Moab packs two national parks, a state park overlook made famous by Hollywood, and a run of the Colorado River into a single long weekend. This 3-day self-drive route uses Arches and Canyonlands’ most rewarding short hikes, a real half-day rafting outfitter, and the same diners and motels locals have relied on for decades — easily reached by rental car from Grand Junction or Salt Lake City.
Day 1Arrival & Arches National Park at Sunset
Pick up a rental car and drive into Moab, then spend the afternoon in Arches National Park, ending at Delicate Arch as the sandstone turns orange at sunset.
🚗 Rental Car & Drive: Grand Junction to Moab
~2 hours, ~110 miles · rental from $55 USD/day
Pick up a rental car at Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT) and drive south into Utah on I-70 and Highway 191, with red-rock cliffs rising along the Colorado River for the final stretch into town.
🏜️ Arches National Park: Windows & Balanced Rock
~2 hours · $30 USD per vehicle (valid 7 days)
An easy loop past Balanced Rock, the Windows and Double Arch — the most accessible cluster of sandstone arches in the park, all reachable on short, flat trails.
🥾 Delicate Arch Sunset Hike
~2.5–3 hours round trip, 3 miles · included in park entry
A moderately strenuous, mostly unshaded trail climbing slickrock to Utah’s most photographed arch, timed to reach the natural rock amphitheater as the sun drops and the arch glows orange.
🛏️ Check-In: The Gonzo Inn
From $140 USD / night, for 2 people
A colorful, motor-court-style boutique hotel in downtown Moab, with a saltwater pool and hot tub and an easy walk to Main Street restaurants.
🍽️ Dinner: Sunset Grill
~1.5 hours · dinner ~$30–$45 USD / person
A steak-and-seafood restaurant perched on a hilltop above town in the former home of a 1950s uranium millionaire, with wraparound valley views over dinner.
Sunset Grill · moabsunsetgrill.com
Day 2Canyonlands’ Island in the Sky & Dead Horse Point
A sunrise hike to one of the Southwest’s most photographed arches, sweeping overlooks into Canyonlands, and a Hollywood-famous canyon rim at Dead Horse Point.
🌅 Mesa Arch at Sunrise
~1 hour, 0.7 miles round trip · $30 USD per vehicle (valid 7 days)
A short trail in Canyonlands’ Island in the Sky district to a natural arch framing a 1,000-foot drop into the canyon below — best reached 30 minutes before sunrise for the arch’s underside to glow red.
🏞️ Grand View Point & Green River Overlook
~2 hours · included in park entry
Two easy overlook trails at the end of the Island in the Sky mesa, looking down more than 1,000 feet onto canyons carved by the Colorado and Green rivers.
🍔 Lunch: Milt’s Stop & Eat
~1 hour · lunch ~$10–$15 USD / person
Moab’s oldest restaurant, open since 1954 — a walk-up burger stand serving hand-pattied burgers, fry sauce and malt shakes at a handful of outdoor picnic tables.
Milt’s Stop & Eat · miltsstopandeat.com
🌅 Dead Horse Point State Park
~1.5 hours · $20 USD per vehicle day-use fee
A rim-top overlook 2,000 feet above a horseshoe bend of the Colorado River, made famous as the closing shot of Thelma & Louise — among the most photographed views in Utah.
🍽️ Dinner: Miguel’s Baja Grill
~1.5 hours · dinner ~$18–$28 USD / person
A long-running Main Street favorite for Baja-style Mexican food — fish tacos, carnitas and a well-stocked tequila list on a lively outdoor patio.
Miguel’s Baja Grill · miguelsbajagrill.net
Day 3Colorado River Rafting & Departure
A half-day whitewater run down the Colorado River in the morning, then a scenic drive back toward Grand Junction along a canyon byway lined with petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks.
🚣 Half-Day Colorado River Rafting
~4 hours · from $79 USD / person
A guided half-day run through Fisher Towers-area rapids on the Colorado River, with red-rock canyon walls rising on both sides — gear, guide and a riverside snack included.
Mild to Wild Rafting · mild2wildrafting.com
🚗 Scenic Drive: Potash Road (Utah 279)
~1 hour · free
A riverside byway along the base of towering sandstone cliffs, with roadside pullouts for Native American petroglyph panels and a marked dinosaur track site.
✈️ Drive Back to Grand Junction & Departure
~2 hours, ~110 miles
The return drive north on Highway 191 and I-70 to Grand Junction Regional Airport (GJT), timed to allow at least two hours before a flight home.
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