For travelers seeking a road trip to adventure, the Moab Adventure Center in Moab, UT, has a new lineup of private, winter eco-adventure options in Utah's "Arches and Canyonlands" region. While the red rock area welcomes visitors year-round, people often are not aware of the quieter nature of the region in winter. So, what's to see and do?
Let's just say the one-of-a-kind natural scenery is the top draw. Top eco-anchors are Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.
This region has attracted Hollywood filmmakers since the 1940s. For example, Moab's "otherworldy" landscapes were featured in the 2013 rendition of "The Lone Ranger" starring Johnny Depp, as well as "Mission Impossible: II" (2000) and "Thelma and Louise" (1991).
At the Moab Adventure Center, travelers can access a check-list of preferred activities during the quieter months. Depending on the season, popular local activities include rafting, jet boating, stand up paddle boarding, hiking, mountain biking, hot-air ballooning, Hummer safaris, rock climbing and horseback riding.
New Wintertime Private Adventures
Weather permitting, Moab Adventure Center's staff can arrange the following new wintertime private party excursions:
Hummer Safaris: Visitors can head out by Hummer for Hell’s Revenge Trail. This two-hour, off-trail adventure includes the steep ascension of slick sandstone to access vantage points over remote canyons. Or, travelers could opt for the Sunset Hummer Tour, a three-hour, off-road venture culminating with spectacular views of the evening sky.
Private Canyoneering Adventure and/or Moab Rock Climbing Lessons: These five-hour outdoor adventures allow visitors to experience nature in a personalized way, and with the rock climbing lessons, from a unique vantage point.
Private Arches National Park Morning Tours: Visitors can head out with a guide and driver on a four-hour tour to learn how the unusual landscape—with more than 2,000 natural rock arches—was formed.
Arches National Park Air Tour will give "fightseers" aerial views over Courthouse Towers, North and South Window Arches, Delicate Arch, Devil's Garden, the Colorado River, Fisher Towers, and Castle Valley. Kids ages two and under "fly free" on a parent's lap. This flightseeing tour has a two-adult minimum to operate.
The "ground" activities listed above are conducted with guides. That helps preclude damage to the land that can happen when visitors new to the area venture into areas where they shouldn’t be. Guides help people understand where they can move through back country with the least eco-impact possible.
Winter brings cooler temperatures to this region. January’s average high is 43 degrees Fahrenheit, rising to 63 degrees by March when campgrounds open and travelers ready for the region's new rafting season.
Easy Drive Access
With the exception of Los Angeles, 700 or so miles from Moab, most major Southwestern U.S. cities are under 500 miles from Moab. Those cities include Albuquerque, NM, Phoenix, AZ, Denver, CO, and Salt Lake City, UT, among others.
Some travelers may choose to combine the Moab area with road trips that continue to the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Zion National Park. Through the late winter season, Moab Adventure Center recommends tapping into udottraffic.utah.gov to see real-time road conditions across Utah.
Moab Adventure Center is a division of Western River Expeditions, an adventure travel company headquartered in Salt Lake City, with operations and offices in Moab and Fredonia, AZ. For more information on Moab Adventure Center and visitor options, check out www.
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