Moab sits in a green strip of valley beside the Colorado River, surrounded by red sandstone cliffs, and it is the main base for exploring the canyon country of southeastern Utah. At about 1,200 metres, it is a small town of five thousand people, though in the busy seasons it feels much larger. Arches National Park lies just five kilometres north, Canyonlands is a short ride southwest, and the roads in and out are as scenic as any in the country, with long views of red rock, blue sky and the La Sal Mountains, which stay capped with snow into early summer.
The area has a deep past. Dinosaurs left their tracks and bones in these rocks, and the highway that runs through the region is called the Dinosaur Diamond for that reason. The Ute people and the Ancestral Puebloans before them left rock art on canyon walls, and there are petroglyph panels along the road. Mormon settlers tried to establish a mission here in the 1850s but were driven out, and the town was settled for good in the late 1870s. In the 1950s, a prospector named Charlie Steen struck uranium nearby and became a millionaire, and for a few years Moab boomed.
Riding here is a joy. Highway 128, which follows the Colorado River upstream, winds along the cliffs with the water beside you and the great spires of Fisher Towers in the distance. Highway 279, the Potash Road, runs along the river past a panel of ancient petroglyphs. The roads are well surfaced, the corners are broad and the scenery is stunning at every turn. Summers are very hot, with temperatures often above thirty-eight degrees, so ride early; spring and autumn are the best seasons. Watch for sand on the road, and for rock falls after storms.
Fuel, food and lodging are plentiful, but in spring and autumn the town fills up with mountain bikers, jeep drivers and hikers, and rooms can be hard to find, so book ahead. There are good cafes and a bakery or two, and the choice of restaurants is far wider than you would expect in a town this size. In the evening the cliffs glow orange and the air cools. Carry water everywhere, because the desert is dry, and keep an eye on the weather.