By local experts at Discover Moab
My favorite place in the world is just a few minutes outside of downtown Moab, Utah. I turn off Main Street at Kane Creek Boulevard, a street that winds past the movie theater and through a few small neighborhoods before it lands next to the Colorado River. The road leads to campsites, canyons, hiking trails, biking trails, petroglyphs, off-road routes, climbing crags – Kane Creek Boulevard is one of Moab’s hidden gems, and it’d be easy to spend days here, especially if you snag a camping spot. It’s well-worth adding a day to your Moab trip just to explore this unique zone.
Something to keep in mind with activities down Kane Creek: there is very spotty cell service in this area! Download your maps beforehand and consider bringing a satellite communications device.
And another note: many of the trails get very hot in the summer – there isn’t a ton of shade out here – so be ready for the weather and bring snacks and water with you.
Places to camp along Kane Creek: Kings Bottom, Hunter Canyon/Spring Canyon, The Ledge
Things to do along Kane Creek Boulevard – choose your own adventure style
Hike or off-road the Moab Rim Trail
Keep an eye out for a trailhead shortly after the road turns left and starts following the Colorado River. This is the Moab Rim Trail, a hiking and off-roading route that offers stunning views of the Colorado River and the town of Moab. It’s one mile to reach the stop, but it’s a steep mile – the hiking route is called
“The Escalator” for a reason. Watch for local Moabites who run it.
Explore Moonflower Canyon
Just after Kings Bottom campground is Moonflower Canyon, which provides a shaded and cool walk through a beautiful, tree-lined canyon. This canyon floods during monsoon season in late summer: when you make it to the end, peer up at the canyon walls and you’ll get an idea of how large the cascade of water falls down into the canyon.
Before leaving the parking lot, head over to the right side (as you’re looking at the canyon) to spot your first petroglyphs of the day. Here’s
what to know about petroglyphs before you go.
Hike or off-road at Pritchett Canyon
Pritchett Canyon provides another thrilling off-road or hiking experience. It’s the hardest off-road trail in Moab, so you may prefer to hike it–hiking three miles (six out and back) will get you near a number of arches and bridges formed in the rocks. The start of the canyon passes through private land, so you have to pay a small fee. These trails are a bit harder to follow, so make sure you do your
research beforehand.
Explore Jackson’s Trail
Park at a large parking lot just past Pritchett Canyon for access to Jackson’s Trail. This is a bike-accessible trail as well, but mountain bikers will be coming down the trail, so keep an eye out for them as you explore. The
trail follows the Colorado River for a mile or so, then switchbacks its way up to the top of a mesa, where it’ll connect to a few other trails. Stop here to take in views of the river, or continue on to the Rockstacker trail to find Pothole Arch. Beware of getting lost, and of a short icy stretch in the winter.
Bike, hike, climb, off-road, and watch basejumpers at the Amasa Back/Captain Ahab/Hymasa trailhead
Pull off at the Amasa Back/Captain Ahab/Hymasa trailhead on a nice, not-windy day and you’ll likely be able to spot basejumpers leaping from Tombstone Rock across the road. This trailhead is a hub of activity: It leads to a world-class mountain biking trail system and a popular off-road route. The most popular mountain biking trail accessible here is
HyMasa/Captain Ahab: if you’re an expert-level mountain biker, this trail is not to be missed. Thousands of bikers come to this area each year to experience it! If you’re not on a bike, this trail makes for a lovely hike or trail run as well. You’ll likely pass by off-roaders testing their skills along the Cliffhanger road.
Rock climbers can also spend a few hours enjoying the
Abraxas Wall, accessible from this trailhead, which has 10 trad climbs ranging from 5.10 to 5.11d.
This is a good spot for a picnic lunch!
Peer into the past at the Birthing Scene petroglyph
One of the most captivating petroglyphs in Moab (in this writer’s opinion) is the birthing scene petroglyph, which was carved onto a large boulder. The petroglyph shows, as you can guess, a birthing scene: there are two humanoid figures depicted, along with depictions of feet and animals. It’s a beautiful glimpse into the past and the lives of the people who first lived in this area.
Remember: do not touch the petroglyphs! We want to
preserve these rocks as long as we can. Scratching on rocks causes irreparable damage and is illegal.
Scramble up to Funnel Arch (only if you have route-finding skills)
Continuing past the Birthing Scene petroglyph, you’ll find a small pull-off on the road to the left. This is the small trailhead to the Funnel Arch trail, a short and fun trail that leads to an impressive arch. This trail requires significant route-finding skills – the trail dips in and out of sight – and there’s a challenging rock climbing scramble right at the start.
Rock climb at the Ice Cream Parlor climbing wall
The
Ice Cream Parlor climbing wall offers 45 sport and trad climbs from beginner 5.7 routes to a few challenging 5.12 PG13s. It’s south facing, so if you plan to climb, get here early to avoid the scorching sun – or visit during a sunny winter day, when the warm rock provides balmy respite from cold temperatures. This wall truly provides something for everyone, no matter what skill level climber you are.
Continue on to watch the canyon open up into a wide desert landscape – and find a few more camping options
The Ledge campsites are further down the road. Past here, the road turns into a 4×4 road – off-roaders will enjoy going through Hurrah Pass and along Lockhart Basin road as part of the
Chicken Corners route.
Lizzie Larsen at Westwater Ranch with angora chaps. [J. Willard Marriott Library Archives]
“The right to ride astride,” was a movement founded in practicality and a rejection of misogynist cultural norms. Historic cowgirls in Moab participated in the movement in their own ways!
Riding horses sidesaddle was criticized during the women’s suffrage movement for prioritizing fashion over the safety, independence, and control of the female rider. While it is uncommon to find photos of women riding astride prior to 1930, when only sidesaddle was socially acceptable, women on the range were breaking down this particular social structure even before the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession (the march on Washington D.C. that took place on March 3, 1913, in part for which we designate March as Women’s History Month).
From the wives and daughters of the Indian Creek Cattle Company (est. 1885) to the present, the women of this region are just as full of spirit and grit as their male counterparts. Gertrude “Gertie” Goudelock (1880-1933) was a partner to her husband David Lafayette Goudelock (1866-1952) as much on the range as in marriage—not only did she run the household at Moab’s old Darrow Hotel and raise their family, but she also saddled up alongside David to move livestock, cut cows, and brand hides. She also fulfilled duties as a civic leader in Moab. Gertrude instilled her many merits in her daughter Helen (1907-2003), who would inherit her mother’s ranch saddle and join her own husband, Lester Taylor (1905-1987), in raising their children and livestock. Helen also became a local civic leader and school superintendent.
Cowboys drive Scorup-Somerville cattle. [Moab Museum Collection]
The community of Moab can thank the men and women of the Indian Creek Cattle Co. for providing much of the city’s original infrastructure. Today, the surrounding range lands are still stewarded by the cowgirls of Canyonlands: conservationist Heidi Redd runs the Dugout Ranch in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and the Canyonlands Research Center; and local equine expert Kandace Peterson runs The Cowgirls Secret, an equine wellness retreat company which employs all women.
“Twenty years ago, a girl who rode astride was looked on as a creature with a shocking lack of modesty whose only reason for adopting this style must be a desire to ape masculine ways and make herself duly conspicuous.” –Ivy Maddison, 1923. This quote is included in the Museum’s “Spirit and Grit: Ranching in Canyonlands” exhibit on display at
Dead Horse Point State Park. The exhibit highlights women who were involved as cowgirls on family ranches and who held board seats on land and cattle companies—the narrative of cowboys riding the range is so ingrained in us by historic filmmakers like John Ford that the idea of women as cattle hands, rather than as just token sideshows, may seem implausible. But while dime store novels and Hollywood Westerns omitted these tough-as-nails women from their stories, the truth is that women have always rode the range with the same grit as any cowboy.
The Moab Museum is dedicated to sharing stories of the natural and human history of the Moab area. To explore more of Moab’s stories and artifacts and find out about upcoming programs, visit MoabMuseum.org
By local experts at Discover Moab
Planning to visit Arches National Park this year? You’ll need a timed entry reservation, in addition to your parks pass!
Nine national parks across the country require timed entry reservations this year.
During high visitation days of 2025,
Arches National Park is implementing a timed entry system to reduce crowing in the park. That means during certain hours in certain months of the year, you need to
reserve a time to enter the park, like you would make a table reservation at a restaurant. The system guarantees you will be able to enter the park during peak times of the year.
Reservations are required for visitors wishing to enter the park between 7 am and 4 pm daily, from April 1 to July 6 and from August 28 to October 31. Yes, that means there is a pause in the reservation requirement from July 7 to August 27. You can enter the park during those dates without a reservation.
Keep in mind, the park is open 24 hours! You can always enter the park outside of the hours of 7 am and 4 pm, and you do not need a reservation to do so. Starting your hikes early is a good way to avoid the heat, and Arches National Park is a dark sky park, meaning the night sky is spectacular!
When you enter the park at any time on any day of the year, you still need to pay the
entrance fee to the park, which is $30 (or have a parks pass, such as the America the Beautiful pass). You can pay the entrance fee at the gate or pay online.
Okay, so, how do you enter the park between the hours of 7 am and 4 pm from April 1 to July 6 and August 28 to October 31?
- Timed entry reservations are available six months in advance starting at 8 am MST. You can reserve your entry time on Recreation.gov for $2.
- Next-day reservations become available at 7 pm daily. That means that if you missed reserving your entry time, you still have a chance to reserve a time the night before the day you want to go. Any unreserved timeslots remain open for same-day booking.
- You can enter the park before 7 am or after 4 pm without a reservation.
- You can enter the park without a reservation if you have booked a campsite or other activity within the park, such as a Fiery Furnace tour. You can book those activities at Recreation.gov.
- When you arrive, you will also need to purchase a park pass at the gate (or online). Passes are $30 per vehicle. You can also buy an “America the Beautiful” pass for $80, which will get you into any National Park for a year.
For more information about the 2025 Timed Entry Pilot, including a complete schedule of ticket releases, visit:
go.nps.gov/ArchesTicket! And save this graphic to your phone or social media pages:
The Windows, Arches National Park
To visit Arches National Park this summer (from April to October), visitors need to reserve a time to enter the park in addition to purchasing a park pass.
In response to feedback from stakeholders and the general public, Arches National Park is changing its 2025 pilot timed entry reservation system to accept reservations up to six months in advance—twice as long as previously announced.
According to recent surveys, 15-26% of Arches’ visitors plan their trip six months or more in advance. “Enabling earlier reservations gives people more flexibility in planning their visit to Arches,” said Arches National Park Superintendent Lena Pace. “To accommodate all travel styles, we will also continue to release next-day tickets, which often remain open for same-day booking.”
The previously-announced decision to not require reservations from July 7 to August 27, 2025, (after July 4th weekend until just before Labor Day weekend) is also an adaptation based on feedback from past pilots. Visitation traditionally slows down during peak summer months when daytime temperatures are hottest, reducing the need to manage crowding in the park.
All other program parameters will remain the same. Visitors arriving between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the program is in effect will need to have booked a timed entry ticket in order to enter the park (unless they have camping, tour, or special use permits; concessions contracts; commercial use authorizations; academic or volunteer fee waivers; or are from an associated Tribal Nation). Visitors arriving before 7 a.m. or after 4 p.m., or between July 7 and August 7, 2025, will not need a timed entry ticket.
Tickets must be obtained before entering the park and will not be available at the park entrance. Visitors can reserve their tickets through
Recreation.gov, either online or over the phone (1-877-444-6777), beginning at 8 a.m. MST on January 2, 2025. Reservations will be released up to six months in advance in blocks. On January 2, reservations will open for all dates in April, May, and June. On February 1, reservations will open for the month of July and unreserved times for April, May, and June will remain open. The full release schedule is as follows:
- April to June reservations (April 1-June 30) open January 2.
- July reservations (July 1-6) open February 1.
- August reservations (August 28-31) open March 1.
- September reservations (September 1-30) open April 1.
- October reservations (October 1-31) open May 1.
Starting March 31, additional tickets will be released at 7 p.m. MT nightly for park visits the following day. Any unreserved tickets remain available for same-day booking.
After booking a reservation, visitors will receive a timed entry ticket that allows them to enter during a one-hour specified window. After entering, visitors may stay in the park for the remainder of the day. Ticket holders may exit and re-enter the park on the same day with a correctly validated ticket. The only cost associated with booking a reservation is a $2 Recreation.gov processing fee.
Arches’ pilot timed entry program is an effort to improve visitors’ experiences through managed access. Visitation to Arches National Park grew 73 percent between 2011 and 2021, nearing 2 million people annually. This increase was concentrated during certain hours, causing congestion at key park destinations, reduced visitor enjoyment, and increased resource damage. During times of peak congestion prior to implementing these pilots, the park had to temporarily close its gate until crowding lessened, resulting in many visitors being unable to enter the park at their preferred time or at all. The vehicle reservation pilots in 2022, 2023, and 2024 were successful in reducing congestion, improving visitor experiences, providing reliable access, and distributing visitation throughout the day. Visitors arriving with the appropriate timed entry ticket and park pass were guaranteed entry to the park during the pilots.
For more information about the 2025 pilot timed entry program, please visit
go.nps.gov/ArchesTicket. Details and updates will also be posted on the Arches National Park Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram pages.
The most enjoyable trips to Arches are safe ones. When making your travel plans, draft an itinerary that matches your current health and fitness with the expected temperature and trail conditions at the time of your visit. Then, build in some flexibility so you can nimbly react to the unexpected, too.
Charlotte Quigley, 2025 Community Artist in the Parks [Courtesy of the National Park Service]
The National Park Service Southeast Utah Group is pleased to announce the selection of Charlotte Quigley as the 2025 Community Artist in the Parks (CAIP).
Quigley has a deep well of experience with both art and national parks. A life-long watercolorist, she also works in pastels and, more recently, oil paints. She has a master’s degree in art history and experience as a youth arts teacher, arts council director, and member of the Gallery Moab cooperative. After living at several national parks in New Mexico, Quigley moved to Moab 18 years ago. “I feel so fortunate to be in such a beautiful place, where there are so many amazing subjects so close at hand.”
About her upcoming tenure as Community Artist in the Parks, Quigley says, “I’m excited to have this opportunity to paint in the parks and encourage others in their creative endeavors. This is a chance to really focus on our beautiful landscape and share its unique characteristics with others.”
Created in 2009, the CAIP program highlights the connection between a local artist and the surrounding landscapes, particularly
Arches and
Canyonlands national parks and Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments. Participating artists must reside in Grand, San Juan, or Montezuma counties.
As the Community Artist for 2025, Charlotte Quigley will create original work within the parks for a minimum of 24 hours per month, April through October, and share her inspiration and creative process with visitors. Her work will be sold in Canyonlands Natural History Association stores during her tenure.
For more information about the program and a schedule of the community artist’s park activities, visit go.nps.gov/CAIP.
The view of the Colorado River from the Moab Rim Trail.
