Trip Report: Moab in Autumn is Magical, but Crowded AF
With the changing of the leaves and cooling of the weather, the southern Utah desert becomes inhabitable once again. I was long overdue for a trip to the Moab area, home to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Dead Horse Point State park, and endless adventure no matter what your outdoor activity of choice is. Truth be told, Moab is being loved to death, especially in a year when many people’s travel plans involved bringing back the family camping adventure because of a global pandemic. The small town’s infrastructure is being pushed to the limit, parks are often at capacity by the early morning, and road construction on 191 on the Moab side of the bridge makes for huge traffic backups past the entrance to Arches NP. Litter and graffiti plague recreation areas and it seems like every nook and cranny of the desert is occupied by a tent or RV. The long and the short of it is, I just don’t enjoy the area as much as I used to. Many of the issues I described were becoming problems before the global pandemic took over our lives, but they have definitely been amplified this year.
I would never discourage someone from visiting the area- it’s world-famous for a reason, but be prepared to deal with crowds and be a good human and CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF. There is no excuse for littering. None. Zero. Pack it in, pack it out. Leave no trace. There are no cleanup crews in the desert.
All of that aside, I did have a good time. Here’s the 411. Moab is about a 4 hour drive from Salt Lake City- sometimes longer on popular weekends. I had planned to camp by myself, but I had some friends who were also going to be down there, so I crashed their camp, which was on BLM land near Dead Horse Point State Park. Due to the severe fire danger because of the tinder-dry conditions, no campfires were permitted, which was kind of a bummer. Thankfully the weather was quite mild, so only the ambiance of the fire was missed, not the warmth.
Saturday morning, my plan was to go to Arches National Park and hike to Double O Arch and Dark Angel, but the park was full by the time I got there at 9:30. Rumor had it the park was full by 8AM! My backup plan was to drive down the Potash Road to see some petroglyphs and hike to Corona Arch. I got to the trailhead around 10AM and was able to get a parking spot in the lot. The lot seems to always have people coming and going, so being a little patient will likely net you a spot in a short amount of time.
The hike to Corona Arch is a fairly gentle 3 mile out and back with some fun features like crossing railroad tracks, climbing rock “stairs,” and climbing a ladder.
When I was hiking back, I ran into a friend of mine from college, once again proving I can’t go anywhere in Utah without bumping into someone I know!
I needed to get gas, so I went into town. Ice cream and a walk up and down the main drag also sounded fun, so that’s how the rest of my afternoon was spent. Town wasn’t as crowded as I though it would be, but it was still mid-day when most people were still doing their Outdoor Things. I bought a cute shirt at Arteesian, which has locally-made clothing and jewelry. I may have also had gelato at Moab Coffee Roasters. I was just going to grab an iced coffee, but ice cream sounded way better!
I was the first one back at camp, so I took advantage of the quiet to crack open a beer and do a little reading.
Sunday I opted to pop over to Canyonlands NP before I got on the road home. The park is split into three districts, the most accessible being Island in the Sky. Needles is more remote and a popular destination for backpackers. The Maze is really, really remote and should only be accessed by the most experienced, competent adventurers.
Island in the Sky is mostly about the sweeping views. There are some hikes, including Upheaval Dome which I did with a friend last year.
One of the most popular destinations is Mesa Arch. It’s a very short “hike” from the parking lot and offers mind-boggling views of the area, as well as an arch at the cliff’s edge.
The drive back to Salt Lake, specifically as highway 6 exits Spanish Fork Canyon was pretty miserable. Traffic was horrid. I learned it was Fall Break and opening weekend for the deer hunt, so those, in addition to the unseasonably warm weather made everyone converge on Southern Utah. It took me well over an hour to go the last 15 miles. The road goes from 4 lanes to 2 at the canyon’s exit, creating a huge bottleneck.
Overall, I had a pretty chill weekend, which I what I was after. I would like to get back down there, perhaps sometime over the winter when it is less busy. Shoulder season is a fantastic time to visit. It is far less crowded. A sunny day in the mid-40s is actually quite pleasant for hiking- I’m usually fine in a long sleeve shirt and a puffy vest. In fact, I am thinking about a Thanksgiving weekend or early December trip. I would like to do a more in-depth Moab post in the future. There is truly an overwhelming amount of stuff to see and do.
