MOAB, UT
Moab is a small town of just over 5000 people, located in eastern Utah. Despite its small size, it hosts more than 3 million tourists each year due to its proximity to Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.
The area is popular for mountain biking and off-roading in Jeeps and other OHV's.
As a result, the main street of the town is lined with hotels, restaurants, ice cream shops, souvenir shops, clothing boutiques, jeep rentals, and adventure guides.
I stayed right in the middle of town, which meant I could walk anywhere I needed to go in town, and could drive to all my hikes. It was great!
Hiking
Here is a break down of the hikes I did by park:
Arches National Park
I spent two evenings in Arches National Park. You could do most of the park in a full day.
Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands is HUGE and has way more hiking opportunities than I was able to do in just the week I was there. I hiked Gooseberry Trail, which is on the north side of the park and about an hour from Moab. I also hiked Chesler Park Loop Trail which is on the south side of the park and about two hours from Moab.
Dead Horse Point State Park This park is just under an hour from Moab. I hiked the Dead Horse Rim Loop.
Things to Do
The Butch Cassidy Childhood Home
The Butch Cassidy House is not really close to anything, but I hit it on my way from St. George to Moab.
Sego / Thompson Ghost Town
About an hour north of Moab is a little ghost town. You drive through the town of Thompson, which itself is on the verge of becoming a ghost town, to Sego where you can still see a few dilapidated buildings standing in what seems like the middle of nowhere, but was once a thriving coal-mining camp with a population of about 500 people.
They had a couple dug-out buildings.
You also pass by a little cemetery on the way there that was fenced off, so I didn't go in, but I noticed a relatively recent grave. Looking online now, I see there are three graves from the last 40 years. The earliest graves were from the early 1900's.
I don't know what this bush is called, but it smells soooo good! I came across these a few times in Southern Utah.
St. Pius X Catholic Church
St. Pius X Catholic Church is a tiny little church, located just a few blocks from my hotel. At the end of mass, the priest went around to the entire congregation and asked where everybody was from. People came from all over - a few other people from Virginia and Maryland, the Northeast, and lots of neighboring states. I refrained from claiming I was homeless and instead said the DC area. :) When he got to the dozen or so local families, he would call them out by name. I liked him - he created a sense of community in a highly transient congregation.
Random funny story ... when I arrived, the priest asked me to sit in the front pew where there were already two women sitting on opposite ends. I genuflected, then whispered to the woman who was kneeled in prayer at the end of the pew, "Excuse me..."
She didn't answer. I whispered again, "Excuse me, Father asked me to join you in this pew." She still didn't hear me. One more time, in a louder whisper. "Excuse me..."
She jumped and her eyes flew open. Clutching her chest she said, "Oh gosh, I heard your voice but didn't know you were talking to me. I was really praying there!"
We started laughing and I said, "You gotta listen to those voices more. Next time it might be God."
Eating
The Spoke - burgers
El Charro Loco - Mexican
The Blu Pig - BBQ
Sleeping
I stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton, right on the main street in the center of town.
Here's the lobby:
My stay included free breakfast featuring homemade waffles which I somehow managed to avoid, and other options only slightly healthier. I ended up with oatmeal each day, topped with raisins and slivered almonds -- food that dad used to punish us with as kids when we complained about what mom served, lol.
The room had a little kitchenette that worked out great, especially since I brought grilled chicken breast along that I had grilled in St. George. I heated it up in the microwave each day and threw it on top of my salads. Perfect.
My work station for the week:
Things on My List I Didn't Do
There are so many things to do in south central Utah that always seem closer to the next town, but then they never are! So here is the list I thought I'd get to, but looks like I'll just need to come back and spend a year here.
Scenic Drives
Burr Trail Switchbacks - the most scenic drive in Utah
Hell's Backbone Scenic Road - apparently not the MOST scenic drive in Utah, but still claims to offer heavenly views
Nine Mile Canyon - with 40-miles of petroglyphs, it's considered the world's longest art gallery. And was named by someone who is clearly bad at math.
Goblin Valley State Park Hikes
This area is supposed to have the best night sky views, but if I'm out on a trail at night, I've got big problems that looking at the night sky won't solve. Plus, I object to any place that claims better night skies than I saw growing up in South Dakota.
Dead Horse State Park Hikes
Canyonlands National Park Hikes
Druid Arch Trail - I came so close to adding this on to the Chesler Park hike, but at 12 miles, I started running out of steam. I should have bucked up and done it because it will be a lot longer going back.
Arches National Park Hikes
Even MORE arches in Arches National Park, but I was sort of arched out after two days.
Rappelling down Funnel Arch - Elaine suggested this, but I couldn't find anything online about the logistics. And I wasn't brave enough to attempt it on my own without more coaching.
Other Sites
These two are close to nothing, but look super cool:
Fantasy Canyon - surreal rock formations
Devils Kitchen - red rock spires and hoodoos
Southern Utah is killing me! It is so beautiful and there is so much to do. I just keep adding things to the "gotta do this next time" list when I can come back and spend a year here. :)
So long, Moab!
Next Stop: Monticello, UT and Bears Ears National Monument. See you there!