Why visit Moab?

Moab is an adventure lover’s dream. There’s something to do for everyone from National Parks, rafting, paddleboarding, mountain biking, swimming, climbing, hiking, and more. I fell in love with the red rocks, the canyons, and the summer heat. It’s officially one of my favorite places to visit. Just due to its diverse activities, Moab tends to stay pretty busy. While I recommend visiting Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park, Moab has its own hidden gems to spend time in.

Here are my top recommendations for things to do in Moab:

1. Mary Jane Canyon Trail

Distance: 8.4 miles

Difficulty: Easy to moderate, kid and dog friendly!

Elevation: 541 ft

How to get there: Directions from Moab (35 minutes)

If you only have time to do one hike on your visit to Moab, I recommend you do this one! On this flat ~8-mile out-and-back trail, you follow a creek the entire way to a waterfall with optional side slot canyons to venture into. You do cross the creek quite a bit, so I recommend wearing waterproof hiking shoes such as Chaco’s or Teva’s. There is no shade for the first half of the hike until you get deeper into the canyon so start early in the morning to beat the heat! And don’t forget the sunscreen!

P.S. This trail is still not marked. Find the unmarked trail behind the no camping sign straight from the parking lot. You’ll cross over the wash and follow the trail that way.

2. Corona and Bishop Arch

Distance: 2.4 miles

Difficulty: Easy to moderate, kid and dog friendly!

Elevation: 482 ft

How to get there: Directions from Moab (18 minutes)

Southern Utah is FULL of these incredible tall natural arches built of red sandstone. Some of them have taken hundreds of years to form. I’ve seen lots of them and I got to say that Corona arch is one of the best ones I’ve seen yet. Bishop was a cool smaller arch, but Corona definitely steals the show! The hike is also incredibly beautiful the entire way up with a stunning view of the canyon below. The trail involves a ladder or two which makes it exciting and different. Tons of flowering cacti in the summer and only a bit of shade up top. This is an awesome trail to do early in the morning until it’s time to swim in the afternoon to cool off.

3. Grand Staff Trail

Distance: 5.7 miles

Difficulty: Easy to moderate, kid and dog friendly!

Elevation: 836 ft

How to get there: Directions from Moab (20 minutes)

This is a little bit more of a popular trail but don’t let that deter you from doing it. It is absolutely worth it. This was a really fun trail that I did early in the morning to avoid the crowds and heat. Most of the trail is pretty well shaded and there are a few parts where you’ll cross the creek which helps you cool down, but I’d still recommend doing it early or late in the afternoon. There’s lots of vegetation and an incredible arch at the end that extends across the canyon which was really neat and a different kind of arch that I have not seen yet but the views along the entire trail were beautiful.

4. Mill Creek trail + waterfall

Distance: 1.8 miles

Difficulty: Easy to moderate, kid and dog friendly!

Elevation: 40 ft

How to get there: Directions from Moab (10 minutes)

This is a popular swimming creek that runs just outside of town. There’s a pool up near where the waterfall is that is great for swimming in. There are also tons of spots along the creek to swim in if you want more privacy. It’s such a good spot to cool down but lots of people like to swim here so prepare to swim with others and be around lots of dogs! My favorite swimming spot was at the top of the waterfall.

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