Moab, UT

Moab, Utah: High Adventure in Red Rock Country

Narrow canyons, jutting pinnacles, and stone arches pepper the countryside surrounding Moab, Utah, (pop. 9,106) with spectacular colors not unlike a brilliant Southwest sunset on a summer evening. The town itself sits atop ruins of pueblo farming communities vacated sometime in the 13th century and has continually transformed socially and economically over time. Today, its eclectic mix of ranchers, small-business owners, and adventurers makes Moab a unique place to live and work.

“People in Moab have a strong work ethic as well as a sense of independence, which stems from the history of the miners and ranchers,” says Matt Moore, owner and founder of Desert Highlights, a company that provides a wide range of adventure climbing and hiking tours throughout the area.

Moab has seen its economy prosper and falter, with booms such as the 1952 uranium extractions, the potash and salt mining operations in the early 1980s, and currently, the tourism and recreation market, which became the town’s economic base during the ’90s.

People flock to Moab for its broad array of outdoor adventures, such as rafting the rapids on the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon and climbing and rappelling into the area’s many deep canyons. There are also jeep tours, helicopter rides, camping, or simply hiking in two of the country’s most spectacular national parks—Canyonlands and Arches.

Moab also became one of the world’s premier mountain biking destinations during the 1980s, attracting world-class athletes. “About 18 or 19 years ago, mountain biking was an emerging sport in places like San Francisco and Crested Butte, Colorado,” says Dave Montgomery, general manager of Rim Cyclery. His company’s owners, Robin and Bill Groff, convinced people back then to travel to Moab to ride bikes on the Slick Rock trail, a route originally intended for motorcycles. People fell in love with the area, and mountain biking fever engulfed Moab with a bang. Slick Rock is now one of the most famous mountain bike trails in the world.

Despite the popularity of mountain biking, Montgomery notes that other sports in the area are just as important. “A kayaker might also be a mountain biker,” he says. “Each sport feeds off the other, drawing in a lot of people.”

Myke Hughes opened Moab’s first and oldest river company, Adrift Adventures, in 1978, and says that the river is also a big draw for tourism.

“We get about 16,000 customers a year,” Hughes says. Adrift Adventures runs trips that range from a half-day excursion to several weeks long. “We get people who know a lot about the river, and we get people who have never been camping before in their lives.”

For those not inclined toward adventure, Moab is still an optimal experience. The area’s natural surroundings are breathtaking, its uniqueness and variety evident everywhere. Within a 20-mile radius, one can sample rugged desert terrain; red rock cliffs; the LaSal Mountains, which stretch upward of 12,000 feet; meadows; aspen and pine forests; and rivers and canyons.

With so much diversity, the common thread connecting all of Moab is the lifestyle. “People usually live here because they want to, not because they have to,” says Moore. “We are here because we all love the environment, the expanse of the outdoors.”

Even though Moab attracts international visitors, it still has a hometown atmosphere, offering a palate of cultural delights, including three theater companies, two microbreweries, and two vineyards. It also hosts an international film festival, which this year will run in November.

In the Moab melting pot, typical stereotypes do not apply. “It’s what makes this place so special,” says Montgomery. “It’s a small town and very isolated, so you get real honest small-town folks who mix with a cosmopolitan influence of artists. Poets and dreamers come here because it inspires them.”

Despite its international popularity as a premier adventure/tourism spot, Moab is doing a good job of holding on to its small-town feel.

“There are still only three stoplights in town,” adds Hughes.

Anne Garcia is a freelance writer from Nederland, Colo.

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