Utah

3 Reasons to Visit Moab in the Winter

Arches in Winter
Written by Amy

updated on May 18th, 2019

Moab, Utah is a little town nestled next to Arches and Canyonlands National Park. It’s a popular travel destination for outdoor activities like hiking, mountain biking, and camping. It’s in the eastern portion of the state of Utah, just a short drive south of I-70.

Arches National Park in Winter

We’ve visited Moab several times, but one of the most memorable was going during the off-season. It gets really hot during the summer (many days over 100 F) and the masses show up with mountain bikes and Jeeps for off-roading. We visited in November, but visiting anywhere from late October to early March should still provide the same perks that we received.


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Arches and Canyonlands were nearly empty!

Sure, we passed a few people on the trails, but it felt almost like we had the place to ourselves. Every trail head had plenty of parking and getting around was easy. There were no tourist buses, no ridiculous groups wearing fanny packs and matching T-shirts, and no traffic clogging the entrances (something the area has been struggling with lately). There are plenty of winter activities in Moab- you can still hike, mountain bike, and rent off-road vehicles. If you bring the right gear, you can even camp in Moab during the winter. And you can’t beat finding solitude at one of the nation’s most famous parks.

Moab in Winter

Moab winter weather is great!

While it’s not a tropical beach, we were comfortable in jackets. It can occasionally snow in Moab, but the average snowfall is minimal. Besides, if it does snow, the landscape will make for great photographs. Pack a warm jacket and some lightweight gloves, and you’ll be just fine. Keep an eye on weather reports just in case they actually do get a big dumping of snow, but remember that it warms back up quickly. Moab’s winter weather is perfect for exploring!

Canyonlands in Winter

 It’s cheap!

Our hotel (The Inca Inn) was extremely cheap. It was something like $40/night and breakfast was included. And if you’re lucky, you’ll meet the resident kitty, appropriately named Inca. We loved the hotel and wanted to return during the usual season, and found that the rates were over triple the cost. The nearby parks offer so many activities that you can do for free, such as hiking, that you can have a very inexpensive vacation here.

Start your search for a hotel in Moab during the winter right here with Booking.com:

Booking.com

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