Where To Stay In Moab, Utah: 10+ Incredible Places to Stay

We loved Moab, full stop. It was our first stop on our Utah road trip, and even though its stellar reputation as an adventure town was firmly in our minds, it still exceeded our expectations. It truly has something for everyone. Climber? Hiker? Cyclist? Rafter? Moab has plenty of options for you, and you might even try something new that you end up falling in love with.

If you’re wondering where to stay in Moab, Utah, you’re in the right place. This guide will take you through the best places to stay in Moab whether you’re looking for a private vacation rental, a stylish hotel, or a unique desert glamping experience.

Wondering what to do in Moab? You’ll want to read my guide to the best things to do in Moab, and our guide to 4 days in Moab, which has a complete itinerary for making the most of your time.

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I make a little bit of money if you click through and book. That being said, I would never recommend something to you that I don’t stand behind 100%.

Where to Stay in Moab: Best Places to Stay for All Styles and Budgets

We spent five nights in Moab altogether and agreed that there is still plenty we didn’t get to do and see.

On my Utah National Parks road trip itinerary, I recommend that you spend four nights in Moab on a ten day road trip. 

For our five nights, we were on month four of living in our Honda Odyssey on a road trip around the Western United States. So we opted for campgrounds. We stayed three nights at Devils Garden Campground in Arches National Park, which I highly recommend (but it’s competitive and you need to reserve early – more in the camping section below). For the last two nights, we were planning on staying one night at Moab Valley RV Resort & Campground, and one night at the Expedition Lodge to shower and take a break from sleeping in the van. 

We liked the Moab Valley RV Resort and Campground so much that we ended up canceling our night in the Expedition Lodge and staying there for another night. We camped, but they have nice cabins for those of you less inclined to sleep in a tent / car. The cabins are simple, and some have shared bathrooms / showers, but they are budget-friendly and on the north side of town near Arches National Park. 

The Best Vacation Rentals in Moab, Utah

I love vacation rentals, and nine times out of ten I prefer staying in one over a hotel. The vacation rental options below will give you more space, including a kitchen that you can use to make picnic lunches for your adventures in Moab and save some money on dining out.

If you’re planning on being in Moab for more than a night or two, which you absolutely should because of the vast number of things to do in Moab, then I recommend staying in one of these vacation rentals to have more space, a kitchen (so you don’t have to eat out all the time), and free parking. 

If you’re staying for less than two days, it probably makes more sense to stay in a hotel. Vacation rentals will be more cost efficient over multiple days because of the fixed cleaning fee, but when it’s only a night or two, that cleaning fee often makes it more expensive than staying in a hotel. 

Vacation Rentals in Moab For Couples

There are a ton of great vacation rental options in Moab. Here are two that caught my eye for couples looking for a place to stay in the heart of Moab.

Great Value in the Heart of Downtown Moab

This one bedroom condo is a great value for couples looking to stay near the heart of Moab. It’s right off of Center St, which puts you smack dab in the middle of town, within walking distance of a bunch of great places to eat, drink, and shop.

The design is nothing particularly special, but this basic flat has everything you need to enjoy a trip to Moab, including a full kitchen and an outdoor patio and gated backyard, perfect for those warm Moab nights. 

There’s also a pullout bed if you’re traveling with kids (though it doesn’t work for a group of 4 adults). 

Su Casa Inn – Downtown Moab Condo Retreat

This condo is also right in the heart of downtown Moab, so you’ll have everything you need for your trip right outside your front door – bars, restaurants, shops, grocery stores, coffee shops, and plenty more. While there’s only one bedroom, there’s also a pullout queen bed, so it can accommodate up to four people if you’re comfortable sharing spaces (and two of you are willing to sleep on the couch). 

The full kitchen is brand new, with all the appliances, cookware, and dishes you’ll need to cook for yourself while you’re in town. There’s also a washer/dryer for you to use if this is part of a wider Utah road trip and you need to do some laundry.

This place also has off-street parking for up to three cars and a covered outdoor patio with a hot tub!

Vacation Rentals in Moab For Families / Groups

If you’ve got a bigger group, there are plenty of Airbnb options around Moab that can accommodate groups of up to 6-8. 

Here are three that caught my eye. 

Downtown Condo in Moab with Rock Climbing Wall

For a group of 4-6 people who want to be close to downtown Moab, I’m not sure it gets any better than this gorgeous house just south of town. 

The second bedroom has a pretty unique setup – a queen bed with a bunk bed ON TOP OF IT. That’s, count them, three levels. So it sleeps six in total, eight if you have someone sleep on the pullout couch. 

Granite countertops and a full kitchen with brand new appliances. Plus, it’s only a 15 minute drive to the Arches entrance, so it’s one of the best places to stay near Arches National Park.

3B/2B Modern Downtown Moab Townhouse

This beautiful townhome has three bedrooms – two queens and the master has a king – that has a ton of space for groups and families visiting Moab.

It’s super modern with luxury touches throughout, including a brand new kitchen (granite countertops!), a soaking tub in the master bathroom, and a nice spacious patio if you want to spend some time outdoors barbecuing once it cools off in the evening.

If you’re bringing equipment – like bikes or kayaks – there’s a locking shed to store them in. 

Rim Vista Condo with Amazing Views (sleeps 6-8)

This is a stunning house on the southern outskirts of Moab where you’ll have plenty of space for you and your group to spread out. Plus, look at that patio! Perfect spot to relax after a day out in Moab and the surrounding area. You’ll even have access to a pool so you can escape the heat of the Utah desert.

The whole area around Rim Vista, which is just around five minutes south of Moab and makes a nice base for exploring both Arches and the Needles area of Canyonlands, is packed full of vacation rentals that are, with some minor design differences, essentially the same thing. 

Here are three more to check if the one linked above is booked. 

• Family Friendly, Great Views, 2 King Beds, & Pool (sleeps 8) 
• Moab Magic Too! – Rim Village 3 bedroom/2 bath, Amazing Views & Pool (sleeps 8)
• Curtis La Vista – 360-Degree Views + Hot Tub (sleeps 8)

Escape to Moab! Private & Clean 3 Bedroom Condo

This well-designed town home is in the same general vicinity as the options above, but with a slightly different (and frankly, updated) aesthetic. All sorts of new appliances in the kitchen, so you can cook up the perfect breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And a rooftop patio to enjoy it on.

The Best Hotels in Moab

If you prefer staying in a hotel or you’re only in town for a night or two, here are a few of the best hotels in Moab. 

There were exactly two hotels that were on our list for Moab when we were doing our research. We were actually all set to stay at the Expedition Lodge, but decided to cancel and stay an extra night at the Moab Valley RV Resort & Campground instead to save money since we had been sleeping in our van for months. 

Moab Springs Ranch

The first place that I fell in love with is Moab Springs Ranch, which has a range of rooms from bungalows to more lodge-style rooms, and has a great coffee shop onsite (Horsethief Coffee). They have tons of outdoor space for you to explore, with gardens, pools, and even a vineyard. 

The bungalows accommodate 2-4 guests, depending on the unit, and are perfect for couples looking for a more cozy stay.

It’s about five minutes from your door to the entrance to Arches National Park. The smallest bungalows don’t have a full kitchen (microwave + fridge only), which is worth considering if you were planning on cooking meals at home to save money. 

The lodge rooms, which they call “townhouses,” are bigger and are a better option for groups and families who want plenty of space to spread out.

They have options for one, two, and three bedrooms with all sorts of different configurations. There are 16 units in all, and all have full kitchens. 

The Expedition Lodge

The second place we considered, which is the place we booked then later canceled, is the Expedition Lodge. It’s in a great location along the main drag in Moab, and it looks nice. It’s motel style, which was what we were looking for during the summer of 2020, and it has some nice retro touches like the mint green mini fridges in the rooms.

They also have some unique room configurations, like two queen bunk beds, which are nice for a traveling family (nobody likes sleeping on the cot on a hotel room floor). Oh, and there’s a pool, which is always a nice touch.

More Hotels in Moab

There is no shortage of hotels in Moab, which is a big tourist destination because of its proximity to the two nearby national parks – Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park – and its reputation for being an adventure town. 

Here are a few more highly rated hotels in Moab that are perfect places to stay near Arches National Park.

Boutique Hotel: Hoodoo Moab by Hilton – Great design and décor, on the pricier end of the spectrum but worth it if you want a boutique hotel experience in Moab.

Mid-Range Hotel: Hyatt Place Moab – I have stayed in Hyatt Place hotels before, and they’ve been a consistently pleasant place to stay. They have a bit more room to spread out than a traditional hotel room (they call the small living area with a couch “an executive lounge” which I laughed at).

Best Value Hotel: Aarchway Inn (yep, that’s spelled right. I quadruple checked) – Charming, simple, and budget-friendly. Good value hotel that is on the north end of town, close to the two national parks. 

A Unique Place to Stay Near Moab

If you’re looking not just for a place to stay in Moab, but for an experience, I have a treat for you. 

Under Canvas Moab is a glamping experience that you’ll never forget. It’s 7 miles north of Moab in the middle of the desert sandwiched between Arches (8 miles from entrance) and Canyonlands (22 miles from entrance) National Parks. 

This is a full on glamping experience where you’ll stay in a luxury tent under the stars. Literally. Some of the tents include a Stargazer window, which means you’ll be able to see the incredible stars in the night sky from your bed. They have options for two people and for families. 

They even have a couple of setups where the kids get their own smaller tent separate from the parents!

The Safari tents are the budget-friendly option here. It’s a tent set up inside a cabin with a shared bathroom. 

If you’re looking for one of the most unique stays in Moab, this is it. Make sure to book well in advance because they (understandably) sell out fast. 

Camping Near Moab

If you’re looking to save money and are up for camping, then you’re in luck. Moab has tons of great camping options that are super convenient for exploring Arches and Canyonlands. 

Camping in Arches National Park

If you want to camp in Arches, there’s only one option: Devils Garden Campground. 

It’s the best place to stay in Arches National Park because of its location inside the park (it’s the only place to stay inside the park boundaries), which means you don’t have to wait in the long lines to enter and you’ll be closer to all the attractions to beat the crowds in the morning.

We waited for an hour to re-enter the park on a day that we needed to refill the ice in our cooler, which was a big bummer. Camping at Devils Garden also means you’ll be able to walk to the best hike in the park… also called Devils Garden. We stayed here for three nights and loved it. There are some good hikes that leave directly from the campground, like the short loop to Broken Arch.

Reserve online as far in advance as possible (up to six months) because these sites are 100% full from roughly April to October. 

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Camping in Canyonlands National Park

Camping in Canyonlands is a little more complicated and hard to come by. Canyonlands National Park is split into three areas, and the two that you need to worry about here are Island in the Sky and Needles. There’s one campground in each section of the park, not including backcountry camping.

If you want to camp on Island in the Sky, the only option is Willow Flat Campground. Unfortunately, it’s tiny. There are only 12 sites, and it’s all first-come-first-served, so you’ll need to get there early to have ANY chance of getting a site, and there’s always a chance that nobody is leaving on that particular day. A night of camping only costs you $15 here, which is one of the most affordable campgrounds near Moab. 

You could also stay at nearby Dead Horse Point State Park, which is along the road from Moab to Canyonlands and is worth a visit for sunset even if you don’t actually camp there. Kayenta Campground has 21 sites, all of which you can reserve online in advance. 

If you want to camp in Needles, then your only option is The Needles Campground. There are 26 sites that cost $20 a night, and some you can reserve online in advance in the spring and fall. In the summer, it’s all first-come-first-served. It’s a good base for exploring the Needles part of the park, which is about an hour and a half from Moab itself. 

Camping Around Moab

If you’re feeling discouraged based on the scarcity and competitiveness of camping inside the parks, I have some good news for you. 

There are a TON of campgrounds on public lands just a few miles outside of Moab. And they are all first-come-first-served. It’s still competitive during the peak season, but because of the sheer number of campgrounds you’ve got a good shot at getting a place to camp as long as you’re not showing up at midnight on a Saturday looking for an available campsite. 

There are two main areas where you’ll find these BLM campgrounds.

The first group are along Highway 128 northeast of Moab on the Colorado River, and they are competitive and you’ll need to show up relatively early for the first few campgrounds. They’re in an incredible location along the river and deep inside a gorgeous red rock canyon. Goose Island, Grandstaff, and Big Bend are the nicest based on our drive through the canyon. In total, there are at least 12 campgrounds along this stretch, some are further out than others. 

The other area is along Highway 279 northwest of Moab – check out Gold Bar Campground, which is across the road from the trailhead for Corona Arch, and King’s Bottom Campground, which is on the other side of the Colorado River and closer to Moab. 

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We loved Moab, and I think you will too. It’s a perfect place to spend time exploring all the weird landscapes that make you say “how in the world did this even happen?” Some of the best hiking, cycling, rafting, and climbing is within a stone’s throw of Moab, and I hope you discover something new that you end up falling in love with on your trip.

We hope this guide helped you find an amazing place to stay in Moab.

If you like this post, I have good news. There’s plenty more where that came from.