Moab

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Spectacular Moab

An August 1997 trip to Moab by unorthodox traveler

The Making of a CommercialMore Photos

Moab was the highlight of my Utah trip. The scenery around Moab is spectacular. I hiked and biked for a week here. I also witnessed the making of a commerical for the Mazda Miata in Canyonland National Park.

  • 8 reviews
  • 1 story/tip
  • 10 photos

Spectacular MoabBest of IgoUgo

Overview

The most memorable event was driving up the Island in the Sky Drive...a white-knuckle switchback experience with no guard-rails...watching and helping out with a commercial for the Mazda Miata...hiking in Arches National Park...visiting many movie locations in the Moab area...mountain biking...hanging around the neat town of Moab.

Quick Tips:

It is quite hot during the summer in Moab so be prepared. Room availablity is tight during the summer so reservations are usually necessary. If you plan to camp, bring plenty of bug repellent...

Best Way To Get Around:

I had a rental car which was necessary to visit the many sites. Without a car, you are very limited in what you can do and see.

Sunset MotelBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

This is a basic, inexpensive place to stay...cost me $29 a night. I had planned on camping but the campgrounds were all full when I arrived so I found this place.

There are 27 units, 8 of which have kitchen facilties (you pay more of course). Units are air-conditioned and there is a swimming pool which was used daily after hiking and biking in the intense heat. Rooms are comfortable with phones, TV, decent bathroom.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by unorthodox traveler on January 12, 2001

Sunset Motel
41 W.100 North Moab, Utah
1(800) 421-5614

Moab Rim CamparkBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

After two nights in the Sunset Hotel, I finally located a camping spot in the Moab Rim Campark. This campground has 42 sites, picnic tables, drinking water, flush toilets, showers, and a store...an ungrade from the basic campground in many other locations. The place was crowded and often noisy but basically for $10 a night, it was o.k.
  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by unorthodox traveler on January 12, 2001

Moab Rim Campark
1900 S. Highway 191 Moab, Utah
259-5002

Eddie Mcstiff's RestaurantBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Eddie McStiff's"

If you hunger for Italian food, this is the place. Many varieties of pizza, along with pastas, salads, sandwiches, and even steaks. I had the famous Dosie Doe pizza which is topped with roasted garlic, sundried tomatoes, parsley, scallions, and gorgonzola and parmesan cheeses. Eddie's is Moab's oldest legal brewery and serves twelve house-microbrewed beers and a delicious homemade root beer...so good after hiking/biking all day.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by unorthodox traveler on January 12, 2001

Eddie Mcstiff's Restaurant
57 N Main Street Moab, Utah 84532
(435) 259-2337

Moab Movie SitesBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

The Moab area has been a filming location since 1949 and has made Moab famous. All movie locations are accessible with a two-wheel drive vehicle. The best way of locating these film locations is to pick up a Movie Locations Guide at the Moab Visitor Center...Center & Main Streets in Moab. Telphone 800-635-6622. This guide has a map which is easy to read.

I visited just a number of these film locations, based on my own personal interest:

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1963)
Wagon Master (1949)
Ten Who Dared (1959)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1988)
Against a Crooked Sky (1975)

The most famous recent movie filmed in this area was Thelma and Louse. The Island in the Sky location is breathtaking...if there is one film location to visit, this is it.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by unorthodox traveler on January 12, 2001

Moab Movie Sites
Throughout Moab Moab, Utah

Arches National Park: InformationBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Arches National Park"

Arches National Park
Arches Park is a true wonderland, containing more than 1500 recognized natural arches, ranging in size from just a few feet to the 305 foot span of mammoth Landscape. This is the world's largest concentration of natural stone arches,as a result of erosion and weathering over thousands of years.

The first thing to do is stop at the Visitors Center which is just a few miles from the center of Moab. (route US 191) Here at the Center you can watch an orientation film and have all of your questions answered by a ranger.Pick up a self-guide booklet.

From the Visitor Center the main road climbs into the heart of the arches. Your first experience will be Moab Canyon, a multi-hued example of geological slippage. About six million years ago activity along the Moab fault caused one section of the canyon to shift resulting in rock formations on the bottom of one side that are identical in age with those on the far side of the canyon. Further along you'll see South Park Overlook...giant sandstone rickfaces that rise sheer on either side of a dry creek bed. Appearing as though it is defying gravity is Balanced Rock, a formation that looks like it might fall down at any moment. And on and on...so many arches, so many wonderful sites to see and experience. Don't miss this.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by unorthodox traveler on January 12, 2001

Arches National Park: Information
N Highway 191 Moab, Utah 84532
(435) 719-2299

Canyonlands National Park: Visitor CenterBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Canyonlands National Park-Island in the Sky"

Canyonlands National Park
This canyon has everything...very steep cliffs, deep canyons, buttes, pinnacles, bluffs, and towering spires looking down at the Colorado River 2000 feet below. Views from the Park overlook 5000 square miles of the Colorado Plateau.
The incredible scenery will take your breath away as you attempt to drive up to the Shafer Canyon Overlook and the winding, dangerous Shafer Road. As mentioned before, this is a scary road and its important to have a newer vehicle with good...no, excellent brakes. There is virtually no room for error...the road is so narrow that one minor mistake and its all over for you...a 2000 foot drop. There are no guard-rails to protect you. Half-way up this road I wanted to turn back but you can't...once you're committed, your committed.
Once you reach the top, you're at the Island in the Sky...congratulations...the view is worth the scare, believe me. The Island in the Sky is the elevated isolated piece of land far above the deep canyons and it has the feeling, the sensation of being on a floating island, detached from the earth below. The views from this height are spectacular in all directions, with fine panoramas from many overlooks. There are a number of helpful interpretive board signs to help you understand the views.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by unorthodox traveler on January 12, 2001

Canyonlands National Park: Visitor Center
Highway 211 Moab, Utah 84532
(435) 259-4711

Moab Historical Walking TourBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

If you tire of spectacular views, hiking, biking, exploring...and have an interest in history, you might want to take a break and do the Moab Historic Tour which I did one afternoon during a rainstorm.

There are 22 major sites to explore as an introduction to Moab's history, starting with the Dan O'Laurie Museum, located at 117 E.Center Street. The museum displays cover the history of the town from prehistoric times to the uranium boom of the 1950's, including aspects of natural history and geology. A series of historical photos and artifacts from the early farming and ranching days are interesting.

Other places visited were Balsley Log Cabin,Maxwell Millinery Shop,New Hammond Store Building, which is Moab's oldest commerical building, constructed in 1887. The Old Courthouse and Jail Building, constructed in 1892 contained a jail with 2 cells.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by unorthodox traveler on January 12, 2001

Moab Historical Walking Tour
Throughout Moab Moab, Utah

The Making of a CommercialBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

The Making of a Commercial
Often it's just being in the right place at the right time. After driving up the scary, white-knuckled switch-back very narrow Shafer Road (named after ranchers Frank and John Shafer) leading to the Island in the Sky, I finally arrived at the location where the final canyon death scene of Thelma and Louise was filmed. There I saw a large film crew, preparing to make a commercial for the Mazda Car Company. Not ever having witnessed a commercial being made, I invited myself into the surroundings of this film-set and after talking to a few film-workers, was invited to witness the actual filming.

I had no idea how complicated and expensive it is to film a commercial. First of all, the Park Service requires that any wildlife disturbed must be replaced so there were a number of local Moab residents who were hired to restore plants, rake tire marks, etc. The actual commercial involved driving a new Mazda Miata over the canyon. Obviously this was impossible so a ramp was built with a stunt driver driving the car over the ramp, into the air...the car, by the way, stops inches from the edge of the cliff...gutsy driver but well paid. To appreciate this experience take a look at my photos.

I spent most of the afternoon talking and learning about making commercials. This particular location I was told is used for scores of commercials because of its spectacular views.

About the Writer

unorthodox traveler
unorthodox traveler
Norway, Maine

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