Explore Moab, Utah, a top outdoor adventure destination

Located in eastern Utah, the small town of Moab acts as a gateway to two national parks, Arches and Canyonlands. Here, outdoor enthusiasts will find a wealth of activities, be it day or night.

It took four months to take this photo of Andy Lewis against a full moon. “Even with every bit of technology we could get our hands on, it was all about going there, exploring and seeing what was waiting in line,” says photographer Renan Ozturk, who pointed his camera from over a mile away to take the picture. of Lewis on a slackline (a piece of woven fabric hanging in the air) When the weather, the people, and the moon finally aligned, “we only had a window of about 30 seconds to capture the moment.”

(Discover more places to slackline in the United States.)

With three designated International Dark Sky Parks less than an hour from Moab, those who can’t see the Milky Way from their home (a majority of Americans) can get their star fix there. In Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and in Dead Horse Point State Park, visitors can gaze up at thousands of stars visible to the naked eye – compared to the few dozen visible from a major city at most. To help preserve these beautiful views, Moab has tightened its ordinances against light pollution.

Surrounded by public grounds with Jurassic-era sand dunes weathered to titian-hued cliffs and spiers, Moab lures adventurers and nature lovers alike who want to deal with the elements. The activities range from mainstream (rafting, cycling, walking) to extreme (slacklining, BASE jumping with parachutes or wingsuits). Parks in the area have also taken steps to make the outdoors more accessible for people with disabilities.

100: Approximate length, in feet, of the slackline shown above

300+: Age of the oldest rock layers, in millions of years, in Canyonlands National Park

2,000+: Number of arches in Arches National Park