To the northwest of Durango by 128 miles sits Moab, Utah. It is a small city with a population of just over 5,000 and a coverage of almost 5 square miles. But there is plenty of intrigue in this small community. Moab is known the world over for a bevy of outdoor activities including mountain biking, hiking, climbing, rafting and more. If you can do it outside, you can do it in Moab.
Originally founded on farming, the onset of the nuclear age changed the town’s image. As part of the Colorado Plateau in the Four Corners, a good source of uranium in the U.S., the Moab area was also ripe with uranium deposits. Utah as a whole took on the moniker of The Uranium Capital of the World thanks to more than 300,000 claims of uranium being found between 1946 and 1959 during a boom of the resource at the time.
After World War II, the Western film genre had captured the public’s interest. And with such natural beauty in the Southwest, locations such as Moab were common filming locations. Films starring John Wayne such as “Rio Grande,” “The Comancheros” and “The Greatest Story Ever Told” all give credit to filming in the Moab area.
With the impressive visuals on public display, Moab began another transformation, into a tourist destination. Moviegoers wanted to visit the areas they saw on the silver screen in person. And they did. Arches National Park reported visitation ballooning from 2,301 visitors in 1946 to a peak of 31,800 in 1955. Even into the modern day, the Southwest has not lost any appeal in Hollywood. Franchises like Mission Impossible, Indiana Jones and Transformers have all filmed on location in the Moab area or the surrounding national parks. For the 2023 visitation year, the National Park Service reported a combined 2.28 million visitors to the Arches and Canyonlands parks.
Being a small area has not stopped restaurateurs from flocking to this oasis of dining. Trip Advisor offers Traveler’s Choice Best of the Best awards to restaurants for providing superior eating experiences. Moab eateries have performed very well with three being nationally recognized among the top 10 for their respective categories.
Moab can be used as an excellent launchpad for two of Utah’s five national parks. Both Arches and Canyonlands national parks sit within a 14-mile radius of Moab, meaning a trip to the border of either park is at most a half-hour away.
Biology and nature
The area is dry, as a result, many of the species in the area are adapted to a desert lifestyle. A visit to the area is a fantastic learning experience about many of the plants and animals that can only found in this part of the world. Arches alone boasts a roster of 200 registered species of bird, distinctive species like the scissor-tailed flycatcher and over 745 species of plants including Utah’s state flower the sego lily.
The two parks also provide haven to multiple endangered species. Canyonlands is carved by the Colorado River which is the home of the Colorado pikeminnow, which is struggling in a river where it once held such dominance.
The winter months make for a great time to visit the area as much outdoor physical activity is discouraged during the opressive heat that comes with an incessant summer sun. Moab’s popularity has earned it a passing nickname among visitors of the ‘Adventure Capital of the West’ and for good reason. There is so much to see and do and a three hour ride in the car is all that separates Durangoans from all the outdoor adventure as well as nationally ranked dining that the desert town provides. The town also remains a stronghold for tourism. According to a 2024 Booking.com survey based on metrics like hospitality, tourism and beauty, Moab was ranked as the sixth most welcoming city in the world making it the only United States city to make the list.