well worth the 4.3 mile round trip. There is an incredibly long and dramatic arch at the end of it that, if you’re lucky, you can watch folks rappelling off of.
Long Adventures (all day fun)
UTV Tours: Have you ever seen your mother drift a car like a stunt driver from the Fast and Furious film franchise? Me neither… at least, not until we rented UTVs for a high octane tour of the desert near Moab. There are many shops in town that offer tours. Trust me when I say that this is something definitely worth your while if you’re looking for a higher speed activity on your vacation.
Devil’s Garden Loop: This 8 mile trail winds through the Devil’s Garden section of Arches National Park. Fair warning, there are some notable rock scrambles you’ll have to traverse to complete it. My first time doing it was with my sister in 2017 and it is one of the most fun hikes we have done together to date.
Druid Arch: Two or so hours South of Moab is the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Druid Arch, a 10 mile round trip hike through a wash and up some cliffs, is my favorite hike in that area. In my experience, you’ll feel very alone on this hike for the bulk of the time and, if you’re lucky enough to do it after dark, you’ll almost certainly get to see the Milky Way with your naked eyes. There is very little in the way of food or drink near this hike so be sure to pack accordingly.
Canyoneering: If you’ve never heard of this activity, it’s possibly the most fun Utah adventure you can find. Basically, it’s the activity of exploring slot canyons via any means necessary. In my experience you’ll rappel, hike, wiggle, squirm, crawl, and potentially even swim as you navigate the water carved sandstone labyrinths. Moab Canyon Tours is a fantastic company I’ve adventured with on a couple of occasions. In my experience, their guides are knowledgable, safety conscious, and I can give them my full endorsement for providing a good time.
Fiery Furnace: A very specific spot to canyoneer in Arches National Park, if you plan in advance you can get a REQUIRED permit via recreation.gov to explore the maze on your own. If you’re not comfortable navigating a place where GPS does not work, I recommend booking a ranger guided tour for your first time. The rangers know the path like the back of their hand and will furnish you with great skills as you learn to traverse a beautiful and rarely seen part of the park.
Drive the White Rim Loop: This is an activity that I haven’t done yet and is on my bucket list. This 100 mile loop follows the perimeter of the canyons of Canyonlands National Park and requires 4WD, high clearance vehicle (no sweat for my 4Runner I hope) to complete. It will likely take a few days to complete so bring plenty of water and a GPS messenger just in case you need some help out there. I’ll report back when I get the opportunity to do it :)
Hell’s Revenge OHV Trail: The most extreme of the extreme adventures, this is an activity NOT on my bucket list because I’m a chicken and don’t want to risk my vehicle, let alone my life. That said, a list of adventures in Moab would be incomplete if I didn’t at least mention this most legendary of off roading trails. If you brave this OHV course, you’ll encounter many high grade obstacles that will allow you to prove yours (and your vehicle’s) metal.
Food Recommendations (who’d have thought the desert has good grub?!)
Arches Thai (https://archesthai.com): this hole in the wall, 5 star local favorite, is a must go for me every time i’m in the Moab area. I love the chicken drunken noodles and can also whole heartedly recommend the Tom Yum Soup. In my experience it isn’t very spicy, but the chef would probably up the intensity if you asked for it.
Moab Coffee Roasters (http://www.moabcoffeeroasters.com): I may have had three mochas from this shop in three days last week. I don’t have a problem, you have a problem and the problem is you need more coffee.
Jailhouse Cafe (https://jailhousecafemoab.com/jailhousecafe/shop/home): Open seasonally, this might just be the best brunch I’ve ever had. Do yourself a favor and brave the two hour line if they’re open - it’s worth it.
There is SO MUCH to see and do in and around Moab, Utah and my list just scratches the surface. Last week, seven years after my family’s first visit, I got to journey back to this most special of towns with my fiancé, my parents, and, for his first time, my 85 year old grandfather. It was such a treat for me to get to share this Mecca of desert adventure with him as I know it has been on his list for a long time. We did some of the less extreme things on my list and also just simply drove around seeing the views. He even conquered the hike out to Mesa Arch, one of the most photographed sunrise spots in the country! His trip adds another delightful chapter for me in one of my favorite places on the planet.
As always, thank you for reading! I have a new listing in my shop of Delicate Arch in the event you would like to support my adventures. Please feel free to let me know if other images in this blog are also of interest and I’m happy to get them listed! Until next time, see you on the trail.