Moab Utah Area Attractions

Located 17 miles from Red Cliffs Lodge, Arches National Park contains the world’s largest concentration of natural sandstone arches. Although over 2,000 arches are located within the park’s 76,518 acres, the park also contains an astounding variety of other geological formations. Colossal sandstone fins, massive balanced rocks, soaring pinnacles, and spires dwarf visitors as they explore the park’s viewpoints and hiking trails.

Planning your trip to Arches National Park? Arches National Park will be implementing a timed entry, pilot program. Click Read more for details.

Canyonlands is the largest national park in Utah, and its diversity staggers the imagination. The easiest way to see the park is with a visit to the Island in the Sky district, which is the north entrance and is 42 miles from Red Cliffs Lodge and takes about an hour's drive to arrive. The Island in the Sky offers many pullouts with spectacular views along the paved scenic drive. 

The south entrance into the Needles District is 100 miles from Red Cliffs Lodge and takes about 2 and a half hours to arrive. The Needles District forms the southeast corner of Canyonlands and was named for the colorful spires of Cedar Mesa Sandstone that dominate the area.

Located on Highway 313, Dead Horse Point State Park is located about 45 miles from Red Cliffs Lodge and takes about an hour's drive to get there. It is also located near the north entrance of Canyonlands National Park. 

Dead Horse Point State Park is located at the end of a mesa 2,000 feet above the Colorado River, Located between Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Visitors often compare the views to the Grand Canyon.

The Fisher Towers Trail winds through the Fisher Towers, which are a series of towers made of Culter Sandstone capped with Moenkopi Sandstone and caked with a stucco of red mud. The Towers are named for a miner who lived near them in the 1880s. 

Fisher Towers is located about 9 miles east of Red Cliffs Lodge and takes about 17 minutes to arrive. 

Grandstaff Canyon is a 4.65-mile round trip hike that starts above the banks of the Colorado River and travels up a scenic canyon alongside a much smaller stream. The hike ends at a stunning 243-foot long natural bridge. 

Grandstaff Canyon is located on Highway 128 at mile marker 3. It is 11 miles west of Red Cliffs Lodge and takes approximately 17 miles to drive. 

The Shafer Trail at the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands National Park is an iconic road that descends 1,500 feet through a colorful, massive sandstone cliff. Shafer Trail is a challenging, unpaved back-country road for recreational users seeking the experience of a lifetime. High-clearance 4WD vehicles with a low range gear (4LO) are required for this 19.6 mile. a moderately trafficked point-to-point trail that offers the chance to see wildlife and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for mountain biking and scenic driving and is accessible year-round.

Castle Rock is a 400-foot Wingate Sandstone tower standing on a 1,000-foot Moenkopi-Chinle cone. Castleton Tower Trail is a 2.6 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail that offers scenic views and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking. Look up, it is also very popular with rock climbers. The rock formation commonly known as The Priest and Nuns is located just north of Castle Rock. 

The Sand Flats Recreation Area (SFRA) near Moab, Utah is a nationally significant public lands treasure at the heart of the Colorado Plateau. A high plain of slick rock domes, bowls and fins, it rises in the east to meet the colorful mesas and nearly 13,000 foot peaks of the La Sal Mountains.

SRFA is about 20 miles from Red Cliffs Lodge and is about a 40 minute drive from the lodge. 

Many dinosaurs have been found around the Moab area, including a small carnivorous dinosaur from the Triassic, a large Camarasaurus from the Jurassic, a gigantic Brontosaurus also from the Jurassic, and Cretaceous dinosaurs such as Utahraptor and Gastonia.

Paleontologists have found a treasure trove of dinosaur remains in the rock formations in the area. The record of dinosaurs and other ancient animals in the area is one of the best in the country.