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Founded in the late 1800s, MOAB was hardly a speck until the 1950s, when prospector Charlie Steen discovered uranium in the nearby hills. When the ensuing mining boom finally waned, the conservative hold of Moab's industrialists and landowners waned with it, and the town threw in its lot with tourism. In barely ten years, it has transformed itself into the Southwest's number one adventure-vacation destination. Moab still isn't a large town - the population has yet to reach ten thousand - and neither is it an attractive one. The setting is what matters. With two national parks on its doorstep, plus millions more acres of public land, Moab is an ideal base for outdoors enthusiasts. At first, it was a mecca for mountain bikers , lured by the legendary Slickrock Bike Trail . Then the jeep drivers began to turn up, and the whitewater rafting companies moved in. These days it's almost literally bursting, all year, with legions of Lycra-clad vacationers from all over the world. Perhaps the main reason Moab has grown so fast is that out-of-state visitors tend to find Utah's other rural communities so irredeemably boring. As soon as Moab emerged from the pack, it became a beacon in the desert, attracting tourists ecstatic to find a town that stayed up after dark. Moab amounts to little more than a few miles of motels, restaurants and bars, but that's enough to make it the only southern-Utah town where you can stay for a week and still feel that you haven't seen everything, and everyone, a dozen times. The only sight-seeing to speak of is provided by the Moab Skyway , an incongruous new chairlift that climbs a thousand feet above town to the northern tip of the Moab Rim, for superb views across the Colorado to Arches and beyond (daily 9am-9pm; $8).

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION

Moab's superb visitor center , in the heart of town at Center and Main (summer daily 8am-9pm; rest of year daily 8am-5pm; tel 435/259-8825 or 1-800/635-6622, ), carries stacks of information on Moab itself, plus brochures and maps for the nearby parks and public lands. ARK Bighorn Express (tel 801/328-9920 or 1-888/655-7433, ) run daily shuttle buses between Salt Lake City and Moab, continuing on to Blanding, while the nearest Amtrak station is at Green River. 

ADVENTURE TRAVEL OUTFITTERS IN SOUTHEAST UTAH

RIVER TRIPS

Among Moab's dozen licensed operators offering motorized one-day trips along the Colorado River for around $45 and up are: Western River Expeditions (tel 801/942-6669 or 1-800/453-7450, ), Adrift Adventures (tel 435/259-8594 or 1-800/874-4483, ) and Tag-a-Long Expeditions (tel 435/259-8946 or 1-800/453-3292, ). The short trips start northwest of Moab, near the butte known as Fisher Towers, and arrive near town in the afternoon; many companies give passengers the chance to float quieter stretches in two-person kayaks. Oar-powered trips are slower but much quieter, and less expensive than motorboat trips. Longer (2- to 7-day) trips head through Cataract Canyon and other wild Canyonlands spots.
 
MOUNTAIN BIKING
 
While the Moab area is ideally suited to mountain-bike touring, only experienced riders should attempt its most challenging route, the famous Slickrock Bike Trail . This ten-mile, half-day loop starts atop the mesa about three miles east of Moab, threading its way among the sandstone knobs with views of the La Sal Mountains and the Colorado River; wear a helmet , take lots of water , and keep an eye and an ear out for motorcyclists, who are also allowed on the trail. A more relaxing alternative is to explore the dirt roads leading through the red-rock country of Kane Creek, west of town.

Bike shops offering daily rental and guided tours include Rim Tours, 1233 S Hwy-191 (tel 435/259-5223 or 1-800/626-7335, ), Kaibab & Moab Cyclery, 391 S Main St (tel 435/259-7423 or 1-800/451-1133, ), and Poison Spider, 497 N Main St (tel 435/259-7882 or 1-800/635-1792, ).

JEEP TOURS

Most of the thousands of miles of jeep trails around Moab were built years ago by miners and haven't been maintained since. The visitor center has a free map and guide to some of the more popular ones, and you can rent a 4WD jeep or pickup truck for around $100 per day from Slickrock 4x4 Rentals at 284 N Main St (tel 435/259-5678 or 1-888/238-5337). Guided jeep tours ($60-80 per person per day) are offered by Lin Ottinger Tours (tel 435/259-7312) and Tag-a-Long Expeditions. 

SENIC FLIGHTS

From a small airfield twenty miles north of Moab on US-91, Redtail Aviation (tel 435/259-7421 or 1-800/842-9251, ) runs unforgettable flights over the Canyonlands area and beyond: a perfect opportunity to appreciate the labyrinthine complexity of the Maze, to see the confluence of the two great rivers, and even to pick out inaccessible Ancestral Puebloan ruins - and well worth the $80 per-person rate for a one-hour reconnaissance.

 

EATING AND DRINKING

Moab offers by far the greatest range of restaurants in southern Utah, and for once most places make the effort to cater for vegetarians. With two pubs and a winery, there's also no problem getting a drink , while coffee bars are springing up everywhere. Note that many local restaurants, tired of low-tipping foreign customers, have taken to including a fifteen percent service charge on all checks.

Buck's Grill House 1393 N Hwy-191 tel 435/259-5201. Belying its stockade-like exterior, this "American Western Food" joint is actually a sophisticated affair, serving rich, classy Southwestern food, such as game hen or pork ribs, at very reasonable prices. Open for dinner nightly.

Center Café 60 North 100 West tel 435/259-4295. Expensive but exquisite restaurant, offering gourmet dining with a Pacific twist. Entrees, at around $20, range from Asian barbecue salmon to rack of lamb. Open for dinner nightly; closed Dec-Feb.

Eddie McStiff's 57 S Main St tel 435/259-2337. Central pub, next to the visitor center, which serves some interesting beers, including raspberry and blueberry varieties, and also a varied and inexpensive menu of salads, pizzas and pastas.

Mondo Café 59 S Main St tel 435/259-5911. Groovy all-day hangout next to Eddie McStiff's , serving espresso coffees and the odd pastry or sandwich.

Jailhouse Café 101 N Main St tel 435/259-3900. Very popular central café, open for breakfast only, until noon on weekdays and 1pm at weekends. There's indoor and outdoor seating year-round, and great specials like ginger pancakes and eggs Benedict.

Sunset Grill 900 N Hwy-191 tel 435/259-7146. Charlie Steen's luxury hilltop home is now a fine restaurant, with meat and seafood entrees for $13-20, great desserts and stunning views. The tortuous if short approach road from the north end of town means it's no place to drink and drive.