We are privileged to live so close to Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park.
Utah has 5 National Parks and Arches is the closest to Moab. Arches NP has the largest concentration of natural arches in the world with about 2,000 named arches. The park is about 15 minutes from this home.
Canyonlands NP and Dead Horse Point SP are about 45 minutes away. Among other things, these park offer amazing back-country opportunities (multi-day backpacking, 4-wheel driving, hiking, biking etc.). They are also the backdrop of many movies including Thelma and Louise: spoiler alert!!! they didn't really take off the Grand Canyon at the end of the movie, the famous scene was filmed right outside of Moab; Mission Impossible II, yep, not an exotic location either, the first scene of the movie was filmed in Dead Horse Point and Castleton Rock. We have movie location information available in our condo.
Moab is also known for its outdoor adventures including:
• Four wheel driving: there are over 80 trails to choose from. Moab has hosted Eastern Jeep Safari for 50 years, the largest four wheel driving rally in North America. Through ought the year, Moab hosts smaller but similar events such as Moab Jeep Jamboree, Rally on the Rocks, and Bronco Safari.
• Rafting on the Colorado River: Moab is the base camp for rafting in the Fisher Tower’s section of the Colorado River, Desolation Canyon in Green River, and Cataract Canyon in the Colorado River. Cataract Canyon has some of the biggest white water rapids in North America and attracts hundreds of visitors to the Moab area every year.
• Biking: Moab is known as the “mountain biking mecca of the world” thanks to some famous trails such as Slickrock Bike trail and the Intrepid. Every year Moab hosts visitors from all over the world including countries as far as Australia, New Zealand and many visitors from Europe and Asia.
• Spectacular scenic hiking and marathons: there are countless numbers of hiking trails in Moab, ranging from easy-scenic trails to more advanced multi-day trails. Because of the scenery, Moab also attracts thousands of runners. Some of the more popular marathons are the Half and Other half Marathons and the Thelma & Louise Marathon.
• Because of its unique history, geology and climate that has allowed for pristine preservation, Moab also attracts hundreds of paleontologists to study and discover dinosaur sites, geologists to study the different formations, and anthropologists to study ancient civilizations that have occupied the area.
Chad and I are tour guides and we would be more than happy to share any information you may need to make your vacation more enjoyable. We love sharing what we know about this amazing little town! Go ahead, don't be shy and ask us a questions.
