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Memorial Day Weekend
Tips for an enjoyable visit.
Visitors can expect long lines at park entrance gates during Memorial Day weekend.
Arches and Canyonlands national parks are preparing for a busy Memorial Day weekend, and are advising visitors to expect heavy traffic, crowded trails, and limited parking.
“Memorial Day weekend is typically our busiest weekend of the year,” said Superintendent Kate Cannon. “We recommend patience and flexibility for visitors planning a trip to the parks.”
Visitors arriving at the parks between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. should expect long lines at park entrance gates that could last up to an hour. Parking lots and trails inside the parks will be very crowded. If the parks become full, staff may delay vehicles from entering the park until space opens to accommodate more people and vehicles.
“We want these entry delays to be as short as possible. To avoid being caught in a delay, we recommend people come to the parks early in the morning or late in the afternoon,” Cannon said.
Park rangers ask that vehicles waiting in line at the entrance gate keep pace with traffic in the line and have payment ready. Credit cards are preferred. Current pass holders and returning visitors should have passes and identification ready. There are no toilet facilities or drinking water along park entrance roads.
When the park is full, we may temporarily delay entry into the park. These delayed entries would likely occur late morning or early afternoon. We may need two or three hours until conditions ease before we resume normal operations. During the peak time of the day, consider visiting one of the many nearby attractions in the Moab area (see below).
Visitors should plan for their safety by packing water and snacks and wearing sturdy shoes and sun protection.
Visitors are encouraged to check the parks’ websites or Twitter accounts for current entrance gate information and road conditions prior to leaving for their visit.
Arches:
Canyonlands:
The webcams below provide views from either end of the Arches National Park entrance road. Traffic may back up between the entrance station and US 191 causing delays of up to an hour.
Arches National Park Entrance Road
Highway 191 near Arches National Park Entrance Road.
The Corona Arch trail leads to one of the most impressive arches in the entire Moab area.
The Moab area contains a large number of pet friendly trails on public lands to suit any experience level. From cool stream-side hikes to spectacular sandstone arches, the Moab area is full of exciting day-hikes suitable for the entire family. What follows is just a taste of what Moab has to offer.
Dinosaurs contemplate mountain biking in Moab.
With so many dinosaur resources in one place, Moab is the perfect place to design your own Family Dinosaur Field Trip!
Start your Dinosaur Field Trip in downtown Moab, at the Museum of Moab. Check out a full cast skeleton of Gastonia one of the armored dinosaurs that lived in this area during the Early Cretaceous. The museum also features numerous dinosaur displays, including a cast of the leg of the terrifying Utahraptor.
Continue your journey at Paleosafari Moab Giants, where you can journey back through time with a 3D cinema introducing you to the prehistoric world of dinosaurs. You can also make your own tracks on a half mile hiking trail populated with state-of the art life-size dinosaurs! The Tracks Museum features interactive learning touch screens, games to play, and visually stunning exhibits that not only fascinate, but educate.
After learning about the dinosaur species that once walked these lands, continue north of Moab to one or more of the Moab Dinosaur Sites. A variety of hiking trails will take you to some of the best preserved dinosaur tracks and bones in the country.
Birthing Scene
The Moab area has numerous examples of Indian rock art to enjoy. This page briefly discusses some types, dates, the artists and their cultures and how to take care of these irreplaceable sites. Directions are included to a number of sites which allow you to sample some of the easily accessible ancient rock art in the Moab area. All sites are accessible with a passenger car and a short walk!
Dead Horse Point provides the same type of views you would experience in Canyonlands National Park.
32 miles (51.5 km) from Moab, Dead Horse Point State Park is one of Utah’s most spectacular state parks. The view from Dead Horse Point is one of the most photographed scenic vistas in the world. Towering 2,000 feet above the Colorado River, the overlook provides a breathtaking panorama of Canyonlands’ sculpted pinnacles and buttes. Millions of years of geologic activity created the spectacular views from Dead Horse Point State Park. Deposition of sediments by ancient oceans, freshwater lakes, streams and wind blown sand dunes created the rock layers of canyon country. Igneous activity formed the high mountains that rise like cool blue islands from the desert below.
View of Fisher Towers from along Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway (U-128)
The Moab area is blessed with three State Scenic Byways. State Scenic Byways help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States based on their archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities. Every trip to Moab should include a drive along at least one byway, although driving all three is great way to spend a relaxing day.
Moab Brands Focus Area
Welcome to the home of the greatest mountain biking on the planet! Moab offers a huge variety of trails for mountain bikers of any experience level, from beginners looking for a scenic ride through beautiful canyons and mesa tops, to seasoned bikers looking for the ultimate challenge. Moab is well known for the world famous, and highly technical, Slickrock Bike Trail. This challenging 9.6 mile trail is considered by many to be the ultimate mountain biking experience. Moab, however, also contains a huge assortment of scenic biking trails of all difficulty levels.
Sand Flats Recreation Area
The Sand Flats Recreation Area near Moab, Utah is a nationally significant public lands treasure at the heart of the Colorado Plateau. A high plain of slick rock domes, bowls and fins, it rises in the east to meet the colorful mesas and nearly 13,000 foot peaks of the La Sal Mountains. Sand Flats’ famous Slickrock and Porcupine Rim bike trails and almost 40 miles of jeep trails are world-renowned for their combination of challenge and awesome scenery. Sand Flats is also popular for camping. Over 100,000 visitors enjoy this 9,000-acre recreation area annually.
Paddle Boarding on the Colorado River
While our area is known for its family oriented whitewater trips on the Fisher Towers section of the Colorado River, there are wilder single and multi-day trips available in Westwater Canyon. Additionally, canoes, kayaks, and paddle boards are the perfect way to explore the calm water segments of the Colorado. Individuals or groups may raft the river on their own or with a professional river outfitter.
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