Moab is one of those towns where you could spend two weeks and never get bored—but what if you only have 24 hours in Moab? Good news: you can still see a lot in one day. Between arches, downtown shops, murals, and incredible food, a single day here can be packed with adventure.
I’ve built out two versions of a 24-hour Moab itinerary—one for the hiker who wants to cram in Arches highlights, and one for the traveler who’d rather spend more time downtown with a side of epic sunset views. Either way, you’ll leave knowing why Moab is one of the best destinations in Utah.
If you want even more planning help before diving in, check out my Spend a Weekend in Moab: The Perfect 3-Day Itinerary for a deeper look at how to structure your time
Fuel up before your adventure. Their biscuits and gravy are hearty, but the real star is the French toast crusted in cornflakes, made with thick-cut bread from a local bakery and topped with berries and real maple syrup. It sounds simple, but it’s one of the best breakfasts I had in Moab.
Head straight into Arches. The entrance is only five minutes from downtown, but plan to arrive early to beat crowds.
Park Avenue Viewpoint: 1–2 minute walk to the overlook. Tall sandstone walls look like a skyscraper canyon.
Courthouse Towers: Another quick stop with towering rock formations.
Balanced Rock: 0.3-mile paved loop if you want to circle it, but even from the lot it looks unreal—a massive boulder somehow balanced on a pedestal.
Sand Dune Arch: 0.3 miles RT, shady and tucked between fins of sandstone. Easy and magical, especially in the morning light.
Double Arch: 0.5 miles RT, flat and easy. Two massive arches sharing the same base—it’s one of my absolute favorites.
Estimated time: 3–4 hours
If you packed snacks, enjoy them at a pullout in the park. Otherwise, drive back into town and grab something quick at the Moab Food Truck Park. My pick: sushi spring rolls + Japanese house salad with sesame dressing, finished with gelato (white chocolate raspberry is heaven).
Head back into Arches for one more round:
Skyline Arch: Short stroll, easy to reach.
Landscape Arch: 1.9 miles RT in Devils Garden. The longest arch in the park, impossibly thin and fragile.
Lower Delicate Arch Viewpoint: 0.2 miles RT. If you’re not hiking the full Delicate trail later, this is your chance to see it from afar.
If you only do one hike in Moab, this is it. The 3-mile RT hike climbs 500 ft of slickrock and takes about 2–3 hours. It’s strenuous, but the reward is seeing Delicate Arch glowing in the sunset. Get there an hour before sunset to take photos and just sit with the view.
End your adventure with one of the best meals in town. Start with their bread service—rosemary honey butter florets and olive tapenade (I could have eaten those florets like candy). Entrées like the gorgonzola-crusted beef tenderloin or mushroom-stuffed agnolotti are seasonal and fresh. Finish with their dessert trio.
Same start as Option 1—you don’t want to miss that French toast.
Spend the morning wandering Main Street.
Shops:
The Sundry for high-quality jewelry and art (I left with three necklaces).
Moab Made for authentic, locally made souvenirs.
Desert Sol for modern western vibes.
Moab Rock Shop for fossils and quirky treasures.
Murals:
“Greetings from Moab” at Bowen Motel.
Delicate Arch mural at McStiff’s Plaza.
Ram’s head mural at Moab Brewery.
If downtown Moab is your style, my Spend a Day in Downtown Moab: Shops, Food, and Local Flavor guide gives you even more ideas for where to shop and snack between activities.
This cozy cottage restaurant is a local favorite. I started with their seasonal cucumber salad (organic cucumbers from Moab Homegrown Farm), then had their best-seller Khao Soi curry noodle soup and Massaman Curry. Both were packed with flavor, perfectly balanced, and not overly spicy.
After lunch, take it easy. Options:
Lounge at your hotel pool (if you’re at the Hoodoo Hilton, the desert landscaping and waterfall make it feel luxurious).
Drive out to the Green River Bridge and walk across for wide river views.
Scenic Byway 128 drive along the Colorado River, with pullouts for photos.
If you have the energy, hike Delicate Arch. If not, here are alternatives:
Upper Delicate Arch Viewpoint (0.5 miles, moderate but short).
Turret Arch + North Window in the Windows Section, which glow beautifully at sunset.
Dead Horse Point State Park, just 45 minutes from town, for one of the best canyon sunsets you’ll ever see.
Casual: Pasta Jay’s—start with the garlic bread dip trio (pesto + Alfredo combo wins), then order Tortellone Alfredo or Green Chili Ravioli.
Upscale: Desert Bistro for a fine-dining finale.
I found that 24 hours in Moab is enough to fall in love. Whether you spend it chasing arches in the national park or wandering downtown boutiques and capping it with sunset views, you’ll leave wanting more.
If you only have 24 hours, stick to one of these itineraries. If you have more time, combine them—you’ll find that Moab has a way of pulling you back for just one more hike, one more mural, and one more pistachio pesto pizza. If you’re sticking around beyond a day, pair this itinerary with my Must Eats in Moab guide to make sure every meal on your trip is as good as the views.
Yes, it’s only July. Start planning anyway. Fall books faster than people expect, and a few of these destinations are worth getting ahead of. Here are five places worth putting on your radar right now.
Ireland: Cooler temps, moody skies, dramatic coastline fall was made for it. Tourist crowds drop, the green stays, and the whole country feels a little more like itself.
Great Smoky Mountains, TN/NC: Fall foliage in the Smokies is the real thing. The color peaks mid-October and the views from the ridgelines are hard to argue with. It’s also one of the most visited national parks in the country, so going on a weekday makes a real difference.
New York City: Fall is NYC at its best comfortable temps, the energy of the city shifting into a new season, and every neighborhood doing something worth showing up for. It’s also just a great walking city when it’s not brutally hot.
Japan: Fall foliage season is as good as spring cherry blossoms and somehow less talked about. The colors are dramatic, the temples and gardens are stunning, and it’s worth planning around peak dates by region.
Mystic, Connecticut: Small, walkable, genuinely charming Mystic in fall feels like exactly what a New England autumn is supposed to look like. Easy to pair with a broader New England road trip if you want to extend it.
Full guides linked in bio 🍂
There are two kinds of travelers: people who plan a trip and then figure out where to eat, and people who book a restaurant and then build the rest of the itinerary around it.I am the second kind. I will not apologize for this.
The reservation gets locked in first. The hotel search happens within the same 24 hours. The flights get compared around the restaurant’s hours of operation. The rest of the trip exists to fill the days before and after the table I actually came for.
If this sounds unhinged, I completely understand. It has also resulted in some of the best meals of my life, so I’m going to keep doing it.
Drop a 🍽️ if you plan your trips around food too.
Let’s talk about when to actually book that Dubai trip you’ve been pinning for two years. I get asked this constantly, so here’s the honest breakdown: October through April is your window. Anything outside that and you’re basically touring in a sauna!
October and November give you warm days and cooler nights, which is basically the sweet spot for wandering around without melting. December through February is peak season: gorgeous weather. March and April are the quiet insider pick, right before summer heat shows up and ruins everyone’s plans.
Saving this for later? That’s what it’s here for. Full breakdown linked in bio.
If you’re chasing energy, beaches, nightlife, and nonstop luxury, Dubai takes the crown. If you’re craving culture, iconic architecture, and meaningful landmarks at a slower pace, Abu Dhabi shines.🤍
My advice? Base yourself in Dubai and do Abu Dhabi as a day trip! The perfect balance of excitement and culture in the UAE.
Want the full breakdown? Check out my Dubai and Abu Dhabi guide for tips, itineraries, and must-sees!
I do not like seafood. 🐟 So when I booked a tasting menu at a restaurant built around aquarium walls at Atlantis The Palm, I was nervous.
Ossiano sits underwater fish gliding past the whole meal, moody lighting, the kind of room that makes you lower your voice without meaning to. It’s not cheap, and it’s not trying to be. You’re paying for the entire experience.
Here’s the honest part: they have a vegetarian tasting menu, and I assumed it would be an afterthought. It ended up in my top five meals of all time. Course after course, the same care and precision as the seafood-forward menu everyone comes for. They even swapped in a steak for the main and it still felt cohesive with everything around it.
By course four you’re full. They bring out three more breads anyway. I ate all of it. No regrets.
Small detail that stuck with me my dress was black, so they swapped my napkin from white to black without me asking. That’s the kind of thing that tells you everything about a place.
Full breakdown of the menu, the vegetarian option, and what to expect linked in bio.
Follow @travelwithwendyplummer for Beautiful Beach Destinations, City Guides, Foodie Spots, and Luxury Hotel Recommendations.
