Moab: Utah’s Adventure Basecamp 🏜️🚣♀️

📍 Moab is a small city in eastern Utah, serving as the gateway to the stunning red rock formations of Arches National Park 🏞️. Just a short drive away, Canyonlands National Park offers vast mesas and buttes carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers, along with ancient Native American rock art 🖼️. Dinosaur footprints can be spotted at sites like Bull Canyon Overlook and Copper Ridge 🦕. Although the Moab Museum—home to dinosaur bones and archaeological artifacts—remains temporarily closed due to the pandemic, the town itself is buzzing with outdoor energy! 📍 With a population of fewer than 6,000, Moab feels spacious yet activity-packed. Our Airbnb sat right along the highway, perched near a canyon with breathtaking sunset views 🌅. Just a 5-minute drive from downtown, Moab is perfectly positioned for adventure. The town thrives on tourism, with plenty of highly-rated restaurants 🍽️, off-road vehicle rentals, and river rafting services 🚣. Note that winter slows things down—many restaurants close for two months, and outdoor options become more limited. 📍 Day 1: Rafting on the Colorado River We booked a rafting trip in advance—from 11 AM to 4 PM, including a riverside lunch 🥪. Two options are available: self-paddling or guided tours. With young kids, we opted for the guided version. Our muscular yet friendly guide (whom my kid proudly called “pretty sister” 💪👩) made the experience smooth and fun. The kids even got to swim in calm sections of the river! Despite the intense heat, everyone had a blast. By the end, we all looked like we’d spent a summer in South America 😂🌞. 💡 We went with ADrift Adventures – highly recommended! The total cost was around $300. 📍 Day 2: Off-Road Tour in Arches National Park Arches is famous for its 2,000+ natural sandstone arches. We explored highlights like the massive Delicate Arch 🧡 and the slender Landscape Arch in the Devil’s Garden section. Our guide—a schoolteacher in winter and tour guide in summer—knew the park inside and out 🧠. After college, he left a corporate job in California to roam national parks. His stories deepened our appreciation for nature’s wonders. The park offers free camping areas with portable toilets 🏕️. For outdoor lovers, it’s a perfect base—you’d need a full week (or more!) to see all the arches. #MoabUtah #ArchesNationalPark #Canyonlands #FamilyAdventure #Rafting #OffRoading #TravelUtah #NationalParks #OutdoorFamily #VisitMoab