A Primer on Moab
We spend a lot of time in Moab. I first visited there in the 60’s and have been going back ever since. I probably camped in the area over 300 days in just the last 10 years. So I thought maybe I’d put...
Forum Discussion
When to go
Naturally for many, when to go is determined by when they can go, taking into consideration school and/or work schedules.
Spring is of course the popular time of the year to go. You’ll find lots of people especially around school breaks. We always avoid the week before Easter as that is when the Jeep Safari takes place. So busy it’s a chore just to get groceries or gasoline. You’ve been warned! Late in April is a very popular car show. On Saturday night, people line both sides of Main Street to watch a collection of rat rods, vintage classics, and 50’s street machines drive up and down the street for hours. People bring lawn chairs and even picnics. Pretty interesting but brings a lot of people to town.
Summer can get quite hot (ok, maybe not hot by AZ standards), so plan your outdoor activities in the coolers parts of the day like morning and evening. Some hikes, like Grandstaff Canyon and Fiery Furnace are down between the fins to there’s some shade in the hotter parts of the day. Or take the LaSal Loop Road and enjoy the cooler temps around the LaSal Mountains. Take a raft trip. The pool in Moab has an outdoor section where one can cool off during the day. In the afternoon, hike up Mill Creek to the waterfall, staying left at the junction. Brave souls will jump from the cliff into the pond, but just wading or sitting in the water is a great place to cool off in the summer. Warning: parking can be tough as this is a popular getaway.
Fall is somewhat less busy than Spring but still popular. We avoid the week of the Utah Education Associate convention in mid-October that takes place in SLC as virtually all the school districts in the state are off for that Thursday and Friday. Many parents take their kids out of school for the whole week. Not quite as bad as Jeep Safari week in the Spring, but pretty crowded.
Winter would seem like the ideal time to visit and it can be. But sometimes temperature inversions set in and Moab will be 10 or 20 degrees colder than we are here in Glenwood Springs. One can often find warmer temps by going up to Island in the Sky in Canyonlands, but down by the river it can be very cold.
Naturally for many, when to go is determined by when they can go, taking into consideration school and/or work schedules.
Spring is of course the popular time of the year to go. You’ll find lots of people especially around school breaks. We always avoid the week before Easter as that is when the Jeep Safari takes place. So busy it’s a chore just to get groceries or gasoline. You’ve been warned! Late in April is a very popular car show. On Saturday night, people line both sides of Main Street to watch a collection of rat rods, vintage classics, and 50’s street machines drive up and down the street for hours. People bring lawn chairs and even picnics. Pretty interesting but brings a lot of people to town.
Summer can get quite hot (ok, maybe not hot by AZ standards), so plan your outdoor activities in the coolers parts of the day like morning and evening. Some hikes, like Grandstaff Canyon and Fiery Furnace are down between the fins to there’s some shade in the hotter parts of the day. Or take the LaSal Loop Road and enjoy the cooler temps around the LaSal Mountains. Take a raft trip. The pool in Moab has an outdoor section where one can cool off during the day. In the afternoon, hike up Mill Creek to the waterfall, staying left at the junction. Brave souls will jump from the cliff into the pond, but just wading or sitting in the water is a great place to cool off in the summer. Warning: parking can be tough as this is a popular getaway.
Fall is somewhat less busy than Spring but still popular. We avoid the week of the Utah Education Associate convention in mid-October that takes place in SLC as virtually all the school districts in the state are off for that Thursday and Friday. Many parents take their kids out of school for the whole week. Not quite as bad as Jeep Safari week in the Spring, but pretty crowded.
Winter would seem like the ideal time to visit and it can be. But sometimes temperature inversions set in and Moab will be 10 or 20 degrees colder than we are here in Glenwood Springs. One can often find warmer temps by going up to Island in the Sky in Canyonlands, but down by the river it can be very cold.
