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Trying to decide if it’s worth visiting Moab, Utah? Short answer: yes. Long answer: also yes.

Moab is an outdoor lover’s paradise whether you like mountains, river, desert, rock art, mountaing biking, hiking, paddling, rafting, skydiving, they have it.

It’s an absolutely beautiful area and the town itself is wonderful (extremely busy and expensive but wonderful).

If this brief intro hasn’t convinced you to visit, I’ve got a questionably long list of reasons to visit Moab below.

National Park Goodies

• If you’re planning to visit three or more national parks within a year from your trip, definitely get the America the Beautiful pass. It will save you money in the long run if you’re going to more than three parks in a year. Buy the pass here.
• If you’re planning on doing a lot of hiking on your trip, or even at home, check out AllTrails! This is my favorite app to find, keep track of, and track my hiking activity. And it’s FREE! Sign up here.
• This Ultimate National Park Planning Bundle is a must-have. You get two ebooks and a planner, saving 50% by getting them as a bundle! If you want all the details, this is the bundle for you. Buy the Ultimate bundle here.
• Doing a road trip? Want an adventure? Consider an Escape Campervan Rental! It’s a great way to see the parks and is perfect for couples and small (but close) friend groups. Book a campervan here!
• This National Park Planner (one of the ebooks from the bundle above) is perfect if you just want some guidance in your planning. Buy the planner here.
• Get yourself a National Park journal for all of the NPS sites (400+!) to keep track of your travels!
• Consider reading some of these books set in national parks before your big trip, on your adventure, or once you get home to take you back to the parks until next time.

Reasons to visit Moab: the short list

Don’t have time to read the full list or just want to know my top reasons to visit Moab? Look nor further! (Or save it for later to look further when you have time).

• The national parks (I’m counting them as one reason here)
• The shops downtown (really the whole downtown area)
• The landscape variety (mountains, river, desert)

Reasons to visit Moab: the full list

Now we have the full list of all the reasons Moab is worth visiting. And there are a lot of them.

Moab has so much to offer and while it may be a tourist hot spot and a bit of a traffic nightmare (especially in the summer), it’s a hot spot for a reason. Well, 17 reasons, at least.

It’s home to Arches National Park

First up is probably the crown jewel of Moab, home of Delicate Arch (as seen on Utah license plates): Arches National Park.

It was the 20th most visited park in 2022 with 1,460,652 visitors (compared to Canyonlands at 29th with 779,147 visitors) and is just a short drive from downtown Moab.

Whether you’re just driving through Arches, only have one day in Arches, visiting in the off season, or want to just hike as much as possible, it’s a great park to visit.

Here are some great hikes in Arches:

• Delicate Arch
• Landscape Arch
• Tower Arch
• Fiery Furnace (one of my favorite hikes ever)
• Sand Dune Arch and Broken Arch

And Canyonlands National Park

Another major reason to visit Moab is Canyonlands National Park, a short drive from both downtown Moab and Arches.

With almost half the number of visitors of Arches, it’s not quite as busy though you’ll still run into crowds on Mesa Arch Trail and on weekends and holidays.

Like Arches, it’s great to visit even if you’re just driving through, only have one day, or are visiting in winter. Here are some great Canyonlands hikes:

• White Rim Overlook
• Murphy Point
• Mesa Arch

Plus two state parks

Not only is Moab home to two national parks, it has two state parks as well: Dead Horse Point and Utahraptor.

Utahraptor State Park is quite new and isn’t really developed yet, though you can camp here.

Dead Horse Point, however, has plenty to offer, including camping, yurts, mountain biking trails, and hiking trails, all with some of the best views in Moab.

Things to keep in mind when visiting dinosaur sites:

• Don’t take the bones.  I shouldn’t have to say this, but I do because people have dug out some of them.  While there aren’t any marked here that I’m aware of, if you do find some, leave them where they are.
• Just look at the tracks, don’t fill them with water.  While it makes them easier to see, it can damage the tracks.
• If you find artifacts, do not take them.  Leave them where they are and just take pictures.
• And finally, don’t carve in or write on the rocks!  I don’t want to have to say this, but I need do.

It’s a great area for camping

Moab is such a great area for camping. Aside from the national and state parks, there a million other places to camp, too.

There are BLM campgrounds, free dispersed camping, and private campgrounds (like RV park type places), all in the desert, along the Colorado River, and up in the La Sal Mountains.

No matter the type of camping you like, you’ll find it here. Just be sure to book early if you want to be in the national parks (and maybe state parks to be safe).

If you want a fun camping experience, consider renting an Escape Campervan! They’re perfect for outdoorsy road trips for couples and (close) friends, and make for a unique camping experience.
Book an Escape Campervan here!

There are thousands of rock art sites

Ok maybe not thousands, but certainly hundreds. (There could be thousands, I have no idea really.) Some are easier to get to than others but they’re all amazing to see.

These were all made by various groups of Native Americans that lived in the area and show a variety of styles.

There are some really unique sites near Moab and should definitely not be missed if you’re in the area and have an interest in rock art.

Here is some of the easier access rock art in Moab:

• Intestine Man
• Sego Canyon
• Bartlett Pictographs
• Golf Course petroglyphs
• Birthing Rock (and Moonflower Canyon)
• Newspaper Rock
• Wolfe Ranch
• Potash Road (they are marked with a sign)

Things to keep in mind when visiting rock art & ruins:

• Do not touch the rock art (pictographs or petroglyphs) because the oils on our fingers can degrade them.
• If you find artifacts, do not take them.  Leave them where they are and just take pictures.
• If there are structures (rooms, kivas, anything like that) don’t enter them unless it is stated that you can.  Most places you can’t but national and state parks will have restored structures you can enter.  Mesa Verde, Edge of the Cedars, and Anasazi Museum all have ruins you can enter.
• And finally, don’t carve in or write or paint or draw on the rocks!  I don’t want to have to say this, but I need to for real.

And tons of dinosaur track sites

If you like rock art, there’s a chance you’ll like to see dinosaur bone and tracks, too, which are certainly not lacking in this area.

The Mill Canyon Dinosaur trail and dinosaur tracksite are two of the best and easiest places to see these in Moab.

The Willow Spring and Copper Ridge tracksites are also cool but a bit harder to get to and may require a high clearance vehicle.

There are also some on Potash Road that are super easy to see and require very little hiking.

Want to read about dinosaurs before your trip?  Check out some of these books!

• The Sixth Extinction
• The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
• Jurassic Park
• The Tyrannosaur Chronicles
•  The Dinosaur Artist

There is no lack of hiking

Moab is an adventure lover’s paradise and has no shortage of hiking trails to choose from for hikers of all skill levels.

Corona Arch (pictured) is one of the more popular hikes outside of the national parks meaning it’s a little busy but still a must-do at some point.

A few other good hiking trails outside of the national parks include the Fisher Tower trail, Mary Jane Canyon, Grandstaff Canyon, and Druid Arch (ok, this is in Canyonlands but it’s’ in the Needles so I’m not counting it).

Join a Corona Arch helicopter tour here for a different perspective!

You can see (and swim in) the Colorado River

That’s right, the Mighty Colorado River runs right through Moab! Whether you want to be in it or on it, or just near it, there are plenty of activities to choose from.

If you just want to check it out, you can take a drive down Potash Road or Highway 128. There are lots of beaches and places to pull over along both roads.

You can also hang out on the beaches and do a little swimming (if you’re comfortable swimming in a river) or do some paddleboarding.

There are also dinner cruises on the river you can enjoy as well as some jet boat type tours and even rafting trips.

It’s an adventure sport lover’s paradise

If you like adventure sports, you’ll like Moab. Probably a lot. I mean, I’m just a hiker and I love it.

Whatever your adventure sport of choice is, it’s probably here. You’ll find mountain biking, BASE jumping, canyoneering, sky diving, rafting, and off roading.

Join a Hell’s Revenge tour here!

You can escape into the mountains

While the main draw of Moab is its red rock desert, there are also the La Sal Mountains just outside of town which are perfect for escaping the summer heat.

Or doing some snowshoeing in the winter! There are some campgrounds here as well as some hiking trails. I haven’t been up in the La Sals yet but they look beautiful!

It’s also great if you just want to go for a drive. You can do the La Sal Loop Road for something a little of the beaten path.

If you want to drive a tiny bit further, there are also the Abajo Mountains outside of Blanding.

Or do one of the scenic drives

Speaking of scenic drives! There are a surprising number of beautiful scenic drives in and around Moab:

• Potash Road
• Arches Scenic Drive
• Island in the Sky Scenic Drive
• Highway 128 along the Colorado River
• La Sal Loop Road
• White Rim Road (not for the average visitor)

Join a White Rim Road tour here!

They have a brewery

If breweries are your thing, there is a brewery in town and you can get beer above the now 5.0% limit! (It used to be just 3.2%).

They also have a restaurant in the brewery so you can have dinner and a drink! I would probably just get the drink and have dinner somewhere else (like 98 Center) but it’s still worth trying if you don’t want to make two stops.

I wouldn’t say this is like, a super hip brewery inside, it’s mostly looks like a restaurant but if beer is your thing, it’s probably worth a stop.

And even a winery!

Don’t like beer but still want a drink? No fear, there is actually a winery outside of Moab!

The Spanish Valley Vineyard & Winery is just ten minutes from downtown headed toward Blanding (not the Interstate).

I knew this was here for years but I had no idea where it was, much less that it was right on the side of Highway 191 basically!

They offer tastings daily from 12-7 (no reservation needed) and tours by reservation, and you can bring wine home as a souvenir, too.

It has a wonderful downtown with tons of awesome shops

I love downtown Moab. It’s beautiful (if busy and terrible for traffic) and has tons of great shops.

Of course, it has it’s touristy stores, too, but I feel like there are fewer of those than there used to be.

Some of my favorite stores to visit every time I’m in town are Moab Made, Back of Beyond Books, Ar-tee-sian, and Desert Wild.

It’s worth spending an afternoon or morning just walking around downtown Moab, if you have the time.

Plus an awesome food truck park

Another great thing about downtown Moab is the food truck park! This is perfect if you just can’t decide what you and your group want to eat.

Tacos El Gordo was delicious but I didn’t try anything else in the park to say if anything else was better.

I also really like Quesadilla Mobilla but that’s not technically in the park, just nearby.

Don’t worry though, there are plenty of other types of food to choose from, too, including coffee, ice cream, paninis, pizza and pasta, fancy bowls, sushi, and more.

And it’s just absolutely beautiful

Finally, but most importantly (maybe) Moab is just unbelievably beautiful. I mean, look at that. Look at all these pictures.

How could you not love that?! Ok, so I’m sure there are people out there that don’t but I’m absolutely not one of them, if you couldn’t tell.

If you were on the fence about visiting Moab because of the cost or crowds, just know that even with those, it’s absolutely 100% worth visiting.

Have you been to Moab? What did you think of it? Do you want to go? What is your favorite thing about it?