Moab: Arches, Canyonlands & Dead Horse Point Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.96 (360 reviews) 97% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/7

Duration8h

GroupUp to 11

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Arches and canyons in one day with real desert quiet

You’ll walk beneath arches older than memory, hear stories from locals who know every trail turn, and feel small in the best way staring out from Dead Horse Point. With pickup from your Moab hotel and lunch included, this day trip lets you soak up Utah’s wild beauty—and maybe take home some red dust in your shoes.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Arches and Canyonlands Parks

Start tour in Moab, Utah
Travel entire Arches Scenic Drive
View and photograph Park Avenue
View and photograph Balanced Rock
Hike Turret Arch and North and South Windows
Hike and photograph Double Arch
Hike all arches in Windows Section
View Broken Arch from the road
Visit Canyonlands National Park overlooks
Look out over Green River
Hike to famous arch in Canyonlands
View Colorado River overlook at Dead Horse Point
View spectacular canyon and old mining road

The Experience

I still remember the way the light hit Park Avenue when we first rolled up—like someone had just turned up the color dial on the whole world. Our guide (I think his name was Dave? Or maybe Dan—I’m terrible with names) handed out cold water and pointed at these walls that looked like they could swallow a city. He told us stories about how this part of Arches took millions of years to shape, but honestly, all I could think about was how my shoes filled with red dust every time I moved. It felt good, though. Like proof you’d actually been somewhere.

We wandered under Double Arch—way bigger than I expected, and there was this echo if you laughed at just the right spot. Some kids tried it; everyone smiled. The air smelled like hot stone and juniper. Our group wasn’t huge, which made it easy to ask questions or just hang back and watch the shadows move across the sand. At Sand Dune Arch, I tried to squeeze between these narrow rocks (almost got stuck—don’t wear a big backpack). The guide knew all the little shortcuts and where to find shade when it started getting warm.

Lunch was simple—a picnic spread near Dead Horse Point, nothing fancy but after hiking around, even an apple tasted better than usual. That overlook… I mean, you see photos of Canyonlands but standing there with wind in your face is different. Someone pointed out a tiny road twisting down below; apparently old miners used it ages ago. We watched clouds drift over the Green River bend for a while before heading back through Moab, still picking sand out of my socks. If you’re thinking about a day trip from Moab that covers Arches, Canyonlands, and Dead Horse Point—this is how I’d do it again.

What’s included

Your day includes morning pickup at your Moab hotel or their office downtown, entry fees for Dead Horse Point State Park (but not national park passes), timed-entry reservation for Arches access so you skip waiting around at gates, plus a light picnic lunch with snacks and water refills—just remember to bring your own bottle filled with ice if it’s hot out.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcome

Operated by Moab In A Day LLC