Moab: Where Red Rock Became the Adventure Capital
Moab was supposed to die when the uranium market collapsed. The 1950s had been a boom; prospectors flooded the canyon country, and the small town of Moab became their staging ground. Charlie Steen struck it rich; others went bust. When the market crashed, Moab nearly became another Western ghost town. Then came the mountain bikers. In the 1980s, riders discovered that the slickrock - ancient sand dunes turned to stone - offered traction like nothing else. Word spread. Moab became mountain biking's proving ground, then its mecca. Rock climbers followed, then off-roaders, then hikers drawn to two adjacent national parks. The town that uranium almost killed was resurrected by recreation, and now faces a different crisis: too many visitors loving the desert to pieces.
The Uranium
The Cold War needed uranium, and the Colorado Plateau had it. Charlie Steen, broke and ridiculed, struck the Mi Vida mine in 1952, becoming an instant millionaire. He built a mansion in Moab, threw legendary parties, lost everything to the IRS. Hundreds of other prospectors followed the boom; Moab's population quadrupled. The Atomic Energy Commission built roads into the canyons; mining towns sprouted and died. When the government stopped buying uranium, the industry collapsed. Mills closed; miners left. The tailings they left behind - radioactive waste piles along the Colorado River - are still being remediated. The roads they cut, though, remained, becoming the access routes that recreation would later use.
The Slickrock
Navajo Sandstone looks unrideable - bare stone slopes rising at impossible angles. But the ancient dunes, compressed into rock over 200 million years, offer surprising grip. Motorcycle riders discovered this first; a trail was marked in 1969 for dirt bikes. Mountain bikers arrived in the 1980s, and the Slickrock Trail became the sport's most famous ride: 12 miles of undulating stone, climbs and drops that seem to defy physics, views extending to the La Sal Mountains. Other trails followed: Porcupine Rim, Whole Enchilada, routes that attracted riders from around the world. Moab became to mountain biking what Chamonix is to alpinism - the proving ground where reputations were made.
The Parks
Arches National Park lies five miles north of town: over 2,000 natural stone arches, including the iconic Delicate Arch that graces Utah's license plates. Canyonlands National Park surrounds Moab to the west and south: vast, wild, four distinct districts carved by the Colorado and Green Rivers. Dead Horse Point offers canyon views rivaling the Grand Canyon. The parks draw millions annually; visitation has doubled in a decade. The access roads that uranium prospectors built now carry tour buses and RV caravans. Edward Abbey, who wrote 'Desert Solitaire' about his time as an Arches ranger, advocated removing roads entirely. His ghost must be grimacing.
The Crowds
Success threatens to destroy what it celebrates. Moab's population of 5,000 now hosts over 3 million visitors annually. Housing costs have exploded; service workers can't afford to live where they work. Trailheads require reservations; Arches sometimes closes due to capacity. The desert ecosystem is fragile - biological soil crusts that take decades to form can be destroyed by a single footstep. Off-road vehicles scar terrain that won't heal in a human lifetime. The outdoor recreation industry that saved Moab now strains it. Solutions are contested: limit access? raise prices? hope behavior improves? The desert's allure is wildness, but wildness requires absence of crowds that come seeking it.
Visiting Moab
Moab is located in southeastern Utah, 230 miles from Salt Lake City via I-70. Arches National Park requires timed-entry reservations (April-October); book weeks ahead. Canyonlands' Island in the Sky district offers accessible overlooks; the Needles and Maze require more commitment. The Slickrock Trail is genuine challenge; novices should build skills elsewhere first. Colorado River rafting ranges from float trips to Cataract Canyon's whitewater. Summer temperatures exceed 100°F; spring and fall are ideal. Book accommodations far ahead or consider camping. Bring water, sunscreen, and humility - the desert is unforgiving. The experience rewards preparation: few places combine such accessibility with such visual drama, but that combination is exactly what crowds the experience.
From the Air
Located at 38.57°N, 109.55°W in southeastern Utah where the Colorado River cuts through red rock country. From altitude, Moab appears as a small green ribbon along the Colorado, surrounded by the rust and orange of Navajo Sandstone formations. Arches National Park's distinctive fins and spans are visible to the north; Canyonlands' vast chasms open to the west and south. The La Sal Mountains rise snow-capped to the east, an incongruous alpine island in desert terrain. Highway 191 threads through as the main artery. The uranium mill tailings pond, now under remediation, is visible along the river. What appears from altitude as empty desert is the adventure capital of the American Southwest - a small town overwhelmed by the crowds its beauty attracts.