Top Adventure Destination Moab Utah

Some might look at Moab, Utah, and tell you it's in the middle of nowhere. Those in the know will tell you that it in fact is in the middle of everything.

Nestled in a green valley surrounded by red-rock scenery, Moab isn't a destination for what's inside the city limits -- rather, what's just outside of them is the big attraction. Not only is it on the doorstep of a pair of national parks -- Arches and Canyonlands -- but it's also home to dozens of outfitters that can take you rafting, hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, or four-wheeling. The venues for all of this recreation extend far beyond the boundaries of the national parks, from the nearby Colorado River to trails emanating from town in every direction. For peace, quiet, and solitude, there are seemingly endless open spaces ideal for exploring in the form of land held by the National Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. A bit further afield (and ideal destinations for day trips) are Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments and a landscape that has adorned countless postcards, TV ads, and Hollywood movies: the one and only Monument Valley.

What's nearby is awe-inspiring, but the town of Moab is not a bad place to hang your hat after a long day of adventures in the great wide open. It's a bustling town with plenty to see, do, eat, and drink in the form of souvenir shops, museums, eateries, and microbreweries, often defying the outsider's expectations of Utah. Prim and proper it ain't; a more apt description is a fun and funky outpost on the edge of an unparalleled desert wilderness.

Eric Peterson is Frommers.com's winter sports expert and the author of multiple guidebooks, including Frommer's Utah and Frommer's Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks.