My Ultimate Moab Hiking Guide

Table of Contents

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I’ve been asked for Moab recommendations a few times recently, so I figured to make sharing those easy, I would share a giant post listing everything I love about the area!

I’ve done almost everything in the top sections (if I didn’t, there will be a * next to it). I will also highlight the things I love the most in red for easy spotting. If it has ! after the activity title, it tends to be a must-see for first time visitors.

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I’m not going super into detail in any of the sections because I don’t want this post to be more overwhelming than it needs to be but each thing has a brief description.

All hikes included (other than the “I haven’t done it yet” section are on the shorter side, usually 3 miles or less, unless otherwise noted.

If I have a separate post about the activity, I will also link it so you can get all the details and information (and my thoughts/experience) there!

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.

Arches National Park

Obviously we have Arches National Park first on the list. It’s one of two national parks in Moab, and closer to town than Canyonlands. This is a great park for a shorter visit because it has tons of pullouts and arches near the road or just involving a short walk.

There are still some longer hikes though if you want to get away from the crowds and deeper into the park (which I highly recommend if you have the time!)

I highly recommend getting here early, or entering the park after like, 4. Or morning and evening then do something else during the day because it gets so busy here and parking can be very hard to get in peak season. And they’re not doing the entry permits this year so it may be busier.

Delicate Arch!

First up is Delicate Arch, the crown jewel of Utah (it is on the license plates after all). This is a moderate three mile round trip hike that gets extremely busy so goo early or later in the day. But it will also probably be busy for both sunrise and sunset.

Sand Dune and Broken Arch!

These two arches are at the same trailhead and are a nice flat walk, less than about a mile round trip to both, give or take. Most people just go to Sand Dune Arch, so it’s worth the extra walk to see Broken Arch, too.

Fiery Furnace

Fiery Furnace is easily one of my top hikes ever, if not my number one. Of anywhere. This is such a fun and unique trail. You can only do this hike with a permit and your options are self-guided (what we did) or ranger led.

If you’re not comfortable navigating in the desert on your own, do the ranger led hike. This trail is marked but it can be very hard to see some of the trail markers. 10/10 worth it! It’s less than three miles for the whole loop, but is moderate.

Landscape Arch!

Landscape Arch is probably the second most well-known arch in the park (it’s the one on the maps) and is an easy hike with little elevation gain.

Park Avenue*

This is the first hike you’ll come to in the park and while I haven’t done the whole trail, I’ve stopped here plenty of times and even just doing that is worth the old west view!

Double Arch!

In the Windows area of the park you’ll find quite a few arches, all worth the short walks to see. But the most exciting arch in this area, and one of the more unique ones in the park, is Double Arch. You can pretty much see it from the parking lot, so it’s a super short walk to get to but definitely worth it.

Tower Arch

I think this is the best off the beaten path hike in Arches. It’s literally off the beaten path of the main road so it’s much less busy. It is a dirt road but it’s an easy dirt road.

This trail is 3-4 miles with a little elevation but has beautiful views and scenery along the way. I love this hike a lot and didn’t even know it existed until my last visit!

Devil’s Garden

I haven’t done this trail yet, at least not beyond Landscape Arch. This is a long and moderate-strenuous hike taking you past a lot of arches in the Devil’s Garden area.

Tunnel and Pine Tree Arch!

These are also in the Devil’s Garden area, but are before you get to Landscape Arch. It’s a shorter hike but there is a short steep hill you have to go up/down to see both of these. It’s worth it though and doesn’t take too long to see both since they’re basically next to each other.

Get a 3 day Arches and Canyonlands itinerary!

Landscape arch arches national park utah

Delicate arch hike arches national park moab utah

Canyonlands National Park

Next up is Canyonlands, a short drive outside of Moab. I’m mostly talking about the Island in the Sky part of the park here. There is also The Needles and The Maze but those are better for backpacking and longer trips to the area.

Mesa Arch!

Mesa Arch is the most popular hike in the park and is an easy one(ish) mile loop. It’s very popular for sunrise (get there EARLY), but I prefer it for sunset myself.

Whale Rock

This is a short easy hike, maybe moderate depending on your skillset that takes you up a rock that looks like a giant whale! It’s not a must-do, but it’s short and the views are nice (nothing like the main road though). If you have a spare 15-30 minutes, it’s not bad to add in.

Murphy Point

This is a great easy hike that is 3-4 miles round-trip, ending in fantastic views. It’s a pretty flat trail without much to look at until you get to the end but it’s so worth it! Parking is limited here.

White Rim Overlook

This is another great trail that is easy, short(ish), with great payoff. There isn’t a ton of parking here but there’s more than Murphy Point. And even if you don’t do the whole hike, even straight out has great views.

Needles Overlook*

This is an overlook outside of Island in the Sky, toward Blanding on Highway 191. You could combine this with a visit Newspaper Rock and Wilson Arch.

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White rim overlook trail Canyonlands Utah

Rock art and ruins

Next up is rock art and ruins, one of my favorite things to see in Moab! Everything I have listed is just a short walk, but there’s plenty more that involves longer hikes if you look for it.

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.

Newspaper Rock

This is probably the most well-known site on this list. It’s a huge panel of hundreds of petroglyphs right on the side of the road on the way to the Needles area of Canyonlands.

While you don’t need to go all the way to the Needles, it’s definitely worth the drive to see this site, and if you have the time, pop in to the Needles. It’s a really beautiful drive into the park and a much quieter part of the park, too.

Bartlett Rock Art

This site is off the road up to Island in the Sky, down a dirt road a bit. It was a fine road that most cars should be able to make it down. If it recently rained though, it may be impassable, like most dirt roads around here.

Here you’ll do a short walk in sand and rock to some pretty tall robot alien looking figures. These are strange and I love them a lot.

Intestine Man

This is probably my favorite Moab rock art site so far and it’s literally on the side of the road up to Island in the Sky! You’ll do a short walk through the grass too a man with his intestines out and parrots with him. There are some bonus petroglyphs a short walk from here (directions to them are in my full post).

Moab golf course

Right at the entrance to the Moab golf course is a petroglyph panel that anyone can visit. It’s a short drive from downtown Moab and involves no walking other than getting out of the car.

Sego Canyon

This is a 45-60 minute drive from Moab, off of the Interstate. Once you’re back off the interstate, it’s a sort drive through a ghost town then a short walk from the parking area to the pictographs. Like, you can see them from the car short.

There are two spots to see them here but the trails lead you to both so it’s easy to find. The main site here is some quite large alien robot figures, similar to Bartlett but also different. Plus a lot of other things, and some petroglyphs.

I love this site. I’ve been here twice but would definitely go back and bring anyone here who hasn’t been here before, it’s such a unique site that’s very easy to get to.

Birthing Rock

This site is down the road the parallels the Colorado River, across from Potash Road. It’s where the new Kane Creek Development is to be built (booooooooo!)

This is a sacred site depicting, well, birth, on a giant boulder on the side of the road (which does eventually turn to dirt before getting to it). There are petroglyphs on all sides of the boulder but the birthing panel is the main draw.

This was vandalized a couple of years ago and it should go without saying (i already said it), but don’t vandalize these sites or any nature, actually.

Moonflower Canyon

On your way to Birthing Rock, right on the side of the same road, is Moonflower Canyon, another very easy to access rock art site! This is literally right by the parking area, you don’t need to walk into the canyon at all (trust me) unless you want to.

Potash Road Wall Street area

Finally, across the river from Moonflower Canyon is Potash Road, home to Wall Street (the world famous climbing area), dinosaur tracks, Corona Arch, and, of course, petroglyphs.

There are quite a few petroglyphs here, some lower, and some up higher. Parking is pretty limited here so be careful where you stop and don’t block the road.

Scenic drives

Now we’ve got scenic drives!There aren’t too many specific scenic drives near Moab, but a lot of driving is scenic anyway!

Potash Road

I’ve mentioned Potash Road a few times now but this is a nice, fairly short scenic drive on the outskirts of Moab along the Colorado River.

It’s popular but it’s beautiful! Spend an hour or two enjoying the drive, the petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks, and hiking to Corona Arch.

Potash Road connects to the Shafer Canyon/White Rim Road at the very end. It’s worth going to the end once, but really, beyond the Corona Arch trailhead it’s not terribly exciting.

Colorado River Highway 128

Now, on the opposite opposite side of the river (not across the river like the Moonflower Canyon and Birthing Rock Road, but like, across Highway 191 the other direction, is Highway 128.

This is by Castle Valley and Fisher Towers also along the Colorado River. It’s on the Arches side of the highway while Potash Road is on the Canyonlands side.

This is a beautiful drive that eventually takes you to Cisco, another ghost town, and out to the Interstate. It’s a nice alternative to help get you to Grand Junction.

It’s worth a drive out anyway even if you’re just going back to Moab though. There’s a ton of camping along here and some nice hikes, plus 10/10 views of the La Sals heading back to Moab.

La Sal Loop*

If you’re visiting in the summer and want too escape the heat, or enjoy some fall colors, consider half a day on the La Sal Lop Road! This is a 60 mile paved road around the La Sal Mountains that takes about three hours to complete.

This is at the top of my own list to do next time I’m visiting Moab (which is sooner than I thought!) so I’ll report back after that. But this is a great way to escape the crowds at most of Moab’s other attractions.

Shafer Canyon/White Rim Road*

I wouldn’t recommend this for the average visitor but if you’re properly equipped and experienced, this is a great thing to do in Moab! This is a 100 mile loop road around the Island in the Sky part of Canyonlands.

When you’re way up there looking down and seeing cars driving way below you, they’re on White Rim Road! This is a dirt road that requires high clearance and 4WD and I would say at least two days to drive.

Other

And finally in this section we have the other stuff around Moab. Hikes and parks ad things that don’t fit in the above categories.. kind of. I’ve mentioned some above but they all get a specific mention here too.

Corona Arch

I think corona Arch is one of the most popular hikes in Moab outside of the national parks. It’s about three miles round-trip and I’d say easy, maybe leaning slightly moderate for some.

It’s an easy to follow trail that takes you to Bowtie Arch (a pothole arch formed by pooling water) and Corona Arch, a large kind of free-standing arch.

Mill Canyon dinosaur tracks

This and the next trail are next to each other (a short drive away in the same trail area) which makes doing both of them super easy! This trail is a short boardwalk taking you over dinosaur stomping grounds, meaning you can see hundreds (thousands?) of preserved dinosaur tracks here!

This is a short trail, half a mile at most, and flat, so it’s super easy. There is plenty of parking but it wasn’t busy either time I was here. It’s a cool trail especially for dinosaur fans. They’re some of the easier to access tracks in the area. There is a short dirt road to get to them though.

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.

Mill Canyon dinosaur trail

Just a bit further down the road you came in to get here is the dinosaur trail, which, unlike the previous trail, is dirt, a little rocky, and takes you to see dinosaur bones preserved in rock instead of tracks!

There are signs all along the trail pointing them out because they can be hard o spot, but this is another fairly short and pretty easy trail. It’s longer then the boardwalk trail but I think you’d really only need an hour or so to see both of these. They are a bit of a drive from Moab but well before the Interstate.

Copper Ridge dinosaur tracks

In the same direction from Moab as the previous two stops (toward the Interstate) is another more rugged dinosaur track site. These are on the opposite side of the highway and take a little more work to get to via car, but once you get to the trailhead, it’s a short uphill(ish) walk to the tracks.

Deadhorse Point State Park!*

Heading back up to Island in the Sky, this is where you’ll find Dead Horse Point State Park, I’d say one of the more popular places to visit in Moab beside the national parks. There are a couple of shorter hikes here. I’ve technically been here but didn’t hike so I don’t count it.

Potash Road dinosaur Tracks

Finally, as mentioned previously, the dinosaur tracks on Potash Road! There is a short walk to the tracks that does require some rock scrambling, but it’s not super difficult.

These are a great little stop between other stops on Potash Road and the view of the Colorado River is beautiful! Although I am curious to see it with that stupid Kane Creek Development going in on the other side.

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Day trips

I was going to include descriptions for the day trips, but I think I’m just keeping them as a list for now since there’s already so much to do in and around Moab. But, if you are using Moab as a base and doing day trips, this short list is a good place to start your planning and search.

Blanding area
Colorado National Monument
Goblin Valley and Little Wild Horse Canyon
Robbers Roost slot canyons*
Capitol Reef National Park
San Rafael Swell

the windows area of arches national park view of the la sal mountains at sunset moab utah

Things I haven’t done but want to (aside from the few listed above)

I’m not going to go into detail on these, it’s more of a personal bucket list/jumping off point for further planning for you! I would say most of this section is for return visitors, people who have seen the main sights, or anyone wanting to get off the beaten path a bit.