Sandstone detail BLM land, near Moab, UT Copyright © 1997, Don Baccus (donb@rational.com)
All images copyright © 1997, Don Baccus
The slickrock country around town provides plentiful opportunities
for hiking, camping, photography, jeep exploration, and mountain
biking. Indeed, in the last few years Moab has been dubbed the
unofficial "mountain biking capital of the world", with miles of
trails designated for riding.
The most popular attraction is
Arches National Park, world famous for
sandstone arches, fins, and monolithic blocks of Entrada sandstone.
Also nearby is the Island of the Sky unit of Canyonlands National Park.
While there are plenty of motels in Moab, they are a bit pricey, especially during the popular summer months, and many book in advance. The most economical way to enjoy the area is to camp.
There are plenty of places to camp around the area, most of them along the Colorado River on BLM land. Nowadays, they charge a modest fee to camp, but that's no big deal. There are a string of sites on the south bank of the river, northeast of Moab. I also found a really nice spot on the south bank west of Moab, in Moonflower Canyon. It's a walk-in campground, with sites hugging a large overhang, sheltered from the sun. It stays cool all day long. The two thumbnails on this page were taken there.
Arches National Park has a small campground, but this fills early most
mornings. The Island of the Sky unit of Canyonlands National Park has
a small campground as well. There is no fee for this campground, a
fact balanced by there being no water source and by its being about
an hour drive from Moab.