Five Days in Moab, Utah
Moab in Eastern Utah, is the gateway to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Both form part of the incredible Grand Circle which includes all five of Utah’s National Parks. Just a 1 hour 45-minute drive from Grand Junction Airport, Colorado, Moab is a haven for mountain bikers with its extensive network of well-marked trails including the world famous Slickrock Trail.
Dream
Moab was our home base after long days exploring Arches National Park and Canyonlands. The small city with a population of just over 5,200 has many motel style accommodations and restaurants to cater for the large number of tourists that visit every year.
Warning: the hotels in Moab won’t make any luxury lists but if you’re heading to Moab you’re most likely not looking for a spa retreat. We stayed at the Best Western Plus, Canyonlands Inn. It was in a great location. Rooms were large, clean and comfortable. Just the job after a long day of hiking or biking.
Hilton Curio Collection is building a brand new hotel in the city which may provide a higher-end alternative. Hoodo Moab is projected to open 4th quarter 2017.
Desert Bistro
Dine
Moab is a meat and potatoes destination with lots of restaurant/bar options, but we found a few gems within steps of the Best Western.
Dinner:
Desert Bistro: This restaurant is our favorite in Moab. We ate there more than once during our stay. It was by far the most upscale dining room we found, with great entrees and an extensive wine list.
Eddie McStiff’s: Local favorite bar and restaurant serving Moab since 1991.
Lunch:
Quesadilla Mobilla: A high-quality food truck for the food truck non-believer. The quesadillas are delicious. Stop there for lunch because they’re not open for dinner.
Breakfast
Jailhouse Café: Located on Main Street, very close to the Best Western. Their menu has all the traditional breakfast favorites. If you’re going to have an active day of hiking or biking, it’s o.k. to carb load on the pancakes.
Do
Moab is for outdoor lovers.
Arches National Park: This is one of our top three National Parks in the USA and somewhere you will want to visit at least twice during your stay in the Moab area. The expertly crafted Delicate Arch trail, with its breathtaking payoff, is one of the best in the US. There are some steep drop-offs on this trail, but these should not be enough to deter even the occasional hiker.
Of the many other trails throughout the park, one of our favorites is the relatively easy Park Avenue trail with its majestic sandstone buttes rising from the valley floor like New York skyscrapers.
Also try the park ranger led Fiery Furnace hike. Sign up in advance for this online or at the Visitor Center. And a visit to the park would not be complete without taking in the incredible Balanced Rock, familiar to movie-goers from the opening scenes of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: it's actually real, not CGI!.Canyonlands National Park: Canyonlands is massive and is split into four districts by the Green and Colorado Rivers; Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze and Horseshoe Canyon. It’s hard to visit more than one of these districts in a single day. But a good place to start is Island in the Sky, which is only about 45 miles from Moab. This district is home to Mesa Arch, the original Microsoft Windows screensaver. Also of note is the hike to Grand View Point, an easy one-mile hike that showcases the beauty of the Canyonlands.
Mountain Biking: Moab is extremely popular with mountain bikers. The city is practically surrounded by a network of mapped bike trails. There are a number of bike rental shops in Moab, but we would recommend Poison Spider Bicycles. The bikes are up to date, well maintained, and the staff are very helpful and happy to provide expert advice to the novice rider.
Slickrock Trail: This unique, spectacular world-famous bike trail sits on a hill just outside Moab. Formed from Navajo sandstone, the trail consists of a 6.8-mile main loop and a 2.3-mile practice loop. Both trails are very technically and cardiovascularly demanding and are not recommended for the novice rider! The trail is marked by a white dashed line painted on the surface of the sandstone. The rubber tires of a mountain bike stick like glue to the dramatic sandstone slopes despite the steep gradients. Definitely one of the highlights of any trip to Moab!
Negro Bill Canyon: This is the location of one of our favorite rides. It’s a flat paved bike trail weaving through the orange rock canyon.
Dead Horse Point State Park: Between Arches and Canyonlands make a quick stop at this State Park for some impressive vistas.