Moab, Utah: our top 5

If you love adventure, nature and spectacular landscapes you need to check out Moab.

This small town in south-east Utah is home to two unique National Parks, a State Park – which would probably be a National Park if it didn’t have such impressive neighbours, and the mighty Colorado River. Moab is a hub for all things adventure, you can: off-road in 4X4s, ATV’s or on mountain bikes, zip-line, rock climb, kayak, white wate raft and paddle board. Plus, the town has great food and drink and a range of accommodation.

We spent 4 days in Moab. Here’s our don’t miss list:

Dead Horse State Park

This park is worth the trip alone and is often ignored in favour of Arches and Canyonlands. Dead Horse State Park is an overlook of of a deep bend in the Colorado River. It’s sublime and much more impressive than the more famous Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. Tip – visit on the way to Canyonlands.

For more on Dead Horse State Park click here.

Canyonlands

Canyonlands NP is split into 4 sections. Island in the Sky is the most visited and closest to Moab. The views over the Colorado River gorges are spectacular. We preferred it to Arches add our favourite Arch – Mesa Arch – was in Canyonlands.

Tip – try and see another section of Canyonlands, The Needles is nearby, if you’re in the area.

Arches NP

You can’t miss Arches NP. It’s the iconic park home to Delicate and Landscape Arch. The selection of arches (over 2000) is impressive, but it’s incredibly busy and this can impact the experience.

Tips – if you’ve not pre-booked, go after 5 and see the sunset near an arch. Try and visit twice and see a different section each time or you can get ‘arched’ out; finally, take lots of water. You’ll need it and there’s none in the park.

For more on Arches click here.

Moab Food Truck Park

The Food Truck Park in central Moab is home to a great selection of cafes, diners and restaurants, but we mostly ate in the food truck park. This shaded outdoor park is surrounded by a selection of good value trucks all offering delicious food.

Tip – breakfast at Nuclear Bean Coffee Co. try a panini and smoothie from Paninis Plus at some point on your trip.

Stargazing

Moab has some of the best dark skies in the US. In normal conditions you should be able to see up to 2,500 stars. The best places to lookup and enjoy are in the National Parks.

Tip – check out the programmes at Dead Horse State Park.