MOAB FLIGHT

We were looking for an unusual place to fly to for an extended weekend or a week of activities. We also wanted somewhere that would not break the bank. How about some of the most spectacular scenery in the West? We decided to try Moab, Utah. I know, some of you may not have heard of Moab or if you have, maybe you only know it as the “Mecca” of mountain biking. Well, if you haven’t heard of Moab you don’t know what you’re missing, and if you know it only for mountain biking, it’s much more. My wife, daughter and myself made the trip recently.

Moab sits near the eastern border of Utah, not far from Grand Junction, Colorado, on some of the most spectacularly beautiful and geologically interesting land in the United States. Moab is located on the Colorado River and is within 30 minutes driving time of both Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. The famous mountain bike area is called the Slickrock Bike Trail. This trail is on an area just east of town on barren pale-red rock. Thus the name slickrock. While slickrock may have a geological meaning, in the Moab area it means hard-rock landscape with no vegetation. In this same area are some famous four-wheel-drive trails. You may have seen the television or YouTube footage of a Chevy Blazer sliding and tumbling down the rock formation called the “Lion’s Back”.

If mountain biking is not your cup of tea, (it isn’t ours), head on out to Arches National Park. We have never been disappointed in a national park. This park is only about 10 minutes out of Moab. Stop first at the visitor’s center and get yourself semi-educated about the conditions which caused these unique rock formations to be created. The first formations the park service calls to your attention to is to notice that the same rock layers on each side of the canyon are several hundred feet different in height. This is due to the fact that Moab lies not it a river valley (even though the Colorado River runs through town), but in a fault valley, caused by a geological shift that displaced the layers of red sandstone.

Further up the road from the view of the fault valley are several vertical formations known by various names, such as Courthouse Rock, Balanced Rock and the Three Gossips. While you admire these formations, ponder the time and forces that created them.

BALANCED ROCK

THREE GOSSIPS

Just a bit farther along this road are the first of the signature arches. North and South Window arches are a short walk up a gravel trail. These arches can be walked under and the view seen from both sides.

WINDOW ARCH

LANDSCAPE ARCH

My personal favorite arch is one that is not particularly famous, Pinetree-arch, which can be seen on the trail to Landscape Arch. Do your own research and see which you enjoy the most.

Some of the arches are visible from the road, but for the best viewing, get out of your vehicle and walk closer to the arch. Most of the walks to the arches are on easy, well-marked, level trails. However, some of the trails are moderate to difficult. An example of a moderate trail is the trail to the most famous arch of all, Delicate Arch. This is the arch pictured on the Utah license plates. There is an easy walk to a lower view point and an easy to moderate walk to an upper viewpoint. Again, there is a trail to the arch itself, but it is a fairly long, strenuous hike.

Allow a minimum of six to eight hours to tour Arches National Park. There are several days worth of formations to see, so make your plans according the time you have available. You can see only the more famous and accessible formations, or do a more in-depth tour according to your wishes.

CANYONLANDS OVERLOOK

After touring Arches, you must see at least part of Canyonlands National Park. Canyonlands is a much bigger park and has three separate districts, Island in the Sky (which is the closest to Moab), Needles, and The Maze. The only district we toured was Island in the Sky. Island in the Sky is the most accessible and has some spectacular views. If you see nothing else of Canyonlands, see the overlooks in Island in the Sky. This district is so named because it is the top of a plateau that has been carved by the Colorado and Green Rivers and their tributaries. This plateau above the rivers and canyons is your “island in the sky”. The Needles area is about an hour or so drive from Moab and the Maze district is even further. The Needles area is predominantly a backpacking and climbing area. The Maze is a very remote area of Canyonlands National Park. It is perhaps most well known as the area in which Aron Ralston caught his arm between a boulder and a canyon wall. He freed himself only by amputating his own hand.

THELMA AND LOUISE POINT FROM DEADHORSE PARK

A small Utah state park called Dead Horse Point State Park is another “must see” area near Moab. The turn-off to this park is located just off the road to the Island in the Sky Visitor Center. This park gets its name from the fact that this point is on a long, narrow plateau with a very narrow neck. In the late 1800's wranglers would drive mustangs into this plateau and then build a fence across the narrow neck to form a natural corral. Various stories circulate as to how the "Dead" part of the name came to be, but you’ll have to visit Moab to hear all the different versions. The State Park is small, but has some of the most spectacular views of the Colorado River you will see.

Moab is justifiably proud of the number of movies, television and ads made in their area. Many older westerns including John Wayne’s Comanchero and Wagon Master were made near Moab. Most of the television series Gunsmoke was shot near Moab and the nearby Monument Valley. More recent movies include Thelma and Louise, CitySlickers II-The Legend of Curly’s Gold, and Mission Impossible II (the opening scene was in Dead Horse Point State Park). There is a small Moab movie museum at Red Cliffs Lodge and some of the guided tours take you to areas where movies were filmed. Guided tours abound in Moab and run the gamut from river tours to 4-wheel-drive tours, to petroglyph tours and the afore-mentioned movie tours.

LONG CANYON FOUR WHEEL DRIVE TRAIL

If you are in the mood for some four-wheeling, many options are available. You can rent stock to super-modified Jeeps, and do your own thing, or you can book a tour. The tours run from extreme rock trails in super-modified Jeeps or Hummer H1’s, to tamer (but still rugged) trails that can be done in air-conditioned SUV’s.

Don’t miss the river tours on the Colorado River. These vary from one-half to full day raft trips through Class 2 rapids, on up to several day trips on Class 4 and 5 water in Cataract canyon. Riverboat trips are also available for sightseeing and short nature-walks. Jet boats are available and always a fun way to see the scenery. A unique river trip in Moab is the “Canyonlands by Night” tour. After feeding you a western-style barbecue dinner, you board a barge-type boat up the river next to Arches National Park and as you return down the river the canyon walls are lighted in time to a musical narration on the boat. This trip must be experienced to be appreciated.

Guided hikes and horseback rides also are plentiful and easily arranged. Horseback riding

through the canyons is spectacular. Among the trees and small streams it is surprisingly cool. Bring your camera to capture the memories of scenery.

Moab is definitely a summer town. And a hot summer it is. The daily highs in mid-summer tend to run in the upper 90’s to lower 100’s. Bring sunscreen and take lots of water, both for hiking and the flight in. There are some cooler days (in late June we had two days that never topped 85 degrees) but don’t expect cool weather in Moab. Winter is not the time to visit, though. The locals say that between October and March, the town rolls up the sidewalks. These locals take their vacations during the winter and recharge for the coming tourist season. While winters aren’t particularly severe, all the tourist activities and attractions are closed.

If you go, you’ll need a place to stay. Moab has all the usual chain motels and hotels, such as LaQuinta, Best Western, Holiday Inn, etc. The rates are fairly reasonable at the chains we checked. Rates under $100 per night are easy to find. For those with a wanting something a little fancier, Red Cliffs Lodge is available a few miles up-river from Moab. It is situated on the Colorado River and has a restaurant and a multitude of activities on-site. Plan on spending about $170 per night at Red Cliffs Lodge. For the particularly well-heeled, Sorrel River Ranch is a resort with spa and 4 to 5 star restaurant on site. It is also on the river. Rates run from $280 to $460 per night. There are also bed and breakfast inns available. Try http://www.moab-utah.com/.

While we were in Moab we did not discover any spectacularly good eateries, but we were also never disappointed in our choices. Moab Brew-Pub on Main Street has good, typical brew pub fare at good prices. Moab Diner was our most frequent choice and had the usual diner fare of very good quality. They also had a wide selection of ice cream and the prices were low.

Moab’s airport is called Canyonlands Airport, identifier KCNY, and is at 4555 feet MSL. Runway 3/21 is asphalt and is 7100 feet long. It sits on a flat area between slightly higher plateaus, and has clear approaches. The surrounding areas are higher than the runway but are not a hazard if you are aware of them. As mentioned earlier, summer temperatures can be high, so be mindful of density altitude.

CANYONLANDS AIRPORT


The FBO at Canyonlands Airport is Redtail Aviation. Everyone we dealt with at Redtail was friendly and helpful. They were very laid back but took care of everything we asked. Fuel prices were competitive and tie-downs were reasonable. Thrifty car-rental is in the terminal and will have a car ready for you with a prior call. The car rental counter in the airport is only manned with prior reservations, so don’t wait until you arrive.

Moab is a great and unique place to visit for a few days or a week or so. Make your plans for a memorable visit.

I have no idea what I'm doing. That said, I'll try to figure it out as I go. I created this blog to write some aviation stories from my experience. Mostly articles on places I have been that were good general aviation destinations. From a pleasure (vacation) perspective. I would like to encourage people to utilize their (or rented) aircraft to visit interesting place. While I've flown myself to some nice business destinations, what's the fun in that?



Most of the places write about are family friendly destinations, since we have a daughter (now teen-age).



I will occassionally delve into specific flying techniques as relate to the destination, but realize I'm not a flight instructor (CFI) so don't take what I say as gospel. Just telling how I made it work. Here are some specific flight experience numbers for myself. I am a commercial, instrument rated pilot. I have avout 1200 hours experience, most of it in a Piper Comanche 250. I live near the Colorado mountains so I have a fair amount of mountain flying experience, both in the Comanche and lower powered aircraft, such as 172's, Warriors and Archers. We don't see a lot of instrument meteoroloical conditions (IMC) in my neck of the woods, so I have pretty high personal minimums. 800 to 1000 feet and a couple of miles visibility are my minimums. The 800 feet is only if I've had some recent hood or IMC time. I learned to fly the "hard way" in general aviation and that is my only flying experience. I don't fly a lot a night and never in the mountains at night. Again, this is not an indictment of those who do, just what I feel comfortable with.



I hope this finds some readers and that I can hold some interest for you.