Moab is the kind of place that works just as well for a quick weekend—and this weekend in Moab itinerary makes it easy. With two national parks, a state park, and a lively downtown, you can pack in a lot of adventure without feeling rushed. Here’s how to spend a weekend in Moab and hit the highlights.
If you’re adding more arch stops to your route, my guide to the Top 5 Stops in Arches National Park is a helpful add-on.
Lunch: On the way down from Salt Lake City, stop at Vessel Kitchen for hearty bowls. My Andrelipe Bowl was loaded with chicken, cilantro lime slaw, mango salsa, avocado, cotija cheese, and Peruvian green sauce. Spicy, but delicious.
Check-In: Drop your bags at the Hoodoo Hilton (splurge-worthy with casitas that feel like your own home) or a budget pick like Bowen Motel right downtown.
Explore Downtown: Spend the afternoon shopping Main Street. Favorites include The Sundry for jewelry, Moab Made for locally crafted souvenirs, and the quirky Moab Rock Shop for fossils and geodes.
Murals: Snap photos at the “Greetings from Moab” mural at Bowen Motel and the ram’s head mural at Moab Brewery.
Dinner: Antica Forma for wood-fired pizza made with fresh, local ingredients. My favorite? The pistachio pesto pizza with shaved fennel sausage—so different from your standard sausage pie.
Breakfast: Cactus Jacks—don’t miss the cornflake-crusted French toast with berries and real maple syrup.
Morning: Start with easy stops: Park Avenue Viewpoint, Courthouse Towers, and Balanced Rock. Then head to Sand Dune Arch (a shady slot perfect in the morning) and Skyline Arch.
Afternoon: Drive to Devils Garden to see Landscape Arch, the longest in the park.
Sunset: Hike to Delicate Arch for the bucket-list payoff. It’s a steep, strenuous hike, but worth every step and a must-do in any weekend in Moab itinerary. Arrive an hour before sunset to grab photos and soak in the glow.
Dinner: End the night at Desert Bistro—fine dining in a charming courtyard. The rosemary honey butter florets alone are worth the stop.
For more ways to explore Main Street, my post Spend a Day in Downtown Moab: Shops, Food, and Local Flavor has extra places to eat and shop.
Breakfast: Grab something quick from Love Muffin Cafe (their bacon sunrise panini with apricot aji amarillo jam is phenomenal).
Morning: Head into Canyonlands’ Island in the Sky district.
Mesa Arch (easy, iconic sunrise spot).
Upheaval Dome (short but steep hike to a mysterious crater).
Green River Overlook and Grand View Point (short walks to sweeping canyon vistas).
Afternoon: Detour to Dead Horse Point State Park for one of the best views in Utah—the Colorado River making a giant U-turn 2,000 feet below. If you’re up for a short walk, add the Bighorn Overlook spur.
Lunch/Dinner: Head back into Moab for something casual—Moab Food Truck Park is perfect. Try the sushi truck, then end with gelato (white chocolate raspberry was my favorite).
A weekend in Moab is enough to see the highlights: Delicate Arch at sunset, Mesa Arch at sunrise, the drama of Dead Horse Point, and a taste of downtown’s shops and restaurants. You’ll leave tired, full, and already planning your next trip back.
For a longer adventure, give Moab a full week. But if all you have is a weekend, this 3-day itinerary proves that even a short trip can capture the magic of red rock country. If you decide to extend your trip, my Spend a Week in Moab: The Perfect 7-Day Itinerary breaks down a full week of hikes, viewpoints, and dining.
Booked my fall cabin before September even started, and I’m not sorry about it. 🍂
These are the stays that make you actually want the cold to hurry up fireplaces, mountain views, the kind of porch you don’t leave. Not every one of these is going to fit every trip, but if a cozy fall getaway is on your radar, this is the roundup to start with.
One of my favorite travel seasons is almost here, and I have zero chill about it. 🍁✈️
There’s just something about fall trips cooler air, apple orchards, that first flannel of the season, food that actually makes sense with the weather again. I’m already mentally packing for it before September even starts.
If fall is your favorite time to travel too, tell me where you’re headed... I’m taking notes for the list.
Pack your bags... ✈️🧳My hiking and road trip gear shop just got a refresh, and this is everything that actually earns a spot in my bag. The dry bag pulls double duty for beach days and trail days, the Osprey backpack is the one I grab for anything motorcycle or day-hike related, and the GoPro comes with me literally everywhere at this point.
Nothing on this list is filler it’s all stuff I’ve used, packed, and repacked more times than I can count. Full shop linked in my bio if you want to build out your own kit before your next trip.
Filing this one under “go now before it gets cold.” Bonneville Hot Springs is one of those trips where fall access is honestly the sweet spot the campground road is open, the hike in is short, and you skip the snow-and-gate situation we dealt with when we went in March.
September and early fall mean clearer trails, easier parking, and pools that are just as good without the extra mile of hiking to earn them. Fewer than 10 people out there when we visited, a rustic changing booth, zero amenities, and pools that range from “relax” to “actually scalding” until you move some rocks around and mix in river water. Small waterfalls feeding in, mountains in every direction, not polished, and that’s exactly the point.
Full breakdown on parking, what to pack, and timing it right is linked in my bio.
Summer’s not even over and I already have the itch. Fall hiking season is calling and I am answering.
Save this if you feel the itch too.🍁
Follow @travelwithwendyplummer for Beautiful Beach Destinations, City Guides, Foodie Spots, and Luxury Hotel Recommendations.
