This Rock Climbers' Paradise Makes for the Perfect Autumn Getaway
The Mesa Arch in Moab, Utah (Photo: Andrey Grinkevich)
*Post updated on Sept. 17, 2024
Whether you’re talking about hiking, kayaking, or whitewater rafting, getting outdoors is often one of the best ways for people to recharge their batteries and (literally) get a breath of fresh air. Hitting the trail or strapping on the skis is especially reinvigorating for anyone who’s been cooped up inside for far too long, which may or may not describe your mode of living these last few months.
If outdoor adventure is what you seek, it could be time to listen to the words popularly attributed to Horace Greeley and “go west, young man.” West to Utah, that is, where the cliffs and canyons of Moab are waiting to welcome you with open arms.
Lonely Planet calls the area southern Utah’s “adventure base camp”, and lists Intrepid Trail (a 9-mile single-track path perfect for mountain bikers of all skill levels), Westwater Canyon (which boasts some serious whitewater rushing through the oldest layer of rock on earth), and Hell’s Revenge (a scenic drive that traverses stretches of steep, slick rock) as some of Moab’s finest outdoor offerings.
Your opportunities for recreation certainly don’t end there, though, as America’s red rock playground is also known as one of the best rock climbing and canyoneering destinations on the planet. Just ask the folks over at the Moab Adventure Center, who can’t help but sing the praises of the gift Mother Nature has given them, nor of the various benefits of rock climbing.
“When people stand at the bottom of a canyon wall waiting to climb, they’re already moving themselves mentally and emotionally out of their comfort zones,” says Cort Wright, the center’s general manager. “Helping people learn the fundamentals of rock climbing is a favorite for our guides.” Wright says fall, with its relatively cooler temperatures and typically dry days, is the perfect time to head to Moab, where, at the adventure center, they offer rock climbing and canyoneering packages through November. Sessions typically take place in either the morning or afternoon, and last about five hours.
A climber descending back to the ground after climbing Moab’s Pocket Rocket (Photo: Emma Smith)
The Moab Rock Climbing Introduction course teaches participants how to improve face and crack climbing techniques, how to use and care for equipment, knot and rope tying techniques, and basic belaying and descending.
If canyoneering is more your thing, the center’s Ultimate Moab Canyoneering Adventure course goes for the same rate as the introductory rock climbing course. The experience includes rappelling 90 feet into a secluded grotto, dropping 120 feet off a natural bridge down to a natural spring, and finishing off with a 3.5-mile hike along a stream through a hidden canyon on the way back out to the Colorado River. Whew!
The center also offers private group lessons in both rock climbing and canyoneering, and tons of other experiences, including rafting, jet boating, stand up paddle boarding, hiking, mountain biking, hot air ballooning, Hummer safaris, and horseback riding. Most of the activities are conducted with certified guides, an arrangement that the center says “helps preclude the kind of damage to the land that can happen when uneducated visitors venture into areas where they shouldn’t be.”
To check out all that the Moab Adventure Center has to offer, just head over to moabadventurecenter.com. When you book with them, you can tell ‘em Logan sent you. They’ll give you a confused look; probably say, “Umm, okay?”; and then charge you the going rate for whichever activity or excursion you picked, because they’ll have no clue what you’re talking about — but you can still do it.
-LTH