Everyone Talks About Moab’s National Parks—But These 8 Hikes Outside the Parks Deserve Just as Much Hype

Moab is best known as the gateway to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, but the adventure doesn’t stop at the park boundaries. This region of Utah is packed with incredible hikes that rival anything you’ll find in the national parks—without the crowds or permits.

Just outside town, you’ll find stunning canyons, towering rock formations, and hidden arches scattered across the desert landscape. Many of these trails are tucked along Highway 128, one of the most scenic drives in the country, winding through red rock cliffs and along the Colorado River.

If you’re looking to explore beyond the national parks, these hikes showcase just how much Moab has to offer.

8 Outstanding Hikes in Moab Not in the National Parks

1. Grandstaff Canyon

Grandstaff Canyon is one of the most “stereotypical” Utah hikes in Moab—and I mean that in the absolute best way possible. At 4.5 miles round trip, this delightful hike is not too long, not too short, and takes you through a gorgeous red rock canyon, ending at Morning Glory Natural Bridge.

There’s a pretty stream running through the canyon, and frequent water crossings make the hike feel even more adventurous. The canyon twists and curves around you, with dramatic walls, interesting rock formations, and lots of visual variety along the way.

Morning Glory Bridge is tucked away at the end of the trail, and at 243 feet long, it’s impressively massive—it’s actually the sixth-largest natural bridge in the United States.

Overall, the trail is fairly easy. You’ll alternate between slickrock, sand, and packed dirt, with a gentle 300 feet of elevation gain.

This is absolutely a can’t-miss hike when visiting Moab.

2. Fisher Towers

The Fisher Towers trail blew me away—it’s hands down one of my favorite hikes in the Moab area.

The Fisher Towers are these massive, jagged, red sandstone spires—so tall and skinny they almost don’t look real. From a distance, it looks like one long ridgeline of spires, but once you get on the trail, you realize it’s actually a maze of fins, cliffs, and free-standing towers jutting out. The tallest, called the Titan, rises 900 feet into the sky.

The trail is what really makes this hike special. You wind through the different towers, staring up open-mouthed at the impossibly skinny yet somehow still behemoth cliffs that are, well, *towering* over you.

You’ll duck in and out of canyons and around cliff edges, sometimes walking right along narrow ledges with dramatic drops below you. It’s one of those trails where the journey is 100% the point—you’re constantly surrounded by incredible views, and the entire route is visually interesting.

The hike is about 4.6 miles round trip with around 800 feet of elevation gain. AllTrails incorrectly lists the elevation at 1,400 feet (it thinks you’re scrambling over one of the towers), but don’t worry—it’s not that intense.

Still, it’s a moderately strenuous trail, with a few sections that require light scrambling and some up-and-down along the way.

If you’re short on time or don’t want to do the whole thing, even the first mile is amazing. You still get to experience the winding trail, see the Titan, and walk beneath the soaring towers—it’s stunning from the very beginning.

3. Funnel Arch

Funnel Arch is a short, adventurous hike that takes you through a beautiful, rolling sandstone landscape. But the unique approach makes it a bit of a hidden gem in Moab.

Right off the bat, this trail feels fun and adventurous, as you scramble up grippy sandstone slopes and little canyons, climb over ledges, and navigate slickrock hills. There’s no official trail or cairns, so download the AllTrails map—it’s easy to veer off in the wrong direction.

We counted seven scrambling sections in total, ranging from easy to moderately hard. The second scramble is the hardest, as the final 10 feet involve a fairly vertical ledge. I had read quite a few reviews of people turning back here, and while you do need some care and confidence, it didn’t feel nearly as bad as I expected.

We had two adults who were confident scramblers, two who appreciated a little help, and a 3-year-old we passed up and down. Having friends to guide hand and foot placement—or give a quick boost—was extremely helpful and made this section very manageable for us.

I wouldn’t take a baby in a carrier, but confident kids (or light ones you can lift) should be fine. Definitely no dogs though!

Once you reach the top, the view is incredible. Funnel Arch is set into the cliff face, bright orange and glowing in the evening sun. It’s a little wider on one side and narrower on the other—like a subtle funnel—and just feels like a special secret tucked away up in the cliffs.

Standing up there, high above the road, with the sun lighting up the sandstone all around us was a total highlight of our time in Moab.

4. Corona Arch

Corona Arch is one of the most well-known arches in the Moab area outside of the national parks, and for good reason—the arch is enormous and breathtaking.

The 2.4 mile hike takes you up and through a scenic slickrock landscape, and you’ll pass several arches and caves in the canyon walls along the way.

One of the most exciting parts of the trail comes about a mile in, where you’ll climb a steep slickrock section using a bolted chain for support. Right after that, you’ll reach a short ladder to climb up another steep section.

From there, the trail follows a curved ridge with a steep drop-off, offering incredible views of Corona Arch as you make your final approach. You’ll also pass Bowtie Arch (just before Corona), a unique pothole arch that almost looks like a ring in a rock ledge.

And then there’s Corona Arch itself—massive and striking as it curves at an angle down from the cliffside. I will say, I was *super* impressed with Corona Arch! It easily holds its own against the arches in the national parks, and the trail getting there is just as scenic and adventurous.

5. Mill Creek Canyon

Mill Creek Canyon is a short and sweet, 1.6 mile hike through a scenic canyon just outside Moab. The trail starts in a scrubby, rocky area but quickly leads you deeper into the canyon, where red rock walls rise around you.

Mill Creek flows year-round, and along the way, you’ll cross the water three or four times—there’s even a funny sign before the first crossing that warns, “Yes, your feet will get wet here.”

The final stretch winds through a narrow gorge, where the red rocks close in around you. The waterfall at the end is small but very charming, with the creek flowing through the tall, red sandstone.

We only went to the waterfall, but you can hike another mile into the canyon to reach an arch if you want a longer experience. This is a fantastic trail near Moab, perfect for kids and adults alike.

6. Jeep Arch

The Jeep Arch trail is a fun hike through classic Moab slickrock terrain ending in a unique rock formation. Right from the start, you get a phenomenal view of the Colorado River before heading up and past a rugged canyon, surrounded by fairly rocky terrain.

When you arrive at Jeep Arch, I think you’ll be surprised and delighted, like we were, at how much the arch really does resemble a vehicle.

The arch sits at the top of a small hill, and you can walk through it. The sweeping views over the landscape below in either direction are really stunning!

We also really enjoyed this rock formation, that we both independently thought looked like Mrs. Potts from Beauty and the Beast (do you see it too?)

Jeep Arch is also really fun because most of it is a loop trail – there’s something very satisfying about not having to retrace your steps back.

7. Dinosaur Tracks + Longbow Arch Trail

This is a short but semi-steep trail that leads to some honest-to-goodness dinosaur tracks spread across a large slab of vertical stone—super cool to see in person. There are over 24 tracks of various sizes scattered around the rocks here (although many of them cannot be seen).

Climb for a few more minutes (it’s a bit of a scramble here), and you’ll reach a cliff face with an impressive set of petroglyphs.

If you continue past the petroglyphs, you’ll be on the trail to Longbow Arch, a 2-mile round trip hike. This section gets a bit steeper and more scrambly, with big rocks to navigate around and some slickrock climbs—though there are handholds to help on the steeper stretches.

After that initial push, the trail levels out into a more relaxed path that leads to Longbow, a fun, oversized arch tucked into the cliffs.

Note: The parking area is also used as a starting point for some OHV trails, called the Poison Spider trail.

8. Moonflower Canyon

Moonflower is fun for a few different reasons. First, the trail is just a short 0.25 mile walk through the woods to the bowl-shaped end of the canyon that holds a small pool of water. It’s short, but very scenic.

Second, when you first arrive at the parking lot, you’ll see a small rest area, with some trees and picnic areas. To the right of the picnic area are some petroglyphs on the canyon wall.

Third, right next to the petroglyphs is a fascinating little trail/scramble/climb up a crack in the rocks. Some logs have been propped up in the crack, and you can pretty easily shimmy up them to the top of the cliff.

9. Hunter Canyon

The last hike on this list was, unfortunately, a miss for us, but I still want to include it here to explain why I wouldn’t recommend it.

On paper, Hunter Canyon sounds like a fantastic trail—and in many ways, it is. The trail winds through a canyon with tall, sheer red rock walls, a stream cutting through it, and two arches to see.

About 0.5 miles in, you can see Hunter Arch, and if you go all the way to the end, you can see Curious Arch. There are multiple river crossings, and the stream brings some nice vegetation to the canyon floor.

Hunter Canyon is very similar to Grandstaff Canyon in many ways—but honestly, in just about every way, it was inferior. The trail was often unclear, with sections where we had to push through weeds and branches. There were also a lot of dead and downed trees, which made the canyon feel less picturesque overall.

And while the canyon wasn’t not scenic, it just didn’t have the same visual interest as Grandstaff. The one big plus? It’s far less crowded.

The TL;DR: It wasn’t a bad hike, but it just didn’t wow us. And with the plentiful incredible hiking spots in Moab, we wouldn’t spend our time in this one. 

The Wrap Up

While Arches and Canyonlands are truly epic, the area outside the parks has incredible sights and experiences as well—Moab boasts a whole host of amazing hikes and views. So when planning your next visit to Moab, be sure to budget some time to explore this beautiful area!