Absolutely stunning views of the valley from the top of Whale Rock! Although this trail is right…read moredown the road from Upheaval Dome, it doesn't seem to get as many visitors. I basically had this entire trail all to myself and literally only passed 2 people (one on my way up and another on my way back). The trail itself is super short at just one mile long roundtrip and features some of the most picturesque views of the Green River Valley and its' incredible geologic landscapes. The trail starts of pretty easy via a flat path through dry terrain and desert foliage. Soon after, the trail switches from a flat paved path to a scramble up slick rocks. The trail actually becomes a little harder to follow at this point, but there are several cairns that will help lead the way. You'll basically scale up the large rock until you reach a dead end. This dead end is what provides the 360 degree views of the most stunning mesas, buttes, and canyons in the park. The views are just simply breathtaking here! What makes it even more enjoyable is that there aren't many people on this trail. Like, at ALL. Mesa Arch and Upheaval Dome are a lot more popular, but this baby deserves some praise as well. Aside from the amazing views of the valley, the view of Whale Rock itself ain't too shabby. It gets its' name because the long curving spine of this rock resembles that of a whale. At first I couldn't really see it, but then it started to grow on me. It is reminiscent of a whale. It's a super short hike, but it gets really hot up there! Make sure to bring water with you as there aren't any water stations in the park aside from the visitor's center. Since this trail is far less trafficked, parking is pretty must a breeze! There isn't a restroom at this trailhead, but if you need to use one, there are some just up the street at Upheaval Dome. If you're planning on hiking Upheaval Dome, this is a great mini hike to add either before or after since it's so close. Definitely worth a stop for the views and solidarity.

One of Utah's awesome 5 national parks and one that you should check out…read more Also located in Moab along with the much busier Arches, this is still worth a visit for sure. You'll likely be able to get in pretty easily and park at each of the trails and viewpoints. There are some great sights and plenty of easy trails. I'm not much of a hiker but there are some easier trails that even beginners should be able to handle at a reasonable pace. Good facilities throughout and places to stop for a quick bite. Check this place out.

Fear of heights/ cliffs will be nerve wracking for the person. But it's doable in an AWD vehicle…read more IF you continue on Potash Rd you will need a full SUV type clearance and 4WD vehicle. Ranger gave inadequate advice re:vehicular clearance for this road. We went to Gooseneck overlook ( think Thelma and Louise end of movie) and back up to enjoy the rest of the Canyonlands.

Nice park across from a taco shop; has some picnic tables, playground, basketball court, and even a…read moremiddle leftover from the Green River Test site, which was located nearby in the 60s-1975; interesting informational plaque. Noticed after the fact that it says no dogs allowed.

Very cute city park with huge playground and picnic area. The bathrooms were clean and had paper…read moretowels!

Amazing lucky find passing through Moab!…read more New parking facilities equipped with new & clean restrooms. Grassy picnic areas. Bikers frequently pass by on the paved pathway along the Colorado River. Walk over to the bridge and gaze up closer impressive red rock features especially with a blue sky backdrop. A peaceful rest break. *An underground spring is across the street from the parking area to fill your water jugs with; careful of passing cars.

Nice park. We went to walk on the bridge and look at the river. Restrooms were clean and electric…read morevehicle chargers available. Two sets of parking - lower and upper level. Nice biking trail. Cool metal and rock sculptures. Connects Moab to Arches National Park and other trails.

We took this as a side trip and we really should have given this more time. If you are thinking of…read morecoming here, I recommend looking at all the activities offered to see how much is here to do so you won't feel as though you missed out on some of what makes this park FUN! As for us, we ran around the valley, played hide and seek, marveled at how these "goblins" were made and just had a great adventure with the time we had.

A triumph of both western topography and federalism. This is one of those awesome parks that would…read morein some ways be less special if it were "upgraded" to a national park. It's great the way it is. Just a few notes: -- the campsite is just amazing; you are nestled in among caves and washes, and your kids can merrily wander off "to the kids cave" or climb up onto a crest and watch the sunset or the rhythm of the campsite. They do have a shared bathroom with running water, which keeps the place just civilized enough for moderately experienced car campers. -- at the same time, this place is really remote. If you realize at campside that your propane stove doesn't work, you would have to drive an hour each way to Green River to get more. Instead, you will just have to figure out how to boil coffee and macaroni and cheese over a campfire. -- the stars. The city lights are far far far away, and the desert sky is clear, so you can see so so many stars. And if you sit and stare at them you see more. The only place I have ever seen so many stars in my life is standing on the side of the road outside Marfa, TX. -- two decades ago this was one of the first camping trips of my life, and it remains a special place in my heart.

A great park for shade and a break on a hot day of adventures around Moab. They were installing…read moresome new sod so part of the park was closed, but glad to see the town taking care of it.

Fantastic park by the stream with magical musical instruments. There are multiple playground areas…read moreplenty of shade trees and grass to chill or grill on.

This is one of the West's most famous rock art sites, with a high density of petroglyphs. It was…read morebreath-taking as this is a massive expanse of rock all covered in etchings that are as old as 2,000 years ago. It had me contemplating our current existence and what things would look like 2,000 years from now. It was right off the road with a small parking lot with vault toilets. I came during the off season so the lot was empty, but it gets busy enough that there are traffic signs preventing people from parking on the road. Free to park and walk on the sidewalk to the cliff face.

NOTE: This petroglyph wall is not located in Monticello, but outside of town about 30 minutes. It's…read moreon Highway 211, on your way from US-191 into the Needles District of Canyonlands. I fixed the pin drop marker here on Yelp, but these things can be finicky. It's marked and on the side of the road, but GPS crowds can set to: 37.9879209, -109.5188924. Man, I really love this spot. I mean, it's a nice little get-out-and-stretch and won't take you more than a few minutes, but it's a nice roadside pull-off when you're already off and rolling on adventure. I first visited in 2005 or so and was struck by just how prolific all the petroglyphs are. Sometimes you only see a few in one place, but here at Newspaper Rock, it's plastered with characters. Pull off the highway, park, and walk up the paved path. It'll take you less than two minutes, so almost anyone from grandma to the little ones can make it. There's a small fence at the base of the rock to keep you from touching the panel, but you get a front row seat to the artwork. This is very near a campground, but there is a small toilet facility here so you can hit that up before you get into the park, or out to Lockhart, or wherever your travels are taking you. Note that this is not the only panel in the area. If you keep driving, pay attention to the cliffs and the walls around you--you can spy a few characters. But they're sparse, and in comparison to this amazing display, they may barely register. That's what makes this mysterious spot (but why were ancient inhabitants all tagging it???) so wonderful.

This felt like a bit of an adventure. We took the directions listed to find this place and…read morewondered if we had found ourselves in one of those "you missed the wrong turn" kind of scary adventure movie. But we finally saw a sign posting the parking to the Wall Art - and we were so glad we hadn't turned around. This place is amazing! To think of this art lasting for so many thousands of years, so that we can still see it today gives you such a moment of awe. This place is fairly unknown so we had so much space and time to explore without gobs of other people. It was truly a magical experience - which I will stop trying to express as I just don't have the words to describe. However, I can say that I highly recommend a visit to this very lonely, yet magical place.

It is so fascinating to see Barrier canyon style pictographs. It is easy to access (but due to that…read morevandalism is high) and quite a variety of pictographs and petroglyphs can be seen. In winter, mostly only us and had quietly admired the ancient work. I wrote more detailed descriptions in my blog. https://himebackpacker.blogspot.com/2025/06/barrier-canyon-style-rock-art-sego.html

Swanny City Park in Moab was a perfect spot for our group of kids. The play structures felt new and…read moreoffered challenges for every age, keeping everyone entertained. There was plenty of shade, making it a great place to burn off energy between ice cream treats and relaxing at the campsite before dinner and bedtime.

Why have rules that aren't enforced?? The blatant pot smoking; vaping, cigarettes, etc.... Plus,…read moredogs everywhere. The lot is filled with van dwellers that are the biggest culprits for what I just mentioned. AND I too am a van dweller with a dog. But, follow the dang rules! Nothing worse than trying to enjoy a nice spring day and the group next to you are hitting a big fatty (strong smelling stuff too; probably imported from Colorado). The one star is for the potable water that is available. Although, I usually have to wait for someone to finish bathing and doing their laundry before I can fill my 5 gallon jug (yuck). Yes, tourism is a must here; but these slack lining, pot smoking, dog fetching, music blaring hippies do not seem to be very productive. So, remove the "no smoking, no dogs, no loitering" signs and embrace the SUCK. I'll gladly go elsewhere quite frankly...

This whole area is kind of confusing as the entrances are small and not well marked. I stopped by…read moremultiple visitor centers to see how I could get to the dinosaur track site, and the map I was provided took me down a bumpy dirt road that took a long time to navigate as I was in a sedan - and then when I let the site I found that there's another entrance off the highway that is much more direct and right off the highway. Anyways, it took a while to find the tracks as they're pretty eroded and not protected at all. There are multiple signs saying to not park on the tracks as it's right off the road and I could see that people might park on it mistakenly thinking it was a parking area. I would not recommend visiting the tracksite since it's pretty underwhelming. Visiting the Butler Wash Ruins was a much better experience, although you have to keep an eye out for the entrance off the highway as it's not well marked. It takes you to a parking lot and the trail goes from dirt/gravel to a slickrock area that is well marked with cairns.

Blanding is a great base from which to explore the area. Not too far away, going southwest on…read moreHighway 95 toward Natural Bridges Monument, are the Butler Wash Ruins dating from about AD 1200. From the parking area, it's a short walk to the overlook from which you can see the cliff dwellings on the other side of a narrow canyon. While you can't get close to the dwellings (unless you're a bit of gecko), you can explore the slick rock area and find a small arch on the other side of the dwellings. (It's not visible from the overlook area.) I've been here a few times and have spent a few hours each time exploring the area. However, most visitors will probably take a few snapshots and be on their way.