National Parks Near Moab
National Parks near Moab. In this article, More Than Just Parks introduces you to the “Mighty Five.”
Moab is the gateway to these fabulous places. They include the massive red rock formations found in Arches National Park and beautiful mesas and buttes carved by the Green and Colorado rivers, plus Native American rock art, which you will find in Canyonlands National Park.
We’ve got all of that plus more as we’ll give you 5 reasons why you’ll want to hop in your car and make a day’s drive (or less) from Moab to one of these truly amazing places.
Why Trust Us About National Parks Near Moab?
You should probably know that we don’t just make this stuff up out of thin air. My sons have spent their entire adult lives exploring and filming America’s national parks and public lands.
As for me, I’m a retired lifelong educator and a proud dad of these two wonderful guys who are hopelessly obsessed with the national parks. I taught history for over a quarter of a century. Now I enjoy researching and writing articles for More Than Just Parks. I’m always on the hunt for topics where nature and history intersect so please feel free to share any ideas that you might have with me.
We’ve worked with the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service for years creating films on important places and issues. Our work has been featured in leading publications all over the world and even some people outside of our immediate family call us experts on the national parks.
Meet The Parks Brothers
We’re Jim Pattiz and Will Pattiz, collectively known as the Pattiz Brothers (and sometimes the Parks Brothers) and we absolutely LOVE the national parks.
Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.
We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then please sign up below!
Best National Parks Near Moab
1. Arches National Park
Distance From Moab: Nine minutes (5 miles) via US-191 N.
No day’s drive here! Actually, you could walk it.
Arches National Park is perhaps the most interactive of all the Utah parks filled with scenery that brings out the child in all of us. Sandstone hallways and tunnels, rocks to climb on and over, sandy trails perfect for sandals or even bare feet at times, and red rock vistas that make for an unforgettable experience.
It’s close proximity to Moab does make it a bit of a crowded park at times so be sure to take advantage of early mornings when visiting and consider going during the shoulder seasons.
An excellent resource if you’re planning to do some hiking is Hiking Canyonlands and Arches National Parks: A Guide To More Than 60 Great Hikes (Falcon Guides) by Bill Schneider.
Arches Highlights
Delicate Arch is the iconic arch featured on the Utah license plate and the arch everyone plans their trip around. The hike up to Delicate Arch isn’t a walk in the park as it involves a solid incline and a bit of navigating the sandstone, but is more than doable for most visitors.
Landscape Arch is the largest arch on earth spanning some 306 feet of weathered sandstone. This one is an easy 1.5 miles round trip and a must on your Arches trip.
Double O Arch featured in the image above is a very unique arch on top of an arch. This 4.1 mile out and back hike is a bit more strenuous, especially in the summer heat, so plan accordingly and bring plenty of water.
2. Bryce Canyon National Park | National Parks Near Moab
Distance From Moab: Four hours 17 minutes (248 miles) via I-70 W.
Bryce Canyon National Park is among the most beautiful I’ve hiked in the parks system. Sunrises in the park are nothing short of jaw-dropping.
Hoodoos (irregular columns of rock) exist on every continent, but here is the largest concentration found anywhere on Earth. Situated along a high plateau at the top of the Grand Staircase, the park’s high elevations include numerous life communities, fantastic dark skies, and geological wonders that defy description.
Wall Street Trail is a spectacular trail through Bryce Canyon’s famous otherworldly scenery.
Sunset Point is the quintessential Bryce Canyon overlook where visitors are amazed at the mind-bending beauty and concentration of hoodoos and rock formations. As it’s name suggests, sunsets here are not to be missed.
Inspiration Point has a fitting name – from here you can look out on the vast landscape that makes up this unique portion of Utah. Hoodoos, mesas, ponderosa pines, cedar, and beautifully striped hills as far as the eye can see.
An excellent resource for any of Utah’s Might 5 National Parks is Fodor’s Utah: With Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, Capitol Reef and Canyonlands National Parks (Full-color Travel Guide).
3. Canyonlands National Park
Distance From Moab: The easiest way to see the park is with a visit to the Island in the Sky district, only 32 miles (30 minutes) from Moab.
Canyonlands National Park is the largest national park in Utah, and its diversity staggers the imagination. The Island in the Sky offers many pullouts with spectacular views along the paved scenic drive.
This park has views that one can seemingly gaze upon for days without losing interest or comprehending exactly the vastness of the landscape. Mesa Arch here represents one of the most photographed sunrises in all of the national park system and Green River overlook one of the most dazzling sunsets.
The catch? Four-wheel drive. If you’ve got it you’re set and have full access to all of the unbelievable destinations the park has to offer. Without it, your time in the park will be mostly limited to overlooks from above, which are still well worth the trip.
If you’re planning to do some serious hiking then you may want to check out 100 Classic Hikes Utah: National Parks and Monuments / National Wilderness and Recreation Areas / State Parks / Uintas / Wasatch by Julie Trevelyan.
Canyonlands Highlights
The Needles makes up the southeastern corner of the park and is named after the multi-colored spires of sandstone that dominate the area. The Needles area offers a multitude of hiking opportunities as well as 4WD roads leading to fascinating ruins.
Mesa Arch is the most photographed feature in the park and is where you’ll find the bulk of tourists looking to snag their very own photo of this arch with a view. Sunrise is the best time to head over and see the sun makes its way up through the arch while illuminating the vast landscape.
Shafer Trail is perhaps the pinnacle of 4WD trails in the United States. Here you can put your high clearance four-wheel-drive SUV through the wringer on this challenging, unpaved, and downright scary road.
4. Capitol Reef National Park | National Parks Near Moab
Distance From Moab: Two hours 8 minutes (137 miles) via UT-24 W.
Probably the least known Utah national park, and yet it’s easily one of the best. No crowds, abundant scenery, and there’s even a small town (Torrey) nestled up against the park that has restaurants and conveniences that will surprise you. Lots of great day-hikes and truly out of this world stargazing opportunities (pun intended).
Overlooks that look out on vast and lonely landscapes shaped by geological activity over millennia, uncrowded trails through ancient petroglyphs, natural arches, and beautiful red rock scenery, and historic structures preserving early pioneer life. What’s not to like about this often-overlooked Utah gem?
Speaking of gems, if you’re interested in other sights to see while in Utah then you may want to pick up a copy of Utah Bucket List Adventure Guide & Journal: Explore 50 Natural Wonders You Must See!
Capitol Reef Highlights
Hickman Bridge is an easy 2 mile trail (1 mile each way) taking you to a spectacular sandstone arch. The trail also takes you by early Fremont ruins and a smaller arch.
Grand Wash is an spectacular gorge that cuts through the Capitol Reef’s Waterpocket Fold geological formation. The trail follows a flat wash for just over 6 miles, but most visitors prefer to explore the half mile narrows (featured in the image above) before simply turning back.
Stargazing Capitol Reef was designated an International Dark Sky Park back in 2015 and for very good reason. The night skies over Capitol Reef provide some of the best stargazing opportunities in the United States.
5. Zion National Park
Distance From Moab: Five hours (314 miles) via I-70 W & US-89 S.
While the park is jaw-droppingly beautiful and home to world-class recreational opportunities, it’s also completely regularly chocked full of tourists on every trail, crowding nearly every vista.
Buses, lottery systems, permits, closures, and still the crowds swarm like moths to a flame. What’s that old proverb? If you love it, let it go.
All that said, there actually are a few areas of the park that are not completely overrun, like Kolob Terrace and Kolob Canyons.
In those separate parts of the park you can actually enjoy the beauty of the place without the near constant head-shaking necessitated by seeing the endless crowds of tourists desperately angling for their next social media masterpiece.
The Watchman is probably the most iconic feature of the park. This sandstone mountain juts out from the familiar cliffs of Zion and looks out over the whole park. It’s best seen from the bridge near the entrance to the main canyon.
Kolob Canyon is our favorite part of the park, where you can escape the maddening crowds and explore the scenery that makes this area of Utah so treasured.
Checkerboard Mesa is a fascinating bit of geology found along Zion Mt Carmel Highway. Here you can stare at a sandstone mesa with what appear to be checkerboard marks carved deep into the stone. This naturally occurring phenomenon is sure to excite the younger ones with you.
Zion National Park Film
Map Of National Parks Near Moab
List Of National Parks Near Moab
- Arches National Park
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Zion National Park
We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then please sign up below!
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