Moab is one of our favorite places to visit any time of the year, especially during off season when it’s less expensive. It’s a short drive from Denver (about 5.5 hours) – it makes the ideal vacation spot for any family!
We’ve actually visited Moab on several different occasions and always find more to do! It’s great for active sports – but it’s also awesome for all ages (we took grandparents with us once) and fairly easy hikes can be found to accommodate all ages – I did the first one we went on with a baby in a snuggly!
We were pleasantly surprised to find activities we’d never discovered before!
Red Rock Astronomy is a must do for all families going to Moab – tour-guide Alex takes you out into a huge open area with his fabulous computerized telescope and shows you star clusters, galaxies and fun things you never knew were out there! He does this year-round, but be sure to check with him about weather conditions and other natural complications (apparently when the moon is totally full, it’s hard to see many stars – it’s too bright).
Alex comes prepared and brings a heater and chairs, so the experience is fun and again great for all ages – our kids loved it! And at $25 per person it was a bargain!
As for the parks I can’t say enough. Arches National Park never gets boring – it’s one of the most gorgeous parks out there. The gift shop/visitors center is great and a wonderful place to prepare for multiple days in the park.
Also close by is Canyonlands National Park and it’s sheer size is amazing. Again, lots of fabulous hikes (short and long) make this park virtually impossible to cover in one short trip.
There are a bunch of guided tours of the parks available – either on bike or by jeep. Check out this list of tours and what time of year they’re available. We’ve always found the self-guided hikes to be great and easy to take at the pace of your kids or whoever else is along.
There are also driving tours available – we chose the Rock Art or hieroglyphics one this time and although my family got bored tracking these sites down – it was amazing how available they are and all over town! We also discovered other areas, like Moonflower Canyon while exploring and we’ll definitely go back there and do some hiking next visit. It was gorgeous.
In the winter you may find some of the shops closed, but there are fantastic deals at area motels and resorts – it’s an inexpensive time to stay in Moab.
