Tips and Tricks of Moab
I will provide more information regarding Moab from my four feature blog posts (Moab Part One: The one with aliens 2021, Moab Part Two: The Needles- 2021 , Moab Three: Paying it forward in Hell Revenge's- 2021, and Moab Part Four: Return to Dead Horse)
Passes you will need:
The first thing you need to get is a National Park Pass. I highly recommend getting it before going to any National Park; it will save you time! This pass is for one year for $80 and allows you to enter all parks for free. Most parks will be either 25 or 40 dollars to enter, valid for seven days if you don't have a pass. You can buy the pass at the National Park, their website, or REI. I have their links below.
And a day passes for Deadhorse; see below for information regarding that.
Parks in Moab:
Arches National Park: Is about 10-15 mins from Moab
The park is now on a pilot time entry ticket from 3 April to 3 October. To get your time entry ticket, you can go to: Recreation.gov.
They are testing a time entry because the park has become so crowded, and they want to control how many people are in the park so they can protect the park and the people. When I was there, the Rangers closed down the park at 9 am when they reached total capacity, and they reopened the park once people started to leave, usually around 2-5 in the afternoon.
Every National Park has a website you can visit to plan your trip. I saw Canyonlands and Arches websites to get intel on what I should pack and wear, incredible hikes, tips, and tricks.
I also LOVE calling the National Park and speaking to the rangers to get more information. I love asking them what their favorite hikes are, what they recommend, etc.
Canyonlands National Park: There are three sections to this park. Island in the Sky, Needles, and the rivers themselves.
The Island in the sky is about 40-45 minutes from Moab and is right down from Deadhorse State Park.
The Needles is about an hour and 20-30 mins from Moab. This section of the park is truly a full-day adventure. You will not have enough time to explore this park and the other area of the park.
Dead Horse State Park: it's on the same road as Canyonlands Island in the sky. If you make a left on that road, you will enter Dead Horse, and if you stay straight, you will enter Canyonlands.
Dead Horse is a state park, so you need a state park pass or a day past. See below for the breakdown.
Day Permits
Regular: $20.00
Motorcycles: $10.00 per motorcycle
Bike-In and Walk-In Fees: $10.00 per person
Annual Permits:
Utah residents under the age of 65: $100.00
Utah residents age 65 or older: $50.00
Out-of-state customer: $150.00
Places I stayed in Moab:
I camped at Grandstaff Campground, one of many campgrounds along Hwy 128. These campgrounds are all operated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the sites are first-come, first-served, so you need to get there early! There is a nightly fee of 20 dollars. They have bathrooms and a fire ring, but everything else you need to bring.
You can also check out Goose Island, Hal Canyon, Oak Grove Campground, Grandstaff Campground, and Big Bend Campground. All these campgrounds are 10 minutes from Arches.
You can also camp at Arches and Deadhorse State Park. Outside of Canyonlands, there are Horsethief Campground, Shafer Campground, Taylor Campground, and Gooseberry around this area.
In Moab in 2020, I stayed in a cabin at Lazy Lizard Hostel one night. U also recommend staying here if you don't feel like camping. The cool part is if you are camping in Moab and you need a shower, you can come here and pay 3 dollars to shower. They accept credit cards, but it's cheaper to use cash!
HIkes:
Needles: Chesler Park trail- It's a moderately challenging 5.4 miles round trip. Bring a lot of water and Gatorade on this hike.
Arches: Double Arch and the Windows Arch for sunset."
Moab: Grandstaff Canyon Trail- 5-mile hike, round trip. This is across the street from the Grandstaff Campground.
Tours:
Moab Tour Company's sunset tour of Hell's Revenge 4x4 trail is challenging to navigate and only recommended for UTVs and non-stock vehicles. This tour costs:
Clothing:
Hiking boots: Type of boots…
Pants: yoga pants
Jacket: No jacket while I was in UT; it was too hot!
Tops: REI Co-op Sahara T-Shirt - Women's, Icebreaker t-shit, Moutain Hardwear UPF, and Flyingbuddha tank
Bra: Ice Breaker
Underwear: Normal
Hat: Colorado baseball cap
Camping gear:
Tent: REI Co-op Backpacking Bundle ( it came with a sleeping bag and pad)
Camp Pillow: Cocoon Sleeping Bag Hood Pillow
Camping Stove: Windpro MSR
Camping Chair: URPRO
Day bag: Osprey Sirrus 24; this is my favorite day bag with room for a water bladder, first aid kit, clothes, snacks, knife, headlamp, etc. I had all these things in my bag! I got this bag from Facebook Market, but I provided an REI link. If you go to the Osprey Website, you will have more color options.
Backpacking Pack: Osprey Aura AG 65 Pack - Women's
Camp food: AlpineAire Foods, Backpackers, and Mountain House
Places to eat: Love Muffin Café ( great breakfast options!)