Where to hike on your first trip to Moab, Utah 

Moab has it all. Whether you want to hike, bike, climb, whitewater raft, camp or drive off-road vehicles, you can do it in Moab, Utah. An all-around mecca for dirtbags, vanlifers and adventure-seekers, it’s an awesome place to come for a week or a month – but you might just end up staying forever! 

I visited Moab for a week in November 2021 with my brother, David. His priority was biking, and I was happy to tag along. Even though I’m fairly new to mountain biking, I did enjoy the trails in Moab (see my guide for intermediate biking in Moab, here). However, my priority was hiking. There are endless trails to choose from in Moab and the surrounding area, and I’ll definitely be going back to experience more.

Getting to Moab is very easy. It’s well-connected by major highways to Utah’s largest cities, but if you’re flying there, I recommend arriving in Grand Junction, Colorado. We rented a car there and drove the easy 2-hour drive to Moab. A detour on the scenic Highway 128 is an absolute must. It only adds about 10 minutes to the drive and has some of the best scenery you’ll see the whole trip, as well as access to numerous trails and campsites. 

The geography of the Moab area is extremely varied. You’ll find petrified dunes, natural sandstone arches and massive canyons all within 30-minutes of each other. I visited them all during my time in Moab – keep reading to see why you should too!

Hiking in Canyonlands National Park

Located an hour from Moab on Highway 313 is Canyonlands National Park. We visited the park on a whim after a day of biking on trails along Highway 313. In fact, we almost skipped going to Canyonlands because we hadn’t done any research and we really didn’t know what it offered. What a mistake that would have been! When we got there, my mind was blown. Canyonlands was one of the coolest landscapes I’ve ever seen. Of course, having done no research meant we didn’t know where to stop, so armed only with the park map given to us at the entrance, we drove blindly in. 

Mesa Arch

The first thing we came across was the Mesa Archs Trailhead, so we decided to check it out. It’s an easy 1km loop that takes you out to the world-famous Mesa Arch. The trail was busy, but definitely offered amazing views and our first exposure to an arch. In hindsight, I’d avoid this trail late in the day (we were there only a couple hours before sunset) and early in the day as photographers congregate here. Impressed and intrigued, we headed back to the trailhead ready to see what else Canyonlands offered.  

White Rim Overlook Trail

Our next stop was the White Rim Overlook Trailhead. Once again, we didn’t know what to expect, but figured this 3km trail was a safe bet given that we only had 2 hours until sunset. The trail was well-marked and hardly anyone was on it at this time (they were probably all at Mesa Arch!). The views were incredible all along the trail and we stopped numerous times for photos. Little did we know, the best part was waiting for us. At the end of the trail, it felt like the world fell away and we were left staring into a vast canyon that stretched on and on. We were atop 1000-foot cliffs that descended into the bottom of the canyon, where we could see off-road vehicles on the famous White Rim Trail. It felt like I was on Mars or in Jurassic Park. We snapped what felt like a thousand photos and reluctantly had to head back to the car before sunset. 

Grand View Point

At the end of the road in Canyonlands, you reach Grand View Point. We arrived about half an hour before sunset and decided that it was the perfect place to relax after a long day. Unfortunately, all we had left in our cooler at that point (having not planned to be out until sunset) was a jar of pickles and a can of beer. So, we sat and watched the sun go down, shared the beer and pickles, and said cheers to an epic first day in Moab.

Hiking in Arches National Park

Arches National Park is world famous, with more than 2000 natural arches present in about 310 square-kilometres. I knew I wanted to spend a couple days here and I am so glad we carved out time to explore the highlights. Being world-famous, this park gets very busy, even in the off-season. We recommend coming here during the week and arriving as early as possible in the morning. 

Delicate Arch

If you’ve ever seen a Utah license plate, you’ll know it has an arch on it. Well, that arch is Delicate Arch! Once again, we went into this hike with no expectations and were quickly blown away. The trail is 5.1km with varied terrain, but is mostly uphill. Bring lots of water and avoid the heat of the day as there is no shade on the trail! All along the trail, the views are fantastic and once you reach the end, you’re rewarded with this incredible arch. It’s hard to believe, but the arch was created by wind eroding the soft sandstone over many, many thousands of years. 

Devil’s Garden Trail and Campground

At the very end of the road through Arches, you’ll find the Devil’s Garden Trail and Campground. We arrived early (about 9AM) at the campground to secure a site. Everything is first-come-first serve in the off-season with no ability to reserve sites, so if you want to stay here (highly recommended), plan to get there early! The campground has excellent facilities, is open to all types of camping and has amazing views. As the only campground in the park, it’s a pretty special place to stay. It’s also steps from the Devils Garden Trailhead, so we were able to get up early and have the trail to ourselves on our hike.

The Devils Garden Trail is a 12.6km loop that features 8 arches! The trail offers different routes or varying lengths and is rated as difficult because there are sections where you have to scramble over rocks and hike along narrow fins. The difficult part is called the “Primitive Trail” but in my opinion, is well worth the extra effort. Fewer people venture here so you’ll have the trail to yourself and have some of the best views in the park! 

My next trip to Moab, Utah… 

Moab is a truly amazing place. One week is only enough time to scratch the surface of the adventures that Moab has to offer. For our first trip, we concentrated our time in the National Parks and most popular destinations because frankly, they’re popular for a reason! However, on my next trip, I’ll definitely try to get off the beaten track more.

Reflecting on my time in Moab has made me realize the importance of sustainable tourism. When I stood beneath Delicate Arch, I began to think about how much the world has changed in the time that this arch was formed. Humans are such a short blip on the timeline of earth, yet we’ve impacted it so drastically in a short time. I’m extremely grateful to have seen many of Moab’s landmarks in person, but I can’t help thinking about the ways that I can make my travel more eco-friendly and sustainable. Next time I’m in Utah, I’m going to make an effort to find less-frequented areas that I can still explore in a way that is kind to the environment. If anyone has any ideas or locations to share, let's chat!