Memorial Day Weekend in Moab

We enjoyed everything we did in Moab. Arches and Canyonlands National Parks are a must-see. We found Canyonlands to be just as impressive as the Grand Canyon. We also celebrated my husband's birthday at the Bar M Chuckwagon Supper.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

A car is necessary to get between the town of Moab, Arches National Park, and Canyonlands National Park. Once you are in the parks, it's nice to park the car do some exploring on foot.

As my husband and I had never camped before this vacation, we decided to rent a cabin, instead of roughing it totally.

Our cabin was one room with a double bunk bed. The room also had a small table and a couple of chairs. We found the room to be very tidy.

We had our own picnic table next to the entrance to our cabin. A lot of other people cooked their own dinner, but I prefer not to cook on vacation. However, we recommend buying breakfast foods and snacks in the town of Moab. We were able to save time and money by doing this, since the closest restaurants are in the town of Moab, which is several miles away. Arch View Camp Park has a store. But, the prices were outrageous. Buy what you need at the grocery stores in Moab.

Arch View Camp Park also has an outdoor swimming pool and playground. The only thing I did not like about Arch View is that the bathroom facilities are small. There were only two showers, two sinks, and two toilet stalls in each restroom. So, in order to avoid a line for the shower, you need to get up early.

The Moab Diner is located right in the town of Moab. It is a casual place you can feel comfortable going to after a day of hiking. We found the service friendly, the food tasty, and the prices reasonable.

We decided to try the Moab Diner when we found a buy-one dinner, get one free coupon in a local newspaper we found at the campground.

The Bar M Chuckwagon not only serves food, but a whole evening of entertainment. $20/person covers a "cowboy" supper and live western show.

The buffet dinner included BBQ chicken, baked beans, baked potatoes, applesauce, biscuits, lemonade/coffee, and dessert. The show, which follows dinner, was very entertaining and good for families.

The grounds open at 6 pm. There is a gift shop, saloon, and games, such as horseshoes, on the grounds. Gunfights take place at 7 pm, and dinner is served at 7:30 pm.

Canyonlands National Park is made up of three sections: Island in the Sky, The Maze, and The Needles. Island in the Sky, the section we visited, is the most accessible. From Moab, take Highway 191 north to Highway 313, then follow signs to the park.

Once you arrive in the Islands in the Sky section, check out the visitor center. There you can get information about the hiking trails. You will also find restrooms there. If you walk across the street, there is an overlook with a beautiful view.

While in Canyonlands, we hiked a one-mile moderate trail to Upheaval Dome. It was worth it. We also hiked the .5 mile trail to Mesa Arch, an arch on a cliff edge. Green River, Grand View Point, and Buck Canyon overlooks also presented great photo opportunities.

Fuel up in Moab. I don't remember seeing any facilities on Highway 313. Also, food isn't available on 313 or in the Island in the Sky section.

Admission is $10/car. Admission is included if you have a National Park Pass.

Details:

Admission to Arches National Park is $10/car. Admission is included if you have a valid National Park Pass.

There is a visitor center at the entrance to the park. However, there is no food or fuel available. My recommendation is to fuel up (on food and fuel) before entering the park.

Hikes:

There are a lot of good hikes for people who do not normally do a lot of hiking (like me!)

We never such large boulders as the ones we saw on the Park Avenue hike. Some had to be over 12 feet tall!

The Windows Loop Trail is a one mile round-trip trail that takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes. On this trail, you can hike to North and South Windows and Turret Arch. Across the parking lot is the Double Arch Trail. This is a .5 mile round-trip trail to two giant arch spans which are joined at one end. This flat, sandy trail takes about 15-30 minutes. While we were at Arches, there were ranger-led hikes to Double Arch. This proved to be a good opportunity to learn more about the animals and plants in the region.

We also hiked from the Delicate Arch parking area to the Delicate Arch Viewpoint. This is nice alternative to the popular trail to Delicate Arch, as it is short (100 yards round-trip) and accessible.

We would have liked to do more hikes in Arches. But unfortunately, our time in Moab was limited, and there was a lot to see.