Moab - An Adventure Seekers Paradise

One of our favorite places to visit is tucked away in the southeastern corner of Utah surrounded by glowing red rock towers - MOAB.  The landscape resembles a scene from the Disney movie Cars (one of my favorites) and there is no shortage of things to do for the outdoor adventure seeker. Speaking of movies, did you know there have been over 50 Hollywood movies filmed in and around Moab including the famous scene where Thelma and Louise drive right off a cliff into a canyon?

My 3 daughters and I have visited Moab twice and stayed for 3-4 days each time.  This is a special place for us where we forget technology for a few days, bond over some of the best breakfast burritos in the west and climb slick rock, squeeze through slot canyons and play hide and seek with the goblins.  Keep reading, you’ll understand soon enough.

 Where we have stayed.

Let me start by saying, we are not fancy pants and don’t really need much more than hot water and a cozy-ish bed so we tend to shoot for mid-price range hotel.  After all, we don’t go to Moab to hang in a hotel, we go to roam the land.

With that said the two places we’ve stayed were comfortable, had plenty of hot water and both had a pool and hot tub – which is nice to have after a long day of hiking.  Did I mention our daily adventures are 10-12 hour days?  Yeah, something my husband wants no part of which is why my daughters go with me and he stays home and enjoys the silence. They are my favorite people to travel with because we all like to pack in as much as possible all while stopping to smell the desert flowers, of course.

1. Hotel Moab Downtown is well, downtown Moab. Nothing fancy, but clean and comfortable with all the necessary amenities for a good night’s sleep. Hot water, plenty of space and a decent bed.  It’s conveniently located right across the street from Moab Adventure Center so if you have a tour planned with them this is the perfect location.  Plenty of eateries and shops within walking distance and there is a pool and hot tub, which is just what you need for relaxing after a long day of adventuring.
2. Fairfield Inn and Suites is close to Arches National Park and is just north of the Moab “strip”. Good place to stay if you don’t want to be in the thick of the downtown scene, which can be very crowed in the evenings, but keep in mind if you want to go out for dinner you’ve got to drive here from the hotel.  The continental breakfast here is more than just cold cereal and a bagel. There is a variety of yogurt, eggs, breakfast meats, oatmeal etc. to fuel you up before you head out on your hike.  Also has two pools and two hot tubs.

 FOOD!

We love food and my girls can EAT.  Especially after hiking all day, we really work up an appetite. We might enjoy food as much as we enjoy travel. Some of our favorite places to fuel up are.

1. Love Muffin Cafe Go here for breakfast before heading out on any hike or just because. Just do it; you won’t be disappointed. We stopped here every morning on our last trip before heading out on our hikes. I’m not one that likes to eat as soon as I get up in the morning, but I know that you can’t hike on zero calories so for me the portions are huge and I had to share. 

2. Doughbird If you prefer something sweet to start your day head next door to Doughbird for the best donuts. Yes, the best. Handmade every morning and the selection will have your mouth watering. I particularly love their salted caramel cronut – delish. 

3. Moab Coffee Roasters Yes, you can get coffee at Doughbird and Love Muffin, but we preferred the coffee at Moab Coffee Roasters. The coffee beans are roasted daily on site, so you know your cup of joe is super fresh.  This hip cafe is located diagonally across the street from Doughbird and Love Muffin. 

4. Moab Brewery Great place to end the day after a full day hiking. Typical American menu with great brews.  My favorite is the Moab Especial and Jordan’s is Johnny’s American IPA. They even have to-go brews so you can keep a stash in your hotel fridge.

5. Moab Diner old school diner vibe with excellent service and good down home cookin’. The portions are big, so this is a good place to stop before or after your hike.

Check the websites for hours as several places in Moab are closed a day or two during the week.

 What we’ve done.

We’ve done a ton of things in Moab and this is just a glimpse of some of our favorite things to do:

1. Rafting down the Colorado River. When we did this rafting trip in July the water was the color of chocolate milk and it was freezing cold for us Floridians, but this trip was so much fun. There is a lot of history and incredible views on this half day trip we took through Moab Adventure Center.  Our guide was knowledgeable about the area and made sure we got soaked in the rapids. This is a good trip for families. The rapids on the half day trip aren’t hard core (Class I-II) but you can expect to get wet on this trip.

2. Arches National Park. We love this park and have been several times.  Located just north of Moab this park gets super crowded, especially in the summer.  So crowded in fact that the park now requires a timed reservation to enter the park from April 3-October 3 during peak hours of 6am-5pm daily. If you plan on going during this time, check out the nps website on how to get your reservation.

Delicate Arch

3. Canyonlands National Park. We did a brief run through Canyonlands on the last day of our trip to Moab. It was late afternoon before we got to the park and since we were there in the fall we were fighting for daylight so we didn’t see too much while we were here.  We did make a stop at the famed Mesa Arch and stopped along the way to take in the dramatic views.  Canyonlands is located just southwest of Moab so if you’re staying in Moab and have the time to take in both parks get to Canyonlands early and plan to spend a full day here. Canyonlands does not require a timed reservation to enter the park.

Mesa Arch

4. Goblin Valley State Park Some of the best parks are the state parks. This gem is full of mushroom looking rock formations called goblins and is located about an hour and a half west of Moab. Once you get here, you’ll think you’ve landed on Mars. From the picnic area you look out into the Valley of Goblins which is divided up into three valleys. This is a free roaming area and there are NO marked trails within the valleys so if you’re not experienced in backcountry hiking, reading an aerial map or using GPS stick to the first two valleys (keep the picnic deck in site). Outside the Valley of Goblins there are six miles of marked trails including the Goblins Lair and Caramel Canyon Loop Trail. We loved it here so much we came back for a second day to roam through the goblin mazes in the first two valleys.

Goblin Valley State Park

5. Scenic by-way U-128. If a leisurely cruise in the car with the top down is more your thing you cannot miss this drive.  A 44-mile stretch along the upper Colorado River known to the locals as “River Road” this scenic drive starts in north Moab and is full of spectacular views of towering red cliffs and the might Colorado River. There are plenty of hiking trails along this stretch and even camping if spending a night along the Colorado River underneath the stars is your jam. 

Scenic by-way U-128 Moab, Utah

Two other places worth mentioning:

Dead Horse Point State Park – located about 40 minutes west of Moab. The views of the vistas are breathtaking and the trails are moderate to easy.

Little Wild Horse Canyon – located just outside Goblin Valley State Park.  Highly recommend if you want to hike through slot canyons.

As you can see there really is a lot to do and see in Moab and every time we visit we find a new place to explore.  Have you been to Moab? If so, what are some of your favorite spots?

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