Moab is a growing city in the eastern part of Utah characterized by vast desert and rust-colored mesas. The compact downtown is centered on South Main Street, which is lined with colorful shops, local breweries, and restaurants serving Southwestern cuisine. Visitors come here to hike, bike, canyoneer, camp, and climb in the desert.

Moab is located next to two national parks — Arches and Canyonlands — and as such its most popular attractions are its protected outdoor surroundings. While these two parks get top billing, the trails at Dead Horse Point State Park that open up into sweeping panoramas and water activities like white-water rafting trips, kayaking, and canoeing on the winding Colorado River shouldn’t be overlooked.

For calmer waters, head 10 miles south of town to Ken’s Lake where you can swim and picnic after a long day on the trails. Local breweries provide a refreshing break from the hot sun, and a little outside of town, wineries with views of the mesas offer tastings.

The most popular seasons for a condo rental in Moab are the spring and fall, when the weather is warm and the desert sun isn’t too intense. Winters get cold, causing some businesses to limit their hours or close down entirely from late November to April. Moab gets about a foot of snow each year and winter temperatures regularly drop below freezing at night, so this can make trails and roads icy. In the summer, the temperatures can often soar into the triple digits, limiting the amount of time that’s safe to spend outdoors or in the national parks. This small town hosts the Moab Art Festival each year on Memorial Day weekend and the Moab Folk Festival that brings acclaimed musicians from all over the country to perform each September.

Arches National Parks

Moab is located next to two of the most beautiful red-rock national parks in America, and no visit here is complete without a trip to the Arches National Park. The most iconic landform in the park is the Delicate Arch, a rock formation named after its magnificent and fragile natural structure. Other notable destinations in Arches National park are the Devil’s Garden Loop, a hiking trail that takes you through eight unique arches, and the Double Arch, which is only a 20-minute round trip.

Downtown Moab

Moab is a small town, but its downtown has plenty of local shops where you can find souvenirs, outdoor clothing and gear, boutiques, produce co-ops, and more. There are plenty of options for great Mexican food, plus wood-paneled steakhouses, breakfast cafes, coffee shops, and bakeries. Murals scattered throughout South Main Street provide photo opportunities, and old school bars offer pool tables.

Island In The Sky

Only a 40-minute drive from the city, Island in the Sky is one of the most accessible points of natural beauty in Canyonlands National Park, as this protected site doesn’t require a long hike for rewarding views. This excursion does, however, require a four-wheel-drive vehicle to handle the rugged roadway. As you approach the Islands In the Sky entrance, there’s a visitor center where you can grab maps before making your way along the mixture of paved and unpaved roads that pass through the colorful mines at Potash and a series of sandstone arches to reach the Grand View Point. Situated on a mesa about 1,000 feet from the ground below, this outlook provides unbeatable views of the canyons below, as well as views over the Colorado and Green rivers.