Things To Do in Moab
Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
Moab Attractions
A Desert Oasis -- For a delightful escape from the desert heat, take a break at the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve, 934 W. Kane Creek Blvd. (tel. 435/259-4629; www.nature.org/wherewework). Owned by the Nature Conservancy, this lush oasis attracts more than 200 species of birds and other wildlife, such as river otters, beavers, and muskrats. The preserve has a wheelchair-accessible 1-mile loop trail, boardwalks over the wet areas, and a two-story viewing blind. Guided bird walks are given (call for the current schedule), and bird and wildlife lists and self-guided tour brochures are available. In late spring and summer visitors are advised to bring mosquito repellent. The preserve is open daily year-round from dawn to dusk, and admission is free. From downtown Moab, go south on Main Street to Kane Creek Boulevard (btw. McDonald's and Burger King), and go west about 3/4 mile, passing the Moab Public Works Department, to a Y in the road. Take the left fork, and continue for about another 1/2 mile to the preserve entrance. From the parking area, a footpath and bridge lead over Mill Creek to an information kiosk and into the preserve.
Moab Nightlife
For a small town in conservative, nondrinking Utah, this is a pretty wild place. After a day on the river or in the back of a jeep, don't be surprised to see your outfitter letting his or her hair down at Eddie McStiff's, a microbrewery that's part family restaurant and part busy tavern, with several TVs and a game room with pool tables, foosball, shuffleboard, and, if you must, Wi-Fi. Another good option for beer lovers is the Moab Brewery. The Rio Sports Bar & Grill, 2 S. 100 West, a block west of Main St. on Center St. (tel. 435/259-6666), is a longtime locals' favorite watering hole known for its large selection of alcoholic beverages. There's music most summer weekends and a menu of steak, sandwiches, and Mexican food.
Those looking for a foot-stompin' good time and a Western-style dinner will want to make their way to the Bar-M Chuckwagon Live Western Show and Cowboy Supper, 7 miles north of Moab on U.S. 191 (tel. 800/214-2085 or 435/259-2276; www.barmchuckwagon.com). Diners go through a supper line to pick up sliced roast beef or barbecued chicken, baked potatoes, baked pinto beans, cinnamon applesauce, buttermilk biscuits, spice cake, and nonalcoholic beverages. Vegetarian meals can be prepared with advance notice, and beer and wine coolers are available. After dinner, a stage show entertains with Western-style music, jokes, and down-home silliness from the Bar-M Wranglers. The grounds, which include a small Western village and gift shop, open at 6:30pm, with gunfights starting at 7pm, dinner at 7:30pm, and the show following supper. The Bar-M is usually open from April through mid-October, but is closed several evenings each week; call for the current schedule. Supper and show cost $27 for adults, $13 for children 4 to 12, and free for kids 3 and younger. Reservations are strongly recommended.
Canyonlands by Night & Day (tel. 800/394-9978 or 435/259-2628; www.canyonlandsbynight.com) offers a variety of excursions in the area, including an evening river trip, operating spring through fall, that combines a sunset jet-boat ride with a Dutch-oven dinner. The office and dock are just north of Moab at the Colorado River Bridge. Cost for the boat trip and dinner is $65 for adults and $55 for children 4 to 12 (minimum age 4), with a family rate of $199 for two adults and two children. Reservations are recommended.
