Ultimate Travel Guide for Moab, Utah

I just returned from Moab, Utah and I had the BEST time! Back in 2020 when our options for destinations to travel were limited, we decided to visit the Grand Canyon, and then after finding out that we both loved to hike, we started making a goal to visit at least one national park every year. in 2021, we visited Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks. This year, we decided to visit Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Both are found within a short drive from Moab, so it was an easy decision to visit them both this year!

The closest major airport to Moab is located in Salt Lake City (about a 3.5 -4 hour drive). Walker Field Airport is located in Grand Junction Colorado and is about a 1 hr 45 min drive. We flew into Salt Lake City, picked up our rental car, stopped at the grocery store for snacks and water, and make the drive to Moab. This isn’t as easy of a drive and location to get to compared to visiting Zion or the Grand Canyon from Las Vegas. The traffic is no joke in Salt Lake City, so depending on when you fly in and eventually get on the road to Moab, it could take you a lot longer than 4 hours.

We arrived around 9 PM on our first night. If you don’t want to drive in the dark, be sure to try and land as early as possible. There are a lot of winding roads through the mountains so if you’re not confident in driving through that, be sure to try and start early.

We had 3 full days to spend in Moab. This gave us plenty of time to visit Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Deadhorse State Park. Canyonlands and Deadhorse are located very close to each other, so if you’re looking to see both of these in one day, it is definitely manageable.

Best Time to Visit Moab, Utah

We have been visiting the national parks during the month of October. This has historically been great for us because the weather is great, it’s cooler temperatures, and the parks are not overly crowded. I would NEVER visit in the summer. It looks to be so hot, there is limited shade, and a lot of people, and not as nearly enjoyable visiting later in the year or when temperatures are cooler. The best time to visit Arches and Canyonlands National Park is April through May and then September through October. The most popular times to visit the park is from March through October. However, if you can avoid the summer months, DO IT. It will be so hot and not very fun. This past visit to Moab, we actually got some snow! We had some bad weather that rolled through on one of our days in Moab that brought in a cold front with SNOW! It limited our time in the parks, but it was still a wonderful time to visit.

Where to Stay in Moab

There are a lot of great accommodations in Moab!

Hyatt Place Moab

We stayed at Hyatt Place Moab and LOVED it. The rooms were spacious and clean. The hotel was decorated (like REALLY decorated) for Halloween, and since I’m a huge Halloween fan, I loved the decor! This hotel is new to Moab and is considered “upscale” for the area. It is close to downtown Moab (a quick 2-minute drive) as well as about 5 minutes to Arches National Park. It’s the perfect location. This hotel has a great pool with views of the Moab canyons, a continental breakfast, and is pet friendly!

Springhill Suites by Marriott Moab

This hotel is super close and convenient to Arches National Park (about a 4-minute drive). This is a great hotel option because it has family rooms that can hold up to 8 people comfortably. It’s great for larger families or groups wanting to stay together.

Hoodoo Moab, Curio Collection

This hotel offers views of the Moab canyons and is about a 10-minute drive to Arches National Park. It is a block from Main Street in downtown Moab, so it’s super close to everything and in a great location. Of course, all of this comes with a hefty price tag because it’s a Hilton and in a great location.

Moab Under Canvas

This is located about 8 miles from Arches National Park. It’s not close to downtown Moab if you’re looking to spend a lot of your time in the area when you’re not hiking. This is considered “glamping” where you can have a luxury tent with a shower and enjoy the outdoors all at the same time.

Sorrel River Ranch & Resort

This is located about 20 miles from Arches National Park. You’ll find great views of the mountains and rivers. This is considered a luxurious location because of the entire experience that you would be getting when you stay here.

What To Do in 3 Days at Arches National Park & Canyonlands National Park

If this is your first time in Arches National Park, below is a great list of what to see and do within a short amount of time. You can fit a lot in if you plan to spend the entire day hiking. Otherwise, you can pick a few hikes to do so that way you have the remainder of the day to relax and enjoy downtown Moab. My biggest piece of advice is to start EARLY. Parking is super limited in Arches and Canyonlands at the popular trailheads, so I recommend getting up early, parking before sunrise, and then starting out on your hike as soon as you have a glimpse of sunlight (or start with a headlamp). This way the weather is cooler, it’s less crowded, and ensures you have a parking spot. Arches National Park was working off a time entry slot that you had to have up until the beginning of October. That is no longer required to enter the park, but if the park gets busy, they will close it and not allow cars to enter. They will announce when you can enter the park later in the day but that’s a huge bummer to drive all that way to get to the park entrance and it’s closed due to capacity. If you start early, you won’t have this issue! Be sure to use the All Trails app for information and reviews on the hike that you are interested in.

Arches National Park:

Windows & Turret Arch (Takes 30 minutes to complete)
Double-O Arch (Takes about 2 hours to complete)
Delicate Arch (Takes about 1.5 hours to complete)
Park Avenue (Takes about 1 hour to complete)
Fisher Towers: The drive out here along the river through Castle Valley is gorgeous! 2-mile hike one-way
Cove of Caves: 1-mile out-and-back trail near Moab, Utah. (about 30 minutes to complete) The site is situated just north of the famous Double Arch in the Windows Section of the park. There isn’t an established trail to follow, but the best route sticks to the slick rock where visitors can hike without leaving a trace on the ground.
Broken Arch
Sand Dune Arch

Canyonland National Park

Canyonlands National Park is huge, with 2 separate entrances for the mesa high above and the valley below. There are tons of great viewpoints, easy hikes, and more lengthy hikes. My favorite was definitely the Mesa Arch. This is a very popular location because of the views, so try to get there early before the crowds. Picture lines for this arch can get long! Here are some of my favorites to do:

Mesa Arch: GO AT SUNRISE IF YOU CAN. Mesa Arch is probably the most photographed spot in all of Canyonlands
Island in the Sky Visitor Center / District
Grand View Point Overlook
White Rim Overlook Trail
The Needles
Buck Canyon Overlook
Candlestick Tower Overlook
Whale Rock Trail

Dead Horse Point State Park

Dead Horse Point State Park is actually one of Utah’s best state parks. If you have purchased an annual pass for the national parks, it will not work here because this is a state park and not a national park.

Deadhorse Point actually borders Canyonlands National Park so you’ll get great views here as well. I personally think the views of the Colorado River are better here!

If you don’t have time for hiking here, you can actually drive to some of the different lookout points and park and walk out to them. Think of it like the Grand Canyon where you can drive and park and walk out to the top of it.

You will find breathtaking views of the canyons below, similar to some of the views from Island in the Sky at Canyonlands, but with a cheaper entrance fee, and dogs are allowed. There are plenty of hiking and mountain biking trails, but also space just to wander if you don’t have time to hike. Technically you could visit Deadhorse State Park right after Canyonlands National Park. This is what we did since we fit both of these in on the same day.

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Arches National Park

Stop #1: Double Arch (0.5 miles round trip), Windows (1-mile loop), and Turret Arch (right next to the Windows – about 0.2 round trip back to the Windows trail). Another fun attraction nearby is Balanced Rock (0.3 round trip).

Stop #2: Devil’s Garden (the full primitive loop is 6.8 miles and includes Navajo, Partition, Double O, Dark Angel, and Private Arches); if you would like a taste of Devil’s Garden but don’t have time to do the full loop check out Landscape Arch (1.6-mile round trip), Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch viewpoint is on the same trail (1 mile round trip).

Stop #3: Delicate Arch hike (3 miles round trip). I highly recommend to plan this hike for at sunrise or sunset to avoid the heat and awesome photo opportunity.

Stop #4: Tapestry Arch , Broken Arch and Sand Dune Arch Loop (2.7 miles)

Canyonland National Park

Stop #1: Dead Horse Point Overlook (because it is epic and easy accessible). Also, Shafer Canyon Overlook is 6 minutes away.

Stop #2: Island in the Sky District- Mesa Arch (0.5 miles round trip), Grand View Point, Green River Overlook, Buck Canyon Overlook.

Stop #3: Needles District: Roadside Ruin (0.3 mile), Cave spring (0.6 mile loop), Wooden Shoe Arch overlook, Pothole Trail (0.6 mile), Big Spring Overlook and Slickrock Foot (2.4 mile loop)