Overview

If you love the outdoors and adventure, Moab, Utah should be high on your bucket list.  The town and its surrounding area are just plain cool.  There is world class mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, camping, jeeping, ATVing . . .  numerous national parks, national monuments, BLM lands, state parks . . . we could go on and on.    To that end, we want to share with you some of the outstanding regional outventure opportunities Moab, Utah and its surrounds have to offer.  (For a full list of articles about this area, scroll to the place cards at bottom of this post.)

Moab Mountain Biking

Mountain bikers around the world consider Moab, Utah a bucket list destination – and for good reason!  The mountain biking is truly outstanding.  Trail areas such as Slickrock, Moab Brand Trails, Navajo Rocks, and Klondike Bluffs offer great desert and slickrock riding with outstanding views.  Dead Horse Point State Park is also nearby, offering some excellent easier trails with fantastic views.  If that is not enough, you can even mountain bike in the famous Canyonlands National Park (although the riding is limited mostly to jeep roads) and the park allows bike packing (overnight travel and camping by bike) with appropriate permits. 

Mountain biking in Moab is not limited to desert riding, either.  Believe it or not, there is an outstanding ride in the nearby La Sal mountains where you can start at the top of the tree line, with pines and aspens, and ride through four ecosystems on your way back to the desert in Moab.  The ride is called The Whole Enchilada.  It is definitely an expert ride, but if you have the skills, don’t miss it.  It does not disappoint!

Moab Hiking

Moab has an almost endless supply of hiking opportunities.  The iconic Arches National Park, with such fascinating hikes as Devil’s Garden and the Windows Section, offers not only the opportunity to hike, but the ability to drive up to many of the parks amazing sights.  Nearby Canyonlands National Park is massive, offering hiking in its three sections – Island in the Sky, The Needles district, and The Maze district (although very remote).  In fact, one of our favorite hikes of all time, the Chesler Park Loop, is located in The Needles district of Canyonlands.  There is also Dead Horse Point State Park, which offers hiking that is perfect for families or those seeking a lighter day of hiking.  Realize too, that you can hike at any of the mountain bike areas, so if you have mountain bikers in the group, they can ride while you hike.  The views at these trail systems are amazing, enabling your entire group to have a great day of outventuring.

Fruita, Colorado

Now you might be asking:  Fruita, Colorado . . . Why is this here?  Well, not only is it only an hour drive from Moab, but is one our favorite outdoor destinations because it offers outstanding outventure opportunities.  Given its close proximity to Moab and the cool outventures it has to offer (not to mention a very cool small town atmosphere), we think it is well worth taking a day or more while you are visiting Moab to explore Fruita.  Trust us, if you visit Fruita, you won’t want to leave!

Fruita Mountain Biking

Moab gets most of the attention in the area for mountain biking.  Don’t get us wrong, Moab has stellar mountain biking and well deserves the attention, but Fruita’s mountain biking can compete crank for crank with Moab.  With such outstanding trail systems as Kokopelli and 18 Road, as well as easy access to the excellent systems in Grand Junction, Fruita mountain biking should be a part of your Moab visit.  Even better, Fruita offers some really fantastic brew pubs and an excellent pizza place for after ride recovery.  

Fruita Hiking

Fruita has some great hikes.  Even better, hikers can often enjoy a hike while their family and friends enjoy mountain biking in the same trail system.  A perfect example of this is the Kokopelli system.  Many of Kokopelli’s trails follow the Colorado River on high ridges above the river, making for dramatic views and beautiful scenery.  The hiking is relatively easy, so it accessible to most hikers.  The multi-use nature of the trails can make for a great day of outventuring for your entire group.

Another beautiful area in Fruita that offers a diversity of activities is the Colorado National Monument.  Even just driving through the Monument is an amazing experience, but you can also hike and bike (although the biking is on the Rim Rock Drive road).  A visit to the Monument is sure to delight everyone in your group and give you a great hiking experience.

Conclusion

This is not an exhaustive list of all that you can experience in the Moab, Utah area, but it certainly can give you enough to fill a one week visit.  Just remember:  Moab is definitely not one dimensional, so make sure to mix it up  – and don’t forget to sample some of the cool local eateries while you’re there.  We hope you have a blast – we did!

Additional Information

• Arches National Park Service Information:

https://www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm

• Canyonlands National Park Service Infomation:

https://www.nps.gov/cany/index.htm

• Dead Horse Point State Park Information:

https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/dead-horse/

• Sand Flats Recreational Area Visitor Guide:

https://www.grandcountyutah.net/DocumentCenter/View/5849/Sand-Flats-Recreation-Area-Visitor-Guide-?bidId=

• Colorado National Monument Park Service Information:

https://www.nps.gov/colm/index.hteven