A few years back, I surprised Kevin for his birthday with a trip to Utah where we spent 24 hours in Salt Lake City — a perfect jumping off point to explore Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National Park. But one place we had to skip due to timing was Moab, UT — best known for Arches National Park and the heart-pounding Moab jeep trails. On our latest road trip adventure through the southwest, we did both Moab activities back-to-back, while catching up with our friends Daniel and Alex, who’ve made cameos in the past on Gourmet Globetrotter — recently joining us on a virtual Napa wine tasting experience.
A virtual Napa wine tasting with our friends Daniel and Alex, a perfect pandemic activity.
Well, Daniel and Alex are back once again. And this time joining us in real life (while of course socially distancing!). If you have just 1 day in Moab, we highly recommend combining Arches National Park in the morning and wrapping up your day along Moab jeep trails. Just try not to drive off the mountain…
Why Visit Moab?
Downtown Moab, a walkable stretch with shops, galleries and cafes.
Moab has long been a draw for adventure seekers and artists — with its no-frills downtown and laid back vibe. It takes some dedication to get here though — roughly a 4 hour drive south east of Salt Lake City; 6.5 hours drive from Denver; or 6 hours from Sedona, AZ (where we drove from). We recommend staying near Main Street in downtown Moab where you’ll find cute cafes, restaurants and gift shops. We found several nice options on Airbnb but loved the French Quarter Cottage (rates starting $170 a night), just steps away from all the action.
French Quarter Cottage in downtown Moab.
One of our favorite features of the home was the kitchen that opened into the comfy living room where we could sync up our Amazon account to watch movies.
Kevin and Doug, the dog, approve of the Airbnb in Moab.
And finally, we loved the front porch where we could grab lunch with Alex and Daniel.
Yay! Lunch with friends, from a distance.
Moab in the Morning: An Energetic Hike Through Arches National Park
Kevin and Daniel enjoying the red rock scenery.
Arches National Park is massive — with around 2,000 arches scattered over 70,000 acres. But in order to see many of the arches, you’ll have to leave the comfort of the air-conditioned car and hit one of the hiking trails. We suggest planning out your hike ahead of time since the park can get backed up, especially in the early afternoon. Trust us, we got stuck behind more than one RV with seemingly 2 speeds (slow or complete stop!).
Driving through Arches National Park in Moab.
One of the park’s most iconic and photographed spots is the Delicate Arch, found on both the Utah license plate and welcome sign. It’s difficult to see Delicate Arch from the main parking lot. At Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint, you can walk a few minutes to see the arch from one mile away. Nearby, the Upper Viewpoint offers a slightly less obstructed view and is just a half mile walk. Or you can hike the 3 mile uphill trail to the arches for an up-close and personal view.
Delicate Arch, the iconic symbol of Utah.
But if you’re up for a bigger hike, we highly recommend Devils Garden Loop Trail, a 7.8 mile loop trail, or about 3 hours of hiking. Many of the hiking trails in the park will take you by 1 or 2 arches. But this one is like a “choose your own adventure” — with 6 arches scattered throughout including the Landscape Arch, Wall, Navajo, Partition, Double and Dark Angel Arches. I loved this trail and by the end thought, “Yep, I feel like I saw enough arches!”
Devils Garden is located at the very end of the park road, 18 miles north of Arches Visitor Center. So keep that in mind, as the drive time from the visitor center is approximately 45 minutes. But the good news is that most people stick to the trails closer to the entrance. If you arrive early in the day (like we did), the trail is empty. The trail is mostly flat, but does involve one tricky part with some scrambling. It’s a little scary at first. But the sandstone rocks provided plenty of traction — even as I just wore a pair of New Balance sneakers. We suggest doing this trail counterclockwise to wrap up at the incredible Landscape Arch, believed to be the longest natural rock span in the world.
We made it! Daniel and Phil wrap up the hike in front of Landscape Arch.
Early Evening: Tackling Moab Jeep Trails
Moab Jeep trails, here we come.
As I mapped out our 2 week road trip adventure through the southwest, the very first activity I booked was a self-driving 4×4 off-roading tour through Moab. Okay, full disclosure, I sort of just skimmed through the description of it. And completely missed the part where we’d drive through “Hell’s revenge.” Hmm, sounds lovely… Wait, Hell’s revenge?
Hang on tight… Driving the 405 in LA is a cake walk after Moab Jeep trails.
It wasn’t until we met up with Alex and Daniel where we started to have any doubt about the activity. Apparently, some tour operators make you shell out for any damage. Luckily, our tour company covered all vehicles. We booked our tour through the Moab Tourism Center, which sounds like just about every other tour operator in town. In fact, we initially showed up at another place with nearly the exact name. If you’re confused (as much as we were), we recommend plugging in the address into Google Maps (471 South Main Street).
To scare the bejesus out of you, they start off with the toughest part of the drive. This is to make sure you’ll be good for the rest of the 2 hour tour up the steep incline of the Devil’s Backbone. I basically repeated “Oh my god…” for the first 15 minutes of the drive. Kevin, meanwhile, sat mostly in silence (only later confessing he was glad that I drove that first part!).
If these pictures could talk, you’d hear a lot of screaming coming from Phil.
We signed up for the sunset tour, which we think is the perfect time to go. The temperature is much cooler at night. And plus, you get a birds-eye view of Moab and the entire surrounding desert. You can even see Arches National Park in the distance.
Halfway through, you can swap out with another drive. Kevin saw that I didn’t drive us off the edge of the cliff so was feeling brave that he wouldn’t kill us either.
So brave Kevin. Now don’t kill us!
Tours run every day and cost $108 per person. You can book directly online either on TripAdvisor or Viator.
Looking for other ideas through the southwest? Check out our babymoon adventure in Sedona where I attempted to find my inner Zen. Love the great outdoors? Check out our perfect 2-day itinerary in Page, Arizona that takes you through the picture-perfect Antelope Canyon. Or if you’re more into quirky travel spots, follow our great American road trip along Route 66.
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