If I had to pick a destination for a long weekend full of hiking and adventure, I’d pick Moab in a heartbeat.
The first time we visited, we stupidly picked the hottest time of year to visit - the end of July. As we pulled into town, the thermostat on our Jeep was reading 107 degrees. Whew. Lessoned learned the hard way.
But we made the best of it - getting up early to try to beat the heat, ending the day with a cold beer from either the Moab Brewery or at a fun restaurant. It was an absolutely awesome trip full of hiking, off-roading, and all the adventures one can dream up.
If you are an outdoors lover, look no further than Moab. You have unlimited access to hikes, amazing views (hello, Arches!), and great food to fill you up pre and post hike.
Sitting about 10 minutes from the entrance to Arches National Park, 30 from Canyonlands National Park, and 40 from Dead Horse State Park, Moab is the hub for all sorts of outdoor adventures.
where we stayed
We decided we wanted a room that would have a small kitchenette to make breakfast ourselves since we were aiming to be up really early to hit the trails in the parks. After looking around extensively, we ended up booking a Bungalow at Moab Springs Ranch and loved it!
The Bungalow was cozy, with an amazing walk-in shower and AC that turned down extra low. The property was stunning and the service was top notch. I could not recommend Moab Springs Ranch enough!
must do Adventures
National Parks
There are 2 national parks very close to Moab - Canyonlands and Arches. We spent 2 full days exploring Arches and a half day in Canyonlands.
I highly recommend doing the Delicate Arch Trail to get out to the base of Delicate Arch in Arches.
In Canyonlands, it’s absolutely worth driving the entire drivable distance so you can get the full impact of the views that park provides.
Delicate Arch, Arches National Park
Canyonlands National Park
Off-roading Adventure
Outside of visiting the National Parks, we booked an off-road 4x4 trail tour to tackle Hell’s Revenge. This was probably my favorite part of our entire trip.
We booked the “U Drive T-Rex 4x4 Tour”. It ended up being a reasonably small group which is great. Steve drove the entire time and we had an absolute blast.
Not only do you get to drive some crazy off-road trails, you get to see parts of Moab that are only accessible by off-road vehicle.
Hell’s Revenge Off-Roading
Where to eat
Filling Breakfast - Moab Diner. Also open for lunch and dinner, this diner is a classic and a must visit if you love good diner food.
Coffee - Moab Coffee Roasters.
Fancy Dinner - Josie Wyatt’s Grill. We ate here for a special date night out and loved it. It is on the pricy side, so don’t go here if you are expecting something cheap.
Beers - Moab Brewery. We love a local brewery and this did not disappoint. It also has a full kitchen which was a really nice surprise!
We had a great time visiting Moab and hope we can get back there soon.
Happy Adventures!
