Plan Your Moab, Utah Vacation
Moab sits between two national parks, on a river, surrounded by thousands of square miles of public land. This site covers what to do here, when to come, what it costs and what to book ahead. Every fee and figure on it is checked against the park service, the state and the operators themselves.
Take the vacation planner See a sample itineraryRent one or bring your own. A Jeep is a great way to see Moab.
Two National Parks and One Small Town
Moab is a small town in southeast Utah with Arches National Park 5 miles north and Canyonlands about 40 minutes west. Most visitors stay 3 to 5 days, pay $30 per vehicle to enter each park, and split their time between the parks, a river trip and the off road and bike trails on the public land in between.
The parks are the reason people come, and they are not the whole trip. The Bureau of Land Management ground around town holds the slickrock riding, the jeep routes, the climbing and the slot canyons, and almost none of it needs a park entrance pass.
What makes Moab unusual is how tightly it is packed. You can hike to Delicate Arch at sunrise, crawl over Hell's Revenge by noon, paddle the Colorado in the afternoon and watch the sun go down from Dead Horse Point, all inside about 35 miles of Main Street.
Local tip. The light is the thing people get wrong. Delicate Arch faces the late sun, so the classic photograph is an evening hike. Mesa Arch in Canyonlands faces east and glows for about twenty minutes at sunrise. Check the Moab sunrise times and sunset times before you plan either one.
Moab at a glance
- Best months
- April, May, September, October
- Arches entry
- $30 per private vehicle
- Canyonlands entry
- $30 per private vehicle
- State parks
- $20 per vehicle
- Annual pass
- $55 covers Arches, Canyonlands, Natural Bridges and Hovenweep
- Timed entry
- Not required at Arches in 2026
- Permits
- Fiery Furnace hikes and the White Rim Road
- Town to Arches
- 5 miles north on US 191
- Town to Canyonlands
- About 40 minutes to Island in the Sky
- Nearest airport
- Canyonlands Field, 11 miles from the Arches gate
Fees, distances and permit rules checked against the National Park Service and Utah State Parks on November 2, 2026.
Moab Adventures, Sorted by What You Want Out of the Day
Some of these need a guide, a permit or a 4x4. Most do not. Each one links through to trail by trail detail, difficulty and what the day actually involves.
Hiking
Trails run from a 100 yard paved viewpoint to all day canyon scrambles. Delicate Arch, the one everybody asks about, is 3 miles round trip with 480 feet of climbing and very little shade.
Canyoneering
Rappelling into slot canyons with a guide who carries the ropes and reads the weather. Granary and Bow and Arrow take people who have never been on a rope. Nobody should be in a slot canyon with storms in the forecast.
Rafting and paddleboarding
The Moab Daily stretch east of town is the standard half day, with small rapids and a lot of canyon. Westwater and Cataract are the serious whitewater. Flat water above town suits paddleboards.
Mountain biking
Slickrock and the Whole Enchilada are the names people know. Klondike Bluffs and Navajo Rocks are where most visitors have a better day. Riders often call the slickrock grip unlike anything at home.
Off roading and UTV tours
Hell's Revenge and Fins and Things climb slickrock domes right outside town. The Shafer Trail drops off the Canyonlands rim. Drive your own rig, rent one, or let a guide take the wheel.
Scenic drives
Highway 128 follows the Colorado upstream past Fisher Towers. The La Sal Mountain Loop climbs out of the heat into aspen. Potash Road runs under the cliffs to the petroglyphs and the potash ponds.
Quieter options get their own pages too: birdwatching, fishing, disc golf, horseback riding, museums and the paved Moab Canyon Pathway. Riding an e-bike? Read the Moab e-bike rules before you load up. Everything is indexed on the things to do in Moab page.
The Moab Tours Worth Reserving Ahead
A guide handles the permits, the gear and the timing, which on a short trip is most of the work. In spring and fall, morning departures often sell out 2 to 4 weeks out. Most listings carry free cancellation, so an early reservation usually costs nothing to change. Check the terms on each one.
Arches and Canyonlands 4x4 tour
Both parks in one day without doing the driving or the timing yourself. Useful if you only have one full day in town.
Check Availability
Hell's Revenge UTV tour
You take the wheel of your own UTV with a guide picking the line up the fins. This is the one people talk about at dinner.
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Hell's Revenge Hummer tour
The same steep slickrock climbs and drops with a professional at the wheel. The right call if nobody in the group wants to drive it.
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Colorado River rafting
Guided start to finish on the stretch east of town. A good first river trip, and a morning launch leaves the afternoon open for Arches.
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Moab zipline adventure
A short, high payoff block of time. Easy to drop into an afternoon when a park visit ran shorter than planned.
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Guided mountain bike tour
The guide picks a route that fits the group instead of the group guessing at a trail map. Bike and helmet come with it, so there is no gear to haul out.
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Dead Horse Point mountain bike tour
The Intrepid trails run along the rim with the Colorado 2,000 feet below. Flowing, not technical, and the view does the work.
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Beginner and intermediate e-bike tour
Electric assist flattens the climbs, which puts red rock riding within reach for mixed fitness groups.
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E-bike petroglyph tour
Pedal out to rock art panels near town while the guide explains who made them and when. The most history for the least effort.
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Paddleboarding on the Colorado
Quiet water under the canyon walls, and easier to stand up on than it looks. A good recovery day between two hard ones.
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Half day tours
Morning canyoneering, afternoon rafting, sunset safaris. Half a day is the unit that fits around a park visit without wrecking it.
Browse Half Day Tours
Moab tours and day trips
Everything in one list when you want to sort by your own dates, length and price rather than by activity.
See Tours and Day TripsNot sure which one fits your group? Start with the vacation planner, read how the operators compare on the Moab guided tours page, or look at Moab vacation packages on Expedia if you would rather book flights and a hotel together.
Moab Itineraries for 2, 3 and 5 Days
Two days covers Arches and the Canyonlands overlooks if you move early. Three gives you one guided day. Five is where the slot canyons, the bike trails and the day trips fit without rushing. Park entry is $30 per private vehicle at each park, or $55 for an annual pass that covers Arches, Canyonlands, Natural Bridges and Hovenweep.
2 days: the parks, done properly
A weekend, first visit
- Arches. Through the gate before 8 am. Park Avenue, Balanced Rock and The Windows in the cool part of the morning, lunch in town, then back up for Delicate Arch in the late afternoon light. That hike is 3 miles round trip and climbs 480 feet, so carry water for it.
- Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point. Leave town in the dark for Mesa Arch at sunrise, 0.6 miles round trip from the pullout. Then Grand View Point and Green River Overlook, and finish at Dead Horse Point State Park for sunset. State park entry is $20 per vehicle.
3 days: add the guided day
A long weekend
- Arches. Same early start, same two blocks of light.
- Pick your adventure. A morning on the Moab Daily raft stretch, or Hell's Revenge in a UTV, or a first slot canyon with a guide. Keep the afternoon loose and spend it on Main Street.
- Canyonlands and Dead Horse Point. Mesa Arch at sunrise, the overlooks through the morning, the state park rim in the evening.
5 days: the trip people come back for
A full week off
- Arches. Early in, and add Devils Garden out to Landscape Arch.
- River day. Half day raft trip, or flat water on a paddleboard above town.
- Canyonlands. Mesa Arch, the overlooks, and the Shafer Trail if you have the clearance and the nerve.
- Wheels or ropes. Klondike Bluffs or Navajo Rocks on a bike, or a canyoneering route with a guide.
- Drive out. Highway 128 along the Colorado to Fisher Towers, or the longer run to Capitol Reef or Goblin Valley, which is also $20 per vehicle.
Trail distances and climbs from the National Park Service, checked November 2, 2026. State park day use fees from Utah State Parks, checked November 2, 2026.
Want it built around your own dates and group? The Moab vacation planner asks a dozen questions and comes back with a plan, and the lodging step matches it to a place to sleep.
Arches or Canyonlands: Which Park to Spend Your Day In
If you only have one day, this is the decision that shapes it. Arches puts you under the rock. Canyonlands puts you above the canyons. They need different amounts of driving and reward different hours of the day.
Swipe the table sideways to see both parks.
| What you are weighing | Arches National Park | Canyonlands, Island in the Sky |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there from Moab | 5 miles north on US 191 | 10 miles north, then 22 miles southwest on UT 313. About 40 minutes to the visitor center |
| Entry fee | $30 per private vehicle | $30 per private vehicle. One $55 annual pass covers both |
| Time it really takes | A full day to see it without rushing | Half a day for the main overlooks |
| The hike everyone does | Delicate Arch, 3 miles round trip, 480 feet of climbing | Mesa Arch, 0.6 miles round trip, 56 feet, about 30 minutes |
| Best light | Late afternoon and evening | Sunrise, especially at Mesa Arch |
| Crowds | Heavier. Entrance lines build mid morning in spring and fall | Lighter, and spread across widely spaced overlooks |
| Reservations and permits | No timed entry in 2026. Fiery Furnace and the Devils Garden campground need their own reservations | White Rim Road needs a permit. Day use, overnight and river permits are booked separately |
| Pick it if | You want arches close enough to touch and short hikes with a payoff | You want distance, silence and a 4x4 road off the rim |
Fees, distances, trail figures and permit rules from the National Park Service, checked November 2, 2026. Confirm before you travel, since park fees and reservation systems change between seasons.
Full detail in the Arches guide and the Canyonlands guide.
Parks Near Moab, Utah
Two national parks sit within 40 minutes of town. Three state parks are worth a day of their own, and two of the three cost $20 per vehicle rather than $30.
Arches National Park
Over 2,000 documented arches across 76,519 acres, 5 miles north of town. $30 per vehicle, and no timed entry reservation was required in 2026.
Plan an Arches visit
Canyonlands National Park
Canyons, mesas and buttes on a scale that is hard to photograph. The Island in the Sky district is about 40 minutes from Moab.
Plan a Canyonlands visit
Dead Horse Point State Park
A rim 2,000 feet above a bend in the Colorado, with the Intrepid bike trails and two yurts. $20 per vehicle.
Plan a Dead Horse Point visit
Goblin Valley State Park
A valley of mushroom shaped hoodoos that children are allowed to roam through freely. $20 per vehicle, and a long day trip from Moab.
Plan a Goblin Valley visitMore in the national parks and state parks guides, including Capitol Reef, Utahraptor, Green River and Edge of the Cedars. The land between the parks is covered in the BLM land around Moab guide.
The Best Time to Visit Moab
Spring and fall are the most comfortable and the most crowded. Summer is hot enough to change how you plan a day, and the parks are quieter for it. Winter is cold, empty and the cheapest time to come. Average lows matter as much as highs here, because a 40 degree swing between afternoon and dawn is normal.
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Season | Average highs | Average lows | Best for | Plan around |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Mar to May |
64°F to 82°F | 35°F to 51°F | Hiking, biking, the start of the rafting season | One of the two busiest seasons. Book lodging and tours 4 to 6 weeks out |
| Summer Jun to Aug |
93°F to 100°F | 60°F to 67°F | River trips, water, hikes finished before 10 am | Start early. The park service warns that temperatures over 100°F make strenuous hiking difficult, and late summer monsoon cells cause flash floods |
| Fall Sep to Nov |
56°F to 88°F | 30°F to 55°F | Mountain biking, photography, aspen color in the La Sals | September and October match spring for crowds and are the tightest weeks for lodging. November empties out |
| Winter Dec to Feb |
44°F to 52°F | 22°F to 28°F | Solitude, snow on red rock, the lowest rates of the year | Nights below freezing. Small amounts of snow or ice can close trails and roads, and some operators run reduced schedules |
Monthly average highs and lows from the National Park Service weather almanac for Arches National Park, checked November 2, 2026.
The best time to visit Moab guide goes deeper on weather, crowds and which tours are running. Every month has its own page:
Coming in September? That month is the one gap in the series for now, and the fall guide covers it. Planning around an event instead? See Moab events, including the 2027 Easter Jeep Safari, the Moab Folk Festival, the Moab Trail Marathon and the Moab Music Festival.
How to Get to Moab, by Road, Air and Rail
Most people drive, and Moab is further from everything than it looks on a map. Commercial flights came back in October 2026, which changes the math for a short trip. Amtrak stops closer than most visitors realize.
Swipe the table sideways to read the notes column.
| Starting point | Distance to the park | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City, UT | 236 miles | The state tourism office puts the drive to Moab at 234 miles and about 3.5 to 4 hours |
| Grand Junction, CO | 110 miles | The closest city of any size, and the closest big rental car market |
| Denver, CO | 360 miles | A long day on I-70, and worth breaking up |
| Canyonlands Field, Moab (CNY) | 11 miles | SkyWest resumed service on October 1, 2026, flying Salt Lake City as Delta Connection and Denver as United Express on 50 seat regional jets |
| Grand Junction Regional (GJT) | 109 miles | More flights and more rental cars than Moab, at the cost of a two hour drive |
| Salt Lake City International (SLC) | 230 miles | The widest choice of flights, and the longest drive |
| Amtrak, Green River, UT | 45 miles | The California Zephyr stops here, closer to Moab than any other station |
| Amtrak, Grand Junction, CO | 109 miles | The same train, with more onward options when you get off |
Distances to the Arches entrance station from the National Park Service, checked November 2, 2026. Salt Lake City drive time from the Utah Office of Tourism. Air service details from Moab Times coverage dated October 2, 2026. Schedules at Canyonlands Field are seasonal and have changed more than once, so confirm with the airline before you book anything around them.
Once you are here, a car does most of the work. Shuttles, rides and the rest are covered in the Moab transportation guide, and whether a ride share will actually show up is answered in Uber in Moab. If you are leaving a vehicle or a trailer behind for a multi day trip, see long term parking in Moab. Practical stops while you are in town: laundry, showers and RV dump stations.
How Much a Moab Vacation Costs
The single biggest lever is guided against self guided. A day hiking in Arches costs nothing beyond the $30 vehicle fee. A full day guided tour runs roughly $150 to $300 per person. After that it is lodging, and lodging is seasonal.
Swipe the table sideways to compare all three columns.
| Expense | Budget | Mid range | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lodging, per night | $15 to $40 | $100 to $200 | $250 to $500 |
| Food, per day | $15 to $25 | $40 to $70 | $80 to $120 |
| Guided tours | Self guided | $100 to $200 | $250 to $400 |
| Gear rental | $0 | $30 to $80 | $80 to $150 |
| Park entry | $30 per private vehicle at Arches, the same at Canyonlands, $20 per vehicle at Dead Horse Point or Goblin Valley. A $55 annual pass covers Arches, Canyonlands, Natural Bridges and Hovenweep. The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers every federal site | ||
| Daily total | $40 to $75 | $175 to $350 | $400 and up |
Park and state park fees from the National Park Service and Utah State Parks, checked November 2, 2026. Lodging, food, tour and rental ranges are estimates from current listings and move with the season. Operators and hotels set their own prices, so confirm when you book.
Rates run lowest on summer weekdays and through December, January and February. They run highest on weekends in April, May, September and October.
Moab Lodging for Every Budget
Most visitors sleep along Main Street or the US 191 corridor, which puts them within about ten minutes of both the Arches entrance and dinner. Camping runs from free dispersed BLM sites to full hookup RV resorts, and the price gap between a tent and a view is wider here than in most towns.
Camping: $15 to $40 a night. Hotels and motels: $80 to $250. Resorts, glamping and vacation rentals: $200 to $500 and up.
Or go straight to hotels, motels, resorts, campgrounds, RV parks, glamping, yurts or vacation rentals.
Where to Eat in Moab
For a town of this size the food is better than it has any business being. Wood fired pizza, craft beer, a bakery worth the line and a few kitchens doing real dinners.
Breakfast burritos at Love Muffin Cafe on North Main. Lunch at Milt's Stop and Eat on Millcreek Drive, which has been serving since 1954. Dinner at 98 Center on East Center Street. Kitchens here close earlier than visitors expect, so do not plan on a 9 pm table.
The full guide to where to eat in Moab, or the eating in Moab overview if you want the short version.
What First Time Visitors Get Wrong
None of this is meant to put anyone off. These are the things that turn a good day into a bad one, and they are all avoidable with an hour of planning.
Underestimating the heat
July averages a high of 100°F. The park service says temperatures over 100°F make strenuous exercise difficult, which is a polite way of putting it. Start by 7 am and carry a gallon of water per person for an active day.
Treating Delicate Arch as a stroll
It is 3 miles round trip with 480 feet of climbing over open slickrock with almost no shade. People turn back on it every day in summer. If that is too much, the lower viewpoint is a level 100 yard walk.
Arriving at Arches mid morning
In spring and fall the entrance line builds from about 8 am. Before 8 or after 3 is the difference between driving in and sitting on US 191.
Thinking both parks are next door
Arches is 5 miles from town. Island in the Sky is about 40 minutes each way, and the Needles district is further still. Two parks in one day means a lot of that day spent driving.
Ignoring the monsoon
The park service warns that late summer storm cells often cause flash floods. A canyon or a wash is the wrong place to be when one builds, and the storm does not have to be overhead to fill it.
Counting on cell service
Coverage drops out in the canyons and on most of the public land. Download offline maps before you leave the pavement, and tell somebody where you are going.
Writing off winter
January averages a high of 44°F and a low of 22°F, and the parks are nearly empty. The catch is ice: the park service notes that even small amounts of snow or ice can make trails and roads impassable.
Booking nothing in advance
In spring and fall the morning tour slots and the good rooms go 2 to 4 weeks out, and sometimes further. Reserving early with free cancellation costs nothing and keeps the trip intact.
Temperature figures from the National Park Service weather almanac for Arches, and the heat, flood and ice warnings are the park service's own wording, all checked November 2, 2026. More on each season in the seasonal activities guide, and on trail specifics in the Moab trail guides.
Going Deeper on One Activity
Moabing covers the whole trip. When you have settled on one thing and want operator by operator detail, these sites go further on it. All of them are ours.
Moab Trip Planning Questions
What is the best time to visit Moab, Utah?
Do I need a reservation to enter Arches National Park?
How many days do you need in Moab?
Should I book Moab tours in advance?
How much does a Moab vacation cost?
How do I get to Moab, and can I fly in?
Do you need a car in Moab?
Is Moab good for families with kids?
What should I pack for Moab?
Is Moab worth visiting?
Build the Trip, Then Lock in the Day That Matters
The vacation planner turns your dates, group and interests into a day by day plan. Reserve the one activity you would be disappointed to miss, and let the rest of the trip settle around it.
Take the vacation planner Browse Half Day ToursSome links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one, Moabing may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend. How we earn money.