Wouldn’t you know that Moab, Utah is 5 hours (by car) from Denver!
Moab is home to several of Utah’s most diverse National Parks. Within minutes of town you will find yourself surrounded by out-of-this-world red rock landscape of Arches National Park. Less than an hour’s drive will put you atop the mythical sounding Island in the Sky, a remarkable district of Canyonlands National Park that makes you feel as if you are on top of the world. (discovermoab.com)
We unfortunately only had 1.5 days here and if I would have known how amazing the experience was going to be I would have planned a longer time.
Moab Day 1
Pulling into Moab, I expected a cute historic town. First thoughts were “This is not a cute town. I’ve made a terrible mistake.” It’s basically a bunch of hotels on the side of a highway so I thought to myself, what is all the hype about?
Once we checked into the hotel I checked out all the brochures and in the lobby and discovered a ton of 4×4 off-road adventures.
I called Moab Cowboy and thankfully they had openings for that evening! The lady on the phone, who we later met as a 7th generation moabian (is this a real word?) Cricket, offered us a guided tour or a tour where we could drive the UTV ourselves. Contemplating driving ourselves sounded fun, until I remembered I don’t trust Justin driving me a fully protected vehicle much less an open air machine. So I chose the guided tour.
Thank goodness I chose the guided tour! Hell’s Revenge is not for off-roading beginners or faint of heart (but if you are beginner you can still drive, nuts! Their motto is “Trust the Machines”) Hell’s Revenge has very steep climbs and descents. A twisting, turning trail that leads you over some of Moab’s toughest Slickrock. At a few points, Hell’s Revenge crosses the Slickrock Bike Trail. Views include the La Sal Mountains, the Colorado River, the Moab Faultline, Arches National Park, Sandflats Recreational Area, and Moab itself.
Along the way Cricket tells so many fascinating stores about the trail, surrounding areas, rescue stories, and where the dinosaurs roamed with track evidence! We even saw what was believed to be a dinosaur nest, with the cutest little foot prints surrounding a nest outline!
If you ever find yourself in Moab, Utah be sure to swing by Moab Cowboy and book a tour. You won’t regret it!
Moab Day 2
On our second day in Moab we met up with our friends Amanda and Cole who also happened to be in Moab at the same time. They picked us up at our hotel and we took off for Arches National Park which is about 10 minutes from most Moab hotels.
Entering the park felt like we were in a Star Wars movie. The massiveness of the park is indescribable.
There are so many fun hikes like Devil’s Garden, Double O Arch, Tower Arch, Delicate Arch, and Landscape Arch. You can also drive the 36-mile round trip Scenic Drive. Other must see items are Balanced Rock and The Windows. Information on all of these hikes can be found here.
We landed on some driving through the park, Balanced Rock, and the Delicate Arch Trail which is 3-miles round trip and is listed as a difficult trail. We could have easily spent 3 days just exploring the park and various trails!
We will certainly visit Mab again to check out Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse State Park. 32 miles from Moab, Dead Horse Point State Park is one of Utah’s most spectacular state parks. The view from Dead Horse Point is one of the most photographed scenic vistas in the world. Towering 2,000 feet above the Colorado River, the overlook provides a breathtaking panorama of Canyonlands’ sculpted pinnacles and buttes.
Can’t wait to visit again!
