Moab, Utah, Features Spectacular Scenery and Thrills

Moab, Utah, is one of the most picturesque locations in the Mountain West. The town is teeming with red geologic formations that strike a stunning contrast between land and sky. 

The array of sandstone formations is the result of salt deposited from migrating seas hundreds of millions of years ago. There are a myriad of named arches, buttes, and canyons that provide the area with a distinct look. Moab’s history is hallmarked by its mining days, and it now boasts more than 3 million visitors per year.

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The area’s uniqueness has also been showcased on the big screen, with a handful of major movies having been filmed there, including an upcoming Godzilla flick set to release in 2027. The famed giant reptilian is not far off from the creatures that once roamed the scene long ago, as various species of dinosaurs have been unearthed around Moab. There are several places to see both fossilized bones and tracks.

Mountain biking and four-wheel drive off-roading are other popular activities, with trails ranging from amusing to exhilarating. After a long day of adventuring, swing by downtown to explore the bars, shops, and restaurants.  

Flying In

Your breath may be taken away when flying into Moab—both figuratively and literally. Sitting at 4,579 feet msl, Canyonlands Regional Airport (KCNY) isn’t quite to the elevation required for supplemental oxygen, but you should be prepared depending on from where you are flying in from. 

The nearby La Sal Mountains, on the Utah-Colorado border, climb to over 12,000 feet. That and other terrain should be considerations during your flight planning due diligence. 

There’s also a large restricted area to the west of the airport, although it is rarely active. Be sure to check NOTAMs. 

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Something else to consider is the density altitude, especially during summer, when it can climb to nearly 10,000 feet. But the pressure altitude returns to a manageable level following Labor Day. 

Most visitors would say that fall and early winter are great times to visit and enjoy outdoor activities if you are heat adverse. The average daytime high is in the 50s (Fahrenheit), and the average low hovers around freezing. Precipitation is rare during these months, and the skies are almost always clear. Winds are also typically calm, unlike during spring. 

Dan Wheeler, a local pilot and director of operations for Redtail Air, a Part 135 company, invites other aviators to experience flying in this part of the country.

“The Moab area in general is a hard landscape to describe unless you see it from the air,” Wheeler said. “Flying here is rather unique but it is an absolutely beautiful place to fly.” 

As you approach the airport, the red rock formations below will become more pronounced. All the mountainous scenery is dotted with a multitude of arches, crests, buttes, and spires. 

Moab itself is bordered by the Colorado River to the north, which cuts a 1,450-mile-long winding path from Colorado to Mexico. The river’s importance to Moab cannot be understated, whether it’s the long-lasting impact its waters have made to the terrain, diversion for irrigation and drinking water, or many recreational offerings. 

Many notable points of interest in the rapidly changing terrain are easy to spot from the air. A short list would include the Island in the Sky, Balanced Rock, Tower Arch, Courthouse Towers, and Delicate Arch. Another favorite spot to view from the air is Upheaval Dome, which has roughly a 3-mile diameter and can be seen from space. There also are certain geologic features that can be witnessed from the air, especially in more remote portions of Canyonlands National Park in particular. 

The natural desire may be to try and take in these landmarks from an altitude that’s as low to the ground as possible. That said, the suggestion is to fly no lower than 2,000 feet above the area’s parks, so as not to cause a disturbance to visitors and wildlife down below.

The Airport

Moab really became a place worth visiting in the 1950s, when uranium began being mined at a higher frequency, and the town’s population grew significantly.

The boom led to a new airfield being constructed, and Canyonlands Regional Airport (KCNY) became the de facto option for transient aircraft, as tourism has steadily increased ever since. Grand County Airport (also known as Spanish Valley Airport) ultimately shuttered, with traces of its former glory still visible from the air. 

Canyonlands, a nontowered facility, is located 21 miles northwest of Moab’s business district, and it sports both a paved and gravel runway. The asphalt landing surface (3/21) is 7,360 feet long by 100 feet wide, and the gravel runway (15/33) is much smaller at 2,121 feet by 60 feet. 

Fuel and related services are provided by Redtail Jet Center. This FBO provides both 100LL and jet-A, as well as an adequate number of tie-downs to accommodate all inbound traffic. It also offers three courtesy cars available on a first-come, first-served basis for transient aviators to more easily explore the area. 

If you are wanting to see more from the air than during arrival, Redtail Flight School can help you become better acquainted with southeastern Utah flying. If you prefer someone else to take the controls while you take in the sights, Redtail Air and Pinnacle Helicopters provide scenery-focused air tours in fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.  

Canyonlands Regional Airport presents a great point of origin for a backcountry flying adventure. The Utah Backcountry Pilots Association is a good group to connect with if you are looking to venture off the pavement. The organization catalogs and supports airfields all over the state, and there is an attractive number of backcountry strips located within a hundred nautical miles of Moab. 

Voodoo Air is another on-field outfit that advertises aerial adventure opportunities. This is an opportunity to interact with the landscape differently than you would in an airplane, and its A-Star helicopter has landed in some truly stunning spots. Hot-air balloon rides are a fan favorite, too. Another thrilling option to consider with someone else behind the controls is skydiving. The drop zone is called Skydive Moab, and it operates a Cessna Caravan. 

Heavy-hauling turboprops are frequent in the traffic pattern, as well as regional jets. Contour Airlines flies daily to Moab from Denver and Phoenix, and Redtail Air Connections makes multiple flights a week from Salt Lake City. A healthy mix of other aircraft fly into the airport as well since it is conveniently located to Arches and Canyonlands national parks. 

Things to Do/Events

National and State Parks

If you hadn’t planned to before arriving, you will quickly decide to carve out some time to visit either Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, or Dead Horse Point State Park. 

Arches National Park boasts the world’s largest concentration of natural stone arches. There are over 2,000 sandstone arches spread throughout the nearly 77,000-acre park. 

Start your trip to Arches at the visitor center, where friendly rangers will give the rundown on the best trails, sights not to miss, native plant life, frequent animal sightings, and more about the park’s geology and how its many formations came to be eons ago. 

Some of the geologic highlights in the park include Park Avenue and Courthouse Towers, Balanced Rock, The Windows Section, and Delicate Arch. Many of the sights have become a piece of Moab’s visual identity and tourist appeal. Nearly one and a half million people passed through Arches National Park in 2024, placing it among the top half of all parks in terms of total annual visitors.  

Fewer than 1 million people visited Canyonlands National Park last year, signifying it may be less known than the other local option. The park does have more remote features and is significantly larger. However, the roughly 338,000-acre park’s geologic formations are no less stunning than Arches’, although it features a totally different look. 

Notable elements there include buttes, canyons, mesas, and spires having been slowly carved by the Colorado and Green Rivers. These two waterways divide the park into four districts, and two of the most well-known points of interest are the Island in the Sky mesa—which is more than a thousand feet higher than surrounding terrain—and the Green River Overlook. 

Dead Horse Point State Park is smaller than both Arches and Canyonlands, at a little over 5,000 acres. But its landscape is just as stunning. Be sure to stop at the several overlooks situated in the park as each provides a view you wish you could take home. 

Hiking, Biking, and Off-Roading

Hiking is one of the hallmark activities in Moab—and with good reason. All three parks mentioned provide miles upon miles of trails, and many of the geologic features are only accessible by foot. 

There are several other good spots to lace up your hiking boots. Sand Flats Recreation Area is a great place to start. There is an ideal location to check out the desert scenery, as well as see some of its inhabitants. A resource for the area notes that golden eagles and raptors often fly overhead. 

Once you have a few miles under you and are looking to change it up, consider heading to one of the many trails on Bureau of Land Management acreage. These include the popular Corona Arch Trail, Dellenbaugh Tunnel, and Grandstaff Canyon Trail. There are more than a dozen main paths on BLM land that you can check out au gratis. 

Biking is also a common pursuit. Just like those created for pedestrians, bike trails have been created with the surrounding scenery in mind. The seven trails at Klondike Bluffs are some of the most well used and are maintained by the BLM and local biking enthusiasts. 

Another wheeled way to experience the natural setting is through off-roading. There are several outfits in the Moab area that provide Jeeps, four-wheelers, and UTVs (utility terrain vehicles) to allow you to move off the beaten path. There are many marked off-road trails worth the trek, as well as some opportunities to create your own adventure. 

One of the bucket-list, off-road trails in Moab is Hell’s Revenge, which is labeled as an extremely difficult almost 7-mile-long path. Due to the unforgiving terrain, it takes an average of several hours to traverse the short distance. If you want to see remarkable sights from a better maintained roadway, consider driving on Potash Road as a wall of sandstone towers over much of these 17 miles of pavement. 

There is another way to experience the bright red scenery from a unique angle—Rope Swing Moab. Once adrenaline junkies put a harness on and are tethered to terra firma via a 500-foot-long rope, they can jump off a canyon. If your friends jumped, would you do it too? 

If leaping like that isn’t for you, consider intentional ascent rather than dramatic descent. Moab is a world-class destination for rock climbing, and there are a number of places for experienced climbers to set up, as well as rookies to try their hand. 

Chasing Dinosaurs

The state of Utah has a rich prehistoric past and reminders are sprinkled throughout the Moab area today. The geologic formations that stand today were once the site of a variety of dinosaurs. Tracks are the most common reminder of these creatures once roamed, and something that visitors can see with ease. 

One of the handful of marked spots to view preserved footprints and more is at the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite. The site contains over 200 tracks and traces representing at least ten different types of animals.

A dedicated facility also exists to showcase the area’s prehistoric past. Moab Giants Dinosaur Park & Museum is an interactive setup that helps paint the full picture of the town’s past and the different animals once present there. With life-size replicas, fossilized artifacts, and different activities that bring dinosaurs to life, this is a great place to bring kids. 

Taking It Easy

Don’t forget to take some time to relax. A handful of the accommodations in town highlight hot tubs as a feature, and everyone knows those pair well with cool weather and a body in need of rest. 

There are several good times to take a dip. Sunrise and sunset offer great views, especially if you are in view of Moab’s memorable terrain. One incredible option regardless of location is a nighttime viewing of the sky, as Moab is routinely recognized as one of the best places in the country to stargaze. 

Both Arches and Canyonlands national parks, as well as Dead Horse Point State Park, are attractive places to set up for this one-of-a-kind celestial experience. Arches may be the most popular park to check out the stars, and it was certified as an International Dark Sky Park. There is virtually no light pollution, meaning visitors can see an unobscured sky, with stars that twinkle unlike back at home. The park’s website notes that on certain nights, Saturn’s rings can be seen with binoculars. 

A late night out under the dark skies is enjoyable, but you may need a pick-me-up the next morning. 

There are some good spots to grab a cup of coffee, quick bite to eat, and full-service breakfast. You might as well stick around the downtown area and enjoy Main Street, where the eateries also serve lunch and dinner.

There are also a couple of bars and breweries if you want to enjoy the nightlife in Moab. Before you leave town, though, make sure you stop in some of the shops to grab a local-made souvenir. 

This column first appeared in the November Issue 964 of the FLYING print edition.