It makes little difference what time of year you visit Moab. The summers are hot and drop-dead gorgeous while the winters are mild and drop-dead gorgeous. Excellent eateries abound, RV campgrounds are plentiful, there are many activities available and the welcome mat is always out. A good place to begin your visit in Moab is at the Visitors Center located on the main drag downtown at Main and Center St. You can also precede your stay by visiting their website at www.discovermoab.com, or by calling (800) 635-6622.

Arches National Park

There are several excellent tour companies that provide guided half or full-day tours to the many venues that surround Moab. One such company is Tag-A-Long Expeditions. Not only do they use modern full-size, comfortable (climate controlled), 4WD SUVs, but an experienced and well versed driver/guide is there to tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the flora, fauna, geology and the history (ancient and modern) of Southeastern Utah. Snacks and beverages are provided and on their full day tour Tag-A-Long serves lunch [www.tagalong.com; (800) 453-3292.]

A typical full-day Tag-A-Long excursion begins when they pick you up at your RV campground. Heading first out to Arches National Park, you stop the La Sal Mountains Viewpoint and then past the Tower of Babel before reaching the Petrified Dunes Viewpoint. Just past the Balanced Rock, a right turn takes you over to the Cove of Caves, Double Arch and the North Window/South Window Arches. Returning to the main road, you continue north to Panorama Point, where another right turn taking you past Wolfe Ranch and out to the parking and restroom area where a short walk gets you to the Delicate Arch Viewpoint.

Ancient graffiti of the Anasazi and Fremont Man is amazing to see, and even today the gurus who study ancient peoples are still trying to understand what these etchings say.

One of the nice things about Arches National Park is that a campground lies at the very upper end, where you may want to return later and spend the night. The park is open 24-hours a day so coming and going is a no-brainer. After stopping at the Arches National Park Entrance to pay your entry and campground fees, you will want to go inside the Visitor’s Center. It’s an excellent way to begin any visit to the Arches. Here you quickly learn how these unique geologic formations came to be.

Long story short, the land surface formations sit on a deep underground salt bed that made the surface unstable and as the surface settled vertical cracks in the sandstone rock above were created. Over the millennium, water seeped into these cracks and through erosion and exfoliation (when water freezes it increases in volume and splits the rock away), created giant fins of rock on the surface. Wind and water then attacks these much thinner fins, causing chards of the sandstone to breakaway and eventually form the arches you see here today.

Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse State Park

The second half of a full-day Tag-A-Long tour begins in the afternoon. Traveling along the banks of the Colorado River past shear walls, you will stop to experience the petroglyphs that were etched into the rock 1,500 years ago. This ancient graffiti of the Anasazi and Fremont Man is amazing to see, and even today the gurus who study ancient peoples are still trying to understand what these etchings say.

It’s when you reach the end of the pavement that you realize how important it is to be using the services and 4WD vehicles of an adventure company like Tag-A-Long, or High Point Hummer Tours [www.highpointhummer.com; (877) HUMMVEE] or Moab Adventure Center [www.moabadventurecenter.com; (888) 622-4097]. Climbing higher and higher above the Colorado River, at first you cross BLM land before entering Canyonlands National Park. Here the road is really a “road” only in the academic sense of the word. If you brought a 4WD toad or have a 4WD tow vehicle, you can explore this venue on your own, but remember you won’t have the services of an experienced guide to explain everything you are seeing or to answer any and all questions you will have.

About 50 miles into the adventure, you reach the top plateau where you again pick up a paved road. From here you can go west to Island in the Sky. On your way back to Moab you will want to stop at Dead Horse Point State Park. From here the river below looks like an endless series of

It makes little difference what time of year you visit Moab. The summers are hot and drop-dead gorgeous while the winters are mild and drop-dead gorgeous.

horseshoes as it winds and laces its way west toward Lake Powell. The choices are so many it can almost be confusing.

Moab: Places to Eat

However, here are some that have been personally experienced and are recommended. There is the Moab Diner and their famous Kokopelli Chicken. The Poplar Place features pizza and excellent Italian fare. Eddie McStiff’s has its own micro brews along with excellent fare. For Mexican there is Fiesta Mexicana and for gourmet dining at its best, and to watch the city lights below and catch one of Utah’s spectacular sunsets, the Sunset Grill is the place be.

Yes Virginia, This Is Wine Country

Most people are surprised to find out that in the Moab area there exists micro-environments that permit viticulture — the Ag science associated with the cultivation and growing of wine grapes. Growing grapes here is not a new phenomenon for they’ve been growing them here for decades. However, there are also new wineries beginning to appear. Two wineries (Castle Creek Winery and Spanish Valley Vineyards) are today turning these locally grown grapes into excellent reds and whites. Sold across the State of Utah, Castle Creek Winery and Spanish Valley Vineyards can also sell and ship (depending upon the state you live in) to other areas of the US. Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel, Chardonnay and Riesling are among the varietals offered. And if that were not enough, there are micro-breweries in the town of Moab that yield excellent porters, hefeweizen, lagers and ales. We’ve mentioned Eddie McStiff’s but at the south end of town there is also the Moab Brewery. It also serves very good food.

Other Helpful Contacts:

www.utahcanyoncountry.com; (800) 574-4386

Arches National Park

www.nps.gov/arch; (435) 719-2299