Visiting Moab in the fall 2019 (Sunset, Green River: motel, home, school)

[mupsie]

I plan to take 2 weeks vacation and drive from Seattle to Moab and explore the area, then go back home in Seattle. I will be alone.

I have a 4Runner camper, I can sleep in it comfortably and I am good roughing it for this period. Maybe find a motel for a day or two, but not important.

I plan to just wander around the area and chill, spend the night wherever I find myself + motel once in a while if I find a room, some light offroading, not any rock crawling, just go off the beaten path hoping to find beautiful remote spots to spend the night and stare at the night sky.

Asking for advice.

1. I am thinking September time frame, I don't want the 100 deg heat and want to avoid huge crowds if possible.

2. What places do you recommend - I will be in the Moab area at least 10 days.

3. Any other recommendation for such a trip. Good places to eat / hangouts / etc.

Appreciate the help.

[cjseliga]

Around Moab, drive into Castle Valley

Arches NP

-Windows Section, go out to North/South Window, Turret Arch and Double Arch
-Delicate Arch, try and do a sunset on a clear night and watch the arch turn bright red
-Devil's Garden, hike out to Dark Angel and back, also see Double O Arch and Landscape Arch

Dead Horse Point State Park

Canyonlands NP

Island in the Sky

-Do all of the overlooks (Grand View Point, White Rim, Buck Canyon, Green River, Upheaval Dome)
-Mesa Arch
-Murphy Point
-1st Overlook and 2nd Overlook on the trail at the end of Upheaval Dome

The Needles

-Stop by Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument on the way to the Needles on UT 211
-Big Spring Canyon Overlook
-Slickrock
-Elephant Hill

[Katzpur]

Hi, mupsie. In addition to the obvious hikes, I have three additional suggestions. I would highly recommend a Fiery Furnace hike, which is an extremely popular ranger-led hike. I believe this hike is made twice a day, and as I recall, it takes about 3 hours. You cannot do it on your own, and you must sign up well in advance to be able to get a reservation. Please don't be put of by the fact that it is a ranger-led hike. It's an amazing experience.

Secondly, I would definitely plan on a white-water rafting trip down Westwater, which is a stretch of the Colorado River a couple of hours out of Moab. Quite a number of rafting companies take these trips. Personally, I've had great experiences (plural) with Adrift Adventures. The take you by bus to the point at which you get in the river, and return to you Moab at the end of the day. The first half of the trip (i.e. before lunch, which they provide) is pretty calm, but the last half is absolutely thrilling. Most of the rapids are class 3, but a couple are class 4. It's an amazing experience.

Lastly, if you don't mind not being in the driver's seat, be sure to check out the Sunset Hummer Tour over Hell's Revenge. It's an amazing tour (I've taken it four times), and the places these Hummers can go is absolutely mindblowing. I would personally recommend High Point Hummer, although I'm sure there are other good outfits, too.

You might want to check out these reviews on Trip Advisor: Fiery Furnace, Westwater with Adrift Adventures and Sunset over Hell's Revenge with High Point Hummer and ATV

Just one more thing... Although I have been to the Moab area so many times I've lost track, 10+ days in a single stretch kind of seems like overkill to me. I'd at least consider taking a couple of days and heading from Moab to Capitol Reef National Park near the town of Torrey. It's about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Moab (via Highway 24, which takes off from I-70 not too far from Moab) and is very, very different from both Arches and Canyonlands. Highway 12 heads south from Torrey towards Bryce Canyon and is breathtakingly beautiful. You might even want to take it as far as Escalante (about an hour-and-a half southwest of Torrey). If you do, be sure to stop for a meal at the Devil's Backbone Cafe for one of the best meals you'll get in all of Utah.

[MtDreamer16]

OP, I'm not sure there is an off season at Moab anymore. September could still be quite crowded, especially on the weekends.

I'd recommend checking for events to see if you can do Moab sights during the week, and maybe Capitol Reef on a weekend or something. There's various sites to check, but discovermoab.com should be helpful as a start.

As far as food, we've been several times, and always make sure to eat at Zax. Good variety and atmosphere. And they have a root beer on tap that is freaking insanely good. I think it's from the Moab Brewery down the street. You may be able to pick up growlers of it (or some form of to-go) if you like that. I'm not a beer person, but root beer - definitely!

You'll have a lovely time no matter what, but if you're looking for some solitude, check various sites for any huge events you want to avoid. Those events can take over the whole town.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by MtDreamer16

OP, I'm not sure there is an off season at Moab anymore. September could still be quite crowded, especially on the weekends.

Well, there's still "peak season" and "not peak season." September is kind of borderline, but at least the kids will be back in school.

[mupsie]

Awesome, thank you much for your advice !

I'm ok driving around the Moab area even a few hundred miles away, I will explore for sure. What I have learned in my life is that the plans always change once you hit the road.

Will do more research and see if I can sign in early for a Sunset Hummer Tour over Hell's Revenge. I've watched videos of people doing all kind of crazy stuff at Hell's Revenge. Might turn me into a hardcore rockcrawler :-)

[markg91359]

Originally Posted by mupsie

I plan to take 2 weeks vacation and drive from Seattle to Moab and explore the area, then go back home in Seattle. I will be alone.

I have a 4Runner camper, I can sleep in it comfortably and I am good roughing it for this period. Maybe find a motel for a day or two, but not important.

I plan to just wander around the area and chill, spend the night wherever I find myself + motel once in a while if I find a room, some light offroading, not any rock crawling, just go off the beaten path hoping to find beautiful remote spots to spend the night and stare at the night sky.

Asking for advice.

1. I am thinking September time frame, I don't want the 100 deg heat and want to avoid huge crowds if possible.

2. What places do you recommend - I will be in the Moab area at least 10 days.

3. Any other recommendation for such a trip. Good places to eat / hangouts / etc.

Appreciate the help.

1. Moab will be crowded in September. September is just a continuation of the summer months. If you don't want the crowds, I'd recommend October or November.

2. Arches National Park: The Windows; Delicate Arch trail; Balanced Rock; the Lion; the Three Pioneer Women; Park Avenue; and the Fiery Furnace. Canyonlands National Park: follow the road to the end to Island in Sky and observe the Green and Colorado Rivers moving towards one another. Just outside of Moab: Potash Road follows the Colorado River.

3. I would plan on camping the whole time like you seem to suggest. Moab motel rates are outrageous. They are about $150 a night. Get to Arches National Park early in the morning. The road there is narrow and winding and often traffic entering the park is backed up for blocks. Many tourists like to go to Eddie McStiff's Brew Pub in Moab. Its easy to find. You can't miss it there on Main Street.

[beachmouse]

There's a good amount of camping at the small BLM campgrounds along the Colorado River. They are first come-first served, are $20 a night, and have a 14 night in 30 days limit. Lots of good views right from the camp sites in most locations:

https://www.discovermoab.com/blm-campgrounds/

Food's pretty average pizza & burgers sorts of options. (I did like the place that does the made to order ice cream using frozen nitrogen- tastes great after a hot day in the parks!) There's a City Market grocery store on the south side of town with expected and necessary staple goods and a deli where they've got a group of people that, in peak season, spends all night making takeout sandwiches to meet the needs of the crowd at the deli counter the next day.

[mupsie]

Thank you all for the help, looking forward to this trip.

If September is still season, what are the pre-season months ? May-June ? October works as well.

Much appreciate the help, awesome community.

[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by mupsie

Thank you all for the help, looking forward to this trip.

If September is still season, what are the pre-season months ? May-June ? October works as well.

Much appreciate the help, awesome community.

The only time you'll find Moab and the national parks adjacent to it to be completely "uncrowded" would be from December through February. Since Moab is reasonably warm for much of the year, even March through May and September through November can be pretty crowded, and despite the often extreme heat (105-110 degrees or more) throughout June, July, and August, the crowds (including families traveling with children) can be so bad as to negatively impact your trip. I would think that early- to mid-October would probably be just about perfect. By late October, the weather starts to become a little "iffier." It might still be great, but by that time of the year, you just never know.