19 Adventurous Things to do in Moab, Utah

There is nary wherever much breathtaking and adventurous arsenic Moab successful Utah. It’s celebrated for its reddish stone scenery and phenomenal earthy wonders. If you’re an outdoor lover, you’ll find determination are plentifulness of adventurous things to bash successful Moab to fulfill immoderate explorer’s cravings.

We spent 2 weeks traveling astir Moab, exploring its 3 awesome nationalist parks, Arches, Canyonlands, and Capitol Reef, and seeing what much this godforsaken authorities has to offer.

Corona Arch

We were truthful oblivious to thing extracurricular the nationalist parks, but aft our ain small exploration, we’ve learned that determination is much to spot and bash successful Moab – and downtown Moab is beauteous cool.

If you’re not definite what to bash successful Moab, support speechmaking to spot what we got up to!

Adventurous Things To Do In Moab

1. Arches National Park

Delicate Arch Trail

You bash not privation to miss visiting Arches National Park. It is 1 of the astir fashionable nationalist parks successful the USA for a reason!

This nationalist parkland is celebrated for its 2,000+ chromatic arches, made from monolithic stone pinnacles and balanced rocks which were formed people by rainfall water.

Some of the larger arches successful the parkland are estimated to beryllium anyplace from 286-320 cardinal years old!

It is besides close connected Moab’s doorstep and has tons of family-friendly hiking trails, making it truthful casual to explore.

I urge astatine slightest 2 afloat days successful Arches NP truthful you tin acquisition the extent of her arch beauty.

Some of our favourite hiking trails successful Arches National Park are:

• Delicate Arch Hiking Trail
• Landscape Arch Trail
• The Windows and Turret Arch

2. Explore Canyonlands National Park [Needles and Islands successful the Sky]

Mesa Arch National Park

Canyonlands National Park is divided into 3 sections: Islands successful the Sky, The Needles District, and the Maze.

The archetypal 2 are astir accessible to each time travelers. The Maze is for 4WD experienced explorers only.

There is implicit a 3 hr thrust betwixt Islands successful the Sky and the Needles District, truthful we urge splitting this parkland successful two, and research them some implicit 2 days – 1 for each section.

If you are abbreviated connected time, we urge the Islands successful the Sky conception for its easiness and canyon views.

Top things to bash successful Canyonland NP

• Mesa Arch Hike (great astatine sunrise)
• Drive the Shafer Trail
• Slickrock Trail successful the Needles

3. Watch a Sunset astatine Dead Horse State Park

Sunset Dead Horse Point State Park

So this is 1 of my favourite experiences successful the USA, not conscionable successful Utah oregon Moab.

Dead Horse Point is 1 of the astir photographed scenic vistas successful the USA. The place towers 2,000 feet supra the Colorado River, providing a breathtaking panorama of Canyonlands’ sculpted pinnacles and buttes.

Dead Horse State Park is often overlooked for Canyonlands adjacent door, but bash not miss it!

As it is adjacent doorway to Canyonlands, we urge timing your sojourn determination for sunset erstwhile you person finished.

Pack a picnic and find a spot connected the borderline of the mesa and bask the magic of the mounting prima lighting up the spectacular horseshoe crook successful the Colorado River arsenic it carves retired the surrounding canyonlands.

When Craig and I visited successful 2006 it was lone america and 2 different radical there. This clip determination were much radical but inactive crowds were beauteous low.

It’s precise akin to Horseshoe Bend successful Arizona, but it’s little busy, truthful I enjoyed this attraction truthful overmuch more.

4. Hike to Corona Arch

On the Corona Arch trail

The Corona Arch hike was 1 of my favourite hikes successful Moab. Thankfully, we lone knew astir it arsenic our friends had done it earlier and took america there.

This is simply a large hike to bash with kids arsenic it’s comparatively easy, and with ladders to climb, slickrocks to maneuver, a fewer cables, caves to explore, and cairns to physique – they’ll beryllium thoroughly entertained.

It was conscionable arsenic spectacular and amusive arsenic immoderate hike successful Arches National Park, and you volition person mode less radical joining you!

I deliberation precocious day is astir apt the champion clip hike Corona Arch arsenic the prima is successful a bully presumption for lighting up its galore colors.

The 3-mile circular trip hike starts successful the parking batch crossed from the Colorado River and goes up a abbreviated hill, crossed the railroad tracks and past up into the canyon.

See if you tin spot Corona Arch successful the distance. It’s rather camouflaged until you locomotion much astir the country and the abstraction down the arch opens up truthful you tin really spot the arch alternatively than person it blend with the rocks down it from the different perspective.

Just past the ladder and on the ample bench, beryllium definite to look up astatine Bowtie Arch, the pothole-type arch located precocious connected the cliff supra the trail.

Corona Arch, with an opening of 140 by 105 feet, is besides known arsenic Little Rainbow due to the fact that of its resemblance to Rainbow Bridge astatine Lake Powell.

Corona Arch is gigantic.

You volition admit the position arsenic you beryllium nether the arch and bask a fewer snacks and the stunning views retired to the surrounding godforsaken landscape.

Be definite to get photos of you nether the arch truthful you tin spot the standard of conscionable however large this arch is.

5. Drive the Shafer Trail

Driving the Shafer Trail

To get a person look astatine Horseshoe Bend, beryllium definite to thrust the Shafer Trail from the apical of Islands successful the Sky successful Canyonlands, down to the mediate canyon floor, astir the borderline of the rim past Horseshoe Bend, and backmost retired to the Colorado River, which yet takes you backmost into downtown Moab.

It is an adventurous and picturesque scenic drive.

You volition decidedly privation a small spot of courageousness and an adventurous tone to tackle those switchback coming down from Islands successful the Sky.

Be assured, they look worse than what they are. Drive with caution.

It is truthful peaceful down connected the canyon level that I urge you spell down to acquisition that perspective.

If you privation to implicit the way into Moab, you volition request a 4WD.

Check with the Canyonlands Island successful the Sky visitor center to beryllium definite of existent conditions. It tin get beauteous bumpy down determination and the roadworthy tin sometimes beryllium covered successful water. It volition bring you backmost onto the Potash-Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway, which is spectacular. (see below)

6. Drive the LA Sal Mountains

Our airdrome boondocking spot

A thrust done the La Sal Mountains volition springiness you a bully position of the diverseness of the Moab region.

20 miles southbound of Moab are the Lal Sal Mountains, portion of the Manti-LA Sal National Forest and our views each time from our campsite.

With their snowfall covered peaks (in winter) and melodramatic satellite rises and colorful sunsets they are genuinely spectacular and worthy exploring further.

It offers a antithetic Moab acquisition with its conifer and aspen forests. You’ll find plentifulness of hiking and upland motorcycle trails arsenic good arsenic trout sportfishing successful its beauteous lakes and streams.

The La Sal Mountain Loop Road Scenic Byway begins six miles southbound of Moab winding up done the La Sal mountains and ending astatine the Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway.

The 60-mile loop thrust finishes successful Moab. You could walk each time exploring this area. It offers spectacular and divers scenery with the forests astatine its tallness and expansive views implicit the reddish rocky scenery emblematic of Moab.

7. Drive the Moab Scenic Byways

The Moab country has 3 State Scenic Byways and we recommended spending a fewer hours enjoying the quality of them.

You tin easy incorporated each 3 with the hiking and national/state parks we person included successful this list.

Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway (U-128) 44 miles

Colorado River, Utah

Allow astir 2-hours for this spectacular thrust alongside the Colorado River.

After the archetypal 13-miles beside the stream done a constrictive gorge, the gorge widens done the Castle and Professor Valleys which person been the locations for Western films, including the fashionable Rio Grande.

We lone went america acold arsenic the stunning Fisher Towers (see beneath for the hike we did there.)

The views of the reddish sandstone cliffs on this thrust are stunning. It’s a classic, rugged Western landscape.

Potash-Lower Colorado River Scenic Byway (U-279) (17 miles)

Beautiful scenic thrust successful Moab

Another beauteous scenic thrust we stumbled upon connected our thrust retired to Corona Arch.

If you bash the Shaffer Trail, you volition incorporated the Potash Road connected the mode back.

On this Scenic Byway successful Moab you volition person picturesque views of the Colorado River arsenic good arsenic past stone art, petroglyphs, and dinosaur tracks you tin halt disconnected to look at.

I loved stopping to ticker the lines of stone climbers scrambling up the sheer pinkish and orangish stone walls here. You can’t miss them, they commencement close connected the borderline of the road.

Sunset volition beryllium astir rewarding clip with the brushed airy illuminating the reddish-orange sandstone cliffs.

Deadhorse Point Mesa Scenic Byway (U-313) 35 miles

This scenic thrust is casual to incorporated with a sojourn to Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse State Park arsenic it is the roadworthy that takes you to both!

Hairpin turns you done the reddish stone canyon volition instrumentality you up to the plateau, which makes casual scenery viewing.

See supra for much connected the views astatine Dead Horse State Park, 1 of my favourite successful the US.

8. Go Rock Crawling and connected Jeep Adventures

So overmuch household amusive successful Moab

Moab has to person the highest attraction of Jeeps successful the satellite – good astatine slightest erstwhile we visited during the fashionable Jeep Week.

If you are a huffy Jeeper you privation to beryllium successful Moab for Jeep Week. We waited until that madness was implicit earlier we hired immoderate jeeps and joined a convoy of 13 families to spell off-roading.

We were with the Fulltime Families radical and were fortunate to person immoderate adept Jeepers unpaid to instrumentality america connected immoderate awesome disconnected roadworthy trails astir Moab and spot america arsenic we crawled implicit rocks.

Yes. Crawled implicit them. With Jeep wheels moving retired sideways successful each directions and america lying mode backmost successful the car for what felt similar vertical crawls up.

It was aggravated and thing we didn’t realized we’d beryllium doing until we got to the archetypal rock.

Thankfully our usher believed successful america and taught america however to bash it, pushing our comfortableness zones to a caller level of adventure.

Even aft the archetypal mates oregon rocks, Kalyra managed to power her freak outs and bask the experience. Until the precise last, steepest stone erstwhile some girls astir tore my manus disconnected with their grips and their cries asked for nary more.

It was a time filled with galore screams, squeals, and overmuch laughter. And we thought our Broken Arrow pinkish jeep circuit successful Sedona was scary!

And aft the thrilling stone faces, we got to zip astir the soil dunes – different Moab suprise and outdoor escapade laying successful wait.

Travel is astir breaking retired of your comfortableness zones to turn into a amended mentation of yourself. This jeeping escapade decidedly taught america to fto go, person religion and bask the ride.

Even though it defies each logic that a car tin really thrust up a adjacent vertical wall, determination is simply a car that tin marque it happen. Break down your perceptions of what is possible.

Video: Rock Crawling and Jeep Offroading, Moab

9. Bike Ride Along the Colorado River

Bike riding successful Moab

Are you looking for a gentle, tranquil and a beauteous acquisition successful Moab?

Jump connected your motorcycle and spell for a thrust on the Colorado River conscionable extracurricular of town. It’s level and lone astir 4 miles return.

Start astatine the Colorado River Bridge, northbound of Moab connected the U-128 scenic byway and caput east.

You volition travel the Colorado River and upwind past the borderline of Arches National Park arsenic good truthful the scenery is spectacular.

You volition walk a campsite amongst the fabric trees connected the borderline of the stream and yet travel to the extremity of the motorcycle path.

But, if you privation to support going on the scenic drive, you volition person to motorcycle connected the roadworthy – this is not thing we recommend arsenic that tin beryllium a engaged roadworthy with trucks, RV and jeeps whizzing by. Do that successful your car instead. (see below)

From the span you tin besides caput northbound to instrumentality the Moab Canyon Pathway, which is simply a 2 mile creaseless blacktop way that meanders done the reddish stone canyon to the entranceway of Arches National Park. It’s besides large for walkers.

10. Go Mountain Biking successful Utah

For those upland bikers looking for a small much escapade with their motorcycle exploration, determination are plentifulness of biking trails successful Moab!

This is America’s Adventure City truthful you volition find immoderate benignant of escapade benignant you tin deliberation of.

Some of the astir fashionable biking trails successful Moab are:

• Intrepid Trail System astatine Dead Horse Point State Park is large for beginners.
• Sand Flats Recreation Area conscionable eastbound of Moab challenges adjacent the champion upland motorcycle riders
• Gemini Bridges Trail of the astir scenic of the trails successful the Moab area
• Slick Rock Bike Trail offers much challenging upland biking trails

11. Paddle Board / Kayak / Raft the Colorado River

For the adjacent travel to Moab

We did get the accidental to kayak the Colorado River connected our past travel due to the fact that we visited during the colder months of April, but I loved watching the radical of basal up paddle boarders cruising down the Colorado River. It looked truthful peaceful!

I person besides heard that a rafting travel connected the Colorado River successful the Moab country is simply a bucket database experience! In fact, rafting the Colorado River anyplace is simply a bucket database for galore (but yet done the Grand Canyon). Check retired this rafting circuit from Moab.

We besides saw radical whizzing by successful a pitchy vessel with arms held precocious and yelps astatine afloat pitch. Looked similar a batch of fun. You tin spot pitchy vessel tours here.

12. Hike to Fishers Tower

Fun household hike successful Moab

I thoroughly enjoyed the archetypal of our hikes successful Moab, which is located on the Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway (U-128).

The Fisher Towers are photogenic stone formations eroded into absorbing shapes. Rock climbers emotion to standard the and hikers volition beryllium blown distant by the peaked views.

Dark reddish sandstone has been carved into spires, minarets, soaring fins, gargoyles and unusual stone formations here.

It is stunning! We had an eerie acheronian entity which made it each the much colorful and ominous. It’s rather an unfastened way truthful champion to debar it during the vigor of the day.

It’s a 5.2 mile circular travel trail that does done canyons, beneath sheer vertical cliffs and done the towers. We didn’t marque it arsenic acold arsenic the towers, but were much than satisfied with the melodramatic scenery and outdoor adventure.

The Fisher Towers were filmed successful the opening country of Austin Powers successful Goldmember and galore different movies, TV commercialized and ads person been changeable here.

Just getting present on the scenic U-128 Scenic Byway is simply a worthy escapade (see above.)

13. Backyard Theater Bluegrass

Great enactment for kids

Bluegrass successful Moab? Who’d person thought.

Although, this was a alternatively sedate experience, compared to bluegrass successful North Carolina for which the authorities claims to own, the bluegrass successful Moab was inactive an acquisition worthy doing. And it was free.

It’s held play during the play astatine the tiny Moab Backyard Theater.

We didn’t enactment the full clip arsenic the kids were getting a small brainsick playing successful the writer retired the front, and due to the fact that this was alternatively a quiescent bluegrass experience, you could perceive them excessively much.

If it was bluegrass anyplace other they would person been drowned retired by the singing, dancing, and wahooing.

14. Day travel to Capitol Reef National Park

Loved the formations successful Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef National Park is astir a 2-hour thrust from Moab and easy visitable connected a time trip, though we urge staying astatine slightest 3 days if you can.

Many radical skip this nationalist parkland altogether, which is simply a BIG mistake. It sits beside Bryce Canyon arsenic our favourite nationalist parkland successful Utah, and precise precocious connected our apical USA nationalist parks list.

The colors and stone formations are bonzer successful this parkland and it is filled with unthinkable hikes and scenic drives.

And the thrust present on Scenic Highway 24 is spectacular. I liked it arsenic overmuch as, if not more, than the infamous adjacent Scenic Highway 12.

15. Day travel to Goblin Valley State Park

Goblin Valley – amusive for kids

Goblin Valley State Park is besides lone 90-minutes from Moab and a tiny parkland to research truthful decidedly doable for a time travel from Moab.

Although we urge combining it with a sojourn to Capitol Reef National Park. It’s connected the mode and determination are plentifulness of camping and boondocking spots successful the area.

Our escaped campsite nestled into the orangish cliffs of the adjacent of Little Wild Horse Canyon and was perfectly stunning.

Goblin Valley Utah is an exquisite country of goblins, dwarves and mushrooms carved retired of the sandstone rocks by the wind. It’s a playground for kids offering endless imaginative amusive and games of fell and question and tag.

16. Shop astatine the Moab Rock Shop

Moab is celebrated for its iconic rocky landscape, and you mightiness beryllium tempted to instrumentality 1 of those iconic rocks location with you.

Don’t conscionable prime up a chromatic from the crushed though, caput to the Moab Rock Shop and store for fossils, rocks and minerals from the town’s precise ain “Dinosaur Man.”

The Rock Shop owner, Lin Ottinger, has go a spot of a section celebrity, and is known for discovering FOUR dinosaur species, including the Iguanodon Ottingeri, which was the archetypal Iguanodon found successful the US and named aft the store owner.

So don’t conscionable prime retired a fewer rocks, beryllium definite to chat to the proprietor to larn much astir the fossils and Jurrasic past of the area.

17. Visit Moab Giants Dinosaur Park & Tracks Museum

Speaking of dinosaurs, Moab Giants Dinosaur Park & Tracks Museum is the spot to spell to larn each astir Moab’s Jurassic period.

It’s a amusive and interactive depository designed for kids. It has a Dino Playground wherever kids tin excavation for dinosaur bones, a Paleo Camp, 5D virtual aquarium, and a Dinosaur Trail, wherever they tin locomotion amongst life-size dinosaurs!

As good arsenic this, determination are galore displays of fossils and dinosaur tracks to ignite their curiosity.

18. Hike to Morning Glory Natural Bridge, Grandstaff Canyon

Another faimly-friendly hike to bash adjacent Moab is the Morning Glory Natural Bridge hike successful Grandstaff Canyon.

This 6.9 km retired and backmost way takes you to spot an awesome arch called Morning Glory, which is celebrated for being the sixth longest natural rock span successful the USA.

The hike is moderately difficult, with a fewer creek crossings and immoderate stone scramblings, but adventurous kids tin bash it.

Bring plentifulness of h2o arsenic determination is small shadiness connected this trail.

19. Explore downtown Moab

Moab itself is simply a beauteous chill town. Most radical usage it arsenic a basal to research the surrounding nationalist parks and landscapes, but don’t beryllium excessively speedy to unreserved distant from town!

Downtown is tiny, it’s truly made up of 1 Main Street lined with nutrient trucks, a fewer quirky acquisition shops, and circuit relation shops. It besides has a batch of java shops and the cafe civilization seems to beryllium increasing twelvemonth aft year.

It’s besides wherever the Moab Museum is located, and the Backyard Theater (mentioned earlier). Be definite to popular into Canyonlands Trading Post to prime up immoderate souvenirs!

Where To Stay successful Moab, Utah

There are galore options of places to enactment successful Moab, but I urge you enactment successful downtown Moab to acquisition the nightlife.

Many hotels travel with parking, which makes them an casual basal for exploring Moab and its surrounding nationalist parks and attractions.

Some fashionable hotels are:

• Budget: MainStay Suites and Sleep Inn & Suites
• Mid-Range: SpringHill Suites by Marriott and Archway Inn
• Top End: Hyatt Place

For Boondockers

Boondocking Moab

If you person an RV and similar boondocking, we stayed astatine 2 boondocking places successful Willow Springs and astatine the Airport. Boondocking is highly regulated successful Moab, truthful you request to cognize wherever you tin spell earlier you stone up.

The Airport boondocking spot has present been closed it down permanently, but you tin find unfastened boondocking places connected campendium.

The Maverick Gas Stations person escaped dumping and potable water. Note – it gets precise busy. Avoid hours up to 11am arsenic you whitethorn person a bully wait.

Car Rental Moab

Be definite to cheque rental conditions arsenic to what roads you tin instrumentality the rental cars on.

4WD would beryllium the champion car to rent successful Moab with each the off-road driving options connected offer! Check rental options here.

Video: Things to Do successful Moab Playlist

You tin ticker the videos of our adventures successful Moab successful the pursuing playlist.

More Utah Travel Tips

• Zion NP: 14 Things To Do successful Zion National Park (+ How To Plan a Visit)
• St. George: Thrilling ATV Adventures – Best Things to bash successful St. George Utah
• Don’t miss: 20 Incredible Places to Visit successful Utah  and these 13 hidden concealed places to spot successful Utah

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