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Today Renee from Livin’ Our Dash shares a 16-year favorite adventure destination for her family. Fire up the ATV’s and Jeeps.. I think it’s time to go!
City or town name:
Moab, UT
Is there an airport there? If not, what is the nearest airport and how far away is it?
Moab has a small airport. Great Lakes Airlines has flights from Denver. Otherwise, the nearest airport is in Grand Junction, CO, which is about a 1.5 hour drive from there.
Is this a place you have visited more than once? If so, what keeps you coming back?
We LOVE Moab! We’ve visited every year for 16 years. The scenery is wonderful. We love the red rock formations with the LaSalle Mountains in the background. It is a desert, so spring and fall are the best times to go.
What makes this place great for families to visit?
Moab is like a huge playground. People can go hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, rafting, ATV-ing, 4-wheeling, etc. It is also near several national and state parks.
How long should a family plan to stay to hit the highlights?
A family can hit the highlights in an extended weekend, but there is enough to do to spend a week or more.
What are some of the fun things to do? What were your favorites? Why? What ages would these spots appeal to?
The Moab Information Site has all of the information needed for planning a trip. There is also a Visitor Center in the middle of town that has a lot of information.
We like to go hiking, ATV-ing, and 4-wheeling. If you don’t have your own vehicles, you can rent ATV’s and Jeeps to go exploring the off-road trails. You can also take Hummer tours if you don’t want to drive. If you really want to see Moab, I suggest spending some time on the off-road trails.
Arches National Park is one of our favorite places to go. There are short hikes, long hikes, easy hikes, and back-country hikes to some amazing scenery. They also have a Jr. Ranger program for kids ages 6 to 12. The opening scene for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was shot at Double Arch here. They have a special ranger guided tour to the Fiery Furnace which is very popular and fills up fast. I would suggest reserving a spot for the tour on the park’s web site. There are some tricky spots, so you may want to watch the video on the web site before deciding to go.
Canyonlands National Park is also near Moab and has a Jr. Ranger program for ages 5 and up.
Dead Horse Point State Park has beautiful views of the canyons. The Grand Canyon scenes in the movie Thelma and Louise were actually shot here.
Hole in the Rock is a home carved out of a huge rock. This was interesting to see once, but we never felt the need to go through it again.
Moab is also known for its world-class mountain biking and river rafting.
There are also places to see dinosaur tracks and Native American petroglyphs.
If you like gift shops, you will probably want to set one day aside for shopping. There are many souvenir shops and galleries in downtown Moab.
One thing to consider, it is a desert area. Make sure to take lots of water if you are going to be spending the day outside!
What family-friendly places to eat would you recommend? Anything special about them?
Milt’s Stop and Eat is an old-fashioned hamburger place that is off the beaten path. They have wonderful milkshakes!
The Moab Diner is located downtown. It is pretty good and is reasonably priced.
We have never been to it, but the Bar-M Chuckwagon looks like a lot of fun for the whole family.
There are also several micro-breweries in town that are family friendly restaurants.
What hotels or other places to stay can you recommend?
We generally stay in a cabin at Canyonlands Campground which is right in the middle of downtown and within walking distance to the shops, etc. However, Moab has grown into quite a tourist town and there are many places to stay from campgrounds to mom and pop motels to major chain hotels. There are also houses and condos that can be rented.
There are several weekends throughout the year when major events are hosted in Moab and lodging can be hard to find. I would recommend making reservations well in advance if possible.
If adults can fit in a date night without the kids while there, what would you suggest?
The Sunset Grill is a cliff-side fine dining restaurant overlooking the town. We haven’t been there in a long time, but last time we were there the food was wonderful and so were the views.
Renee’s Destination Snapshot certainly makes me want to add Moab, Utah to my list! If you need more convincing, though, check out her post on Livin’ Our Dash, where she shares more about her experiences there with her family.
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