Skip to content
Roamgrove

Utah

Moab with Kids

Moab is a small desert town on the Colorado River with a national park a few minutes to the north and a second one about 40 minutes to the west, which is a concentration of landscape unmatched anywhere else in the country. The rock formations are the draw, and many of them are reached by short walks from a car park, so this is a place where a family without serious hikers still sees the things it came for. The constraint that defines it is heat and exposure: shade in these parks is effectively absent, summer afternoons regularly pass 38°C, and there is no drinking water at most trailheads. Spring and autumn are so much easier than July that planning around them changes the character of the trip entirely.

Best for ages
5+
Suggested stay
3–5 days
Best months
Mar–May, Sep–Oct
Daily budget
€285

Mid-range, family of four

Why Moab works with children

  • Two national parks from one base

    Arches is about 8 km north of town and the nearest district of Canyonlands about 50 km west, both as day trips from the same room.

  • Short walks to the famous rock

    Several of the best-known arches sit within a few hundred metres of level sand from a car park, which is unusual in a park this scale.

  • Very dark night skies

    The parks around Moab are formally protected for darkness, so the night sky is part of the trip rather than a bonus.

  • A calm stretch of river

    The Colorado alongside the highway north-east of town runs gently enough for half-day family floats rather than whitewater.

Where to stay

Best areas in Moab for families

4 areas cover most trips here; the difference is mainly first visits and pool afternoons versus overflow when moab is full.

  • Main Street, central Moab

    Best for first visits and pool afternoons

    The strip of motels and suite hotels along the highway through town, within walking distance of restaurants and outfitters, and almost all with a pool — which is not a luxury here but the thing that makes a hot afternoon survivable. Highway noise is the standing complaint.

  • The residential grid and Spanish Valley

    Best for self-catering and longer stays

    Houses and condos on the quieter streets behind the main road and south toward the valley, with kitchens, laundry and often a private or shared pool. Cheaper per head for four or five, and a short drive from everything.

  • Highway 128 along the river

    Best for campgrounds, cabins and the dark sky

    The river road north-east of town, lined with riverside campgrounds and a few cabin and ranch properties beneath red cliffs. The best night skies and the quietest nights, but 20 to 40 minutes from town and with very limited mobile signal.

  • Green River

    Best for overflow when moab is full

    A smaller town about an hour north-west on the interstate corridor, where rooms remain available and cheaper when Moab's are not. It adds an hour of driving each way to any park day.

Family hotel picks in Moab

  • Moab — hotels with a pool on the main street
    Main Street (US-191), central MoabMid-range

    Moab — hotels with a pool on the main street

    A pool here is not a luxury but the thing that makes the middle of the day usable, and being on the main street means the restaurants, the outfitters and the supermarket are all on foot after a day when nobody wants to drive again.

    • Outdoor pool, essential in the afternoon heat
    • Restaurants, outfitters and a supermarket on foot
    • Five to ten minutes from the Arches entrance
    • Air conditioning as standard

    Fitting a family in

    Two-queen rooms sleep four; suites with a sofa bed or kitchenette take five. Interconnecting rooms exist but are limited in spring and autumn.

    Watch out. The main street is the through highway and carries heavy traffic including trucks from early morning, so a room facing it is noisy. Peak spring and autumn rates are high and book out months ahead, and the pools are outdoor and unshaded, which limits when they can actually be used in July.

    Check hotel prices — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)Live availability for your dates
  • Delicate Arch standing free on open slickrock in Arches National Park, with the snow-topped La Sal Mountains behind it
    Moab residential grid and Spanish ValleyMid-range

    House and condo rentals in the residential streets

    A kitchen, a laundry and often a private or shared pool make a longer stay work in a town where restaurants are expensive and crowded, and where the practical plan in summer is to be out early, back by late morning and in water until the evening.

    • Full kitchen and laundry
    • Private or shared pool at many properties
    • Quieter streets away from the highway
    • Space for six or more at a lower cost per head

    Fitting a family in

    Two- and three-bedroom houses and condos sleeping six to eight; one-bedroom casitas are common and tight for four.

    Watch out. Almost everything is a short drive, including the supermarket, and Spanish Valley properties are 10 to 15 minutes further out than they look. Minimum-stay rules are common in the busy seasons, and shaded outdoor space is rare — a garden without shade is unusable from late morning.

    Check hotel prices — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)Live availability for your dates
  • Delicate Arch standing free on open slickrock in Arches National Park, with the snow-topped La Sal Mountains behind it
    Colorado River corridor north-east of townBudget

    Riverside cabins and campgrounds on the Highway 128 corridor

    Cabins and campgrounds under the red cliffs beside the river, where the water is a few steps away, the rafting launch points are on the doorstep and the night sky is as dark as any in the country — which turns stargazing from an idea into part of the day.

    • River access and rafting launch points
    • Very dark night skies
    • Fire pits and outdoor space
    • Cheaper than the town for a larger group

    Fitting a family in

    Cabins sleeping four to six, plus tent and vehicle sites; the simplest cabins have no kitchen and shared bathroom blocks.

    Watch out. It is 20 to 40 minutes from town on a winding two-lane road, with no shops, fuel or restaurants along it, so every meal is planned in advance. Mobile signal is largely absent, many cabins have no air conditioning, and summer nights along the river stay hot. Wind and flash flooding both affect this corridor in the late-summer storm season.

    Check hotel prices — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)Live availability for your dates
All family stays in United States

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one, the price is the same for you and we may earn a commission. How this works.

Things to do in Moab with kids

  • Arches: the Windows Section and Balanced Rock
    Nature

    Arches: the Windows Section and Balanced Rock

    Moab

    A cluster of the park's largest and most accessible arches at the end of a short side road, where a pair of enormous openings and a double arch sit within a few hundred metres of the car park on level sand and rock paths.

    Ages
    2–16
    Time
    2h 30m
    Adult, from
    €25

    Good to know. This is where a family that cannot walk far still sees the thing it came for — the paths are short and near-level, though loose sand makes a pushchair hard work. There is no shade anywhere in the section and no water beyond the visitor centre at the park entrance. Children scramble up into the Double Arch alcove, where the rock is steep, smooth and slippery in trainers. In the busy season the park has used a timed-entry system for daytime arrivals.

    Check tickets — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)
  • Delicate Arch trail
    Adventure

    Delicate Arch trail

    Moab

    The walk to the free-standing arch that appears on the state's number plates: roughly 4.8 km there and back with about 150 m of climb, most of it across a bare slickrock slope, finishing on a ledge that opens suddenly onto the arch.

    Ages
    8–16
    Time
    3h
    Adult, from
    €25

    Good to know. A genuine hike, not a viewpoint walk, and the one families most often underestimate. There is no shade, no water on the trail, no clear path across the open rock, and a narrow ledge with a long drop in the final stretch. In summer heat it should not be attempted with small children at all, and even in spring it is a morning or evening walk. A lower viewpoint reachable by a short path from a separate car park gives a distant view for families who decide against it.

    Check tickets — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)
  • Canyonlands: Island in the Sky
    Nature

    Canyonlands: Island in the Sky

    Moab

    A high mesa about 50 km west of town standing above two river canyons, with short walks from the road to a window of rock framing the peaks beyond and to a viewpoint over a vast stepped basin.

    Ages
    4–16
    Time
    5h
    Adult, from
    €25

    Good to know. Mesa Arch is a loop of well under a kilometre but ends at an unfenced arch on the lip of a several-hundred-metre drop, which needs close supervision with children. There are no services on the mesa beyond the visitor centre — no fuel, no food and water only at the entrance — so everything for the day is bought in Moab. Full exposure, no shade, and the drive from town takes about 40 minutes each way.

    Check tickets — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)
  • Colorado River family float
    WaterBook ahead

    Colorado River family float

    Moab

    Half-day raft trips on the calm stretch of the Colorado alongside the river road north-east of town, running between red sandstone walls with mild riffles rather than rapids, and time to swim from the boat.

    Ages
    4–16
    Time
    4h
    Adult, from
    €60

    Good to know. The gentle stretch near Moab is the family trip; the whitewater sections upstream and downstream are separate trips with higher minimum ages. Operators set their own age and weight minimums, so they need checking before booking for a small child. The river is cold and the sun on the water is fierce — long sleeves and secured hats matter more than swimming ability. Trips run in the warm season only and high spring meltwater can change what is offered.

    Book tickets — opens Klook in a new tab (affiliate link)

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one, the price is the same for you and we may earn a commission. How this works.

Getting around Moab

A car is essential — the parks have no public transport, and the distances between trailheads inside them are substantial. Arches has operated a timed-entry system during the busiest months in recent years, booked in advance and released in batches, with entry outside the covered hours unrestricted; the months and the structure are revised annually, so the park's own page is the only reliable source before a trip. Canyonlands' Island in the Sky district has no entry system but also almost no services once inside: water is available at the visitor centre and not at the viewpoints, and there is no fuel or food. Petrol, ice, and every bottle of water for the day are bought in town before setting out, which is a habit rather than a precaution here.

Moab tips for families

  • Health & safety

    Carry far more water than feels reasonable

    Summer highs in Moab regularly pass 38°C and the rock radiates heat back, with no shade on almost any trail. The usual guidance in these parks is around four litres per person for a day outdoors, and there is no water at most trailheads. Walking before about ten in the morning and after about five in the afternoon, and spending the middle of the day in a pool, is how families actually do a July trip here.

  • With kids

    Be honest about the Delicate Arch walk

    It is roughly 4.8 km round trip with about 150 m of climb, most of it across open slickrock with no shade, no water and a narrow ledge near the end. It is a genuine hike, not a viewpoint stroll, and it is the walk that most often goes wrong with children in the heat. There is a lower viewpoint reachable by a short path from a separate car park.

  • When to go

    Check whether Arches is using timed entry

    Arches has run a reservation system in the busy season in recent years, with entry outside the covered window unrestricted. Which months it applies to and how far ahead slots release have both changed between years, so the current rules need confirming rather than assuming.

  • Health & safety

    Late-summer storms flood the narrow canyons

    Rain in July, August and September can be heavy and fall many kilometres away, and desert washes and slot canyons fill fast with no warning at the spot itself. Local guidance is to stay out of narrow canyons when storms are forecast anywhere upstream, and unpaved back roads turn impassable quickly.

Moab with kids: common questions

When is the best time to visit Moab with kids?
Spring and autumn — roughly March to May and September to October. Summer afternoons routinely exceed 38°C with no shade in either park, which restricts walking to early morning and evening, and winter is cold with ice on the slickrock.
Can young children walk to Delicate Arch?
Some can, but it is a real hike: about 4.8 km round trip, roughly 150 m of climb across open rock with no shade or water, and a narrow ledge before the arch. In summer heat it is not a walk to attempt with small children. A lower viewpoint reachable by a short path gives a distant view instead.
Do families need a reservation for Arches National Park?
Possibly. The park has used a timed-entry system during its busiest months in recent years, with entry outside the covered hours unrestricted. The months and the booking mechanics have changed between years, so it should be checked on the park's own page before the trip.
Is there water inside the parks?
Very little. Both parks have water at their visitor centres and effectively nothing at the trailheads or viewpoints. Everything a family will drink during the day is filled or bought in town first, and four litres per person for a full day outdoors is the usual figure quoted locally.
How many days are needed in Moab?
Three to five. One day for Arches, one for Canyonlands and the state park overlook on the way, one for a river float or a swim day, and a spare for heat or weather.

More of United States