We will be in Moab for 3 nights mid June of 2021. Would it be better to get a hotel downtown or on the north side of town headed out of town? My concern is... Will traffic through town take extra time or cause any headaches when we try to get back to the hotel after hiking in Arches National Park?

We like the location of the Hyatt Place on the north side of town - easy access to Arches, which is hugely popular, so lines do form at the entrance. The main road through town is also a highway, so it does get rather busy.

The town isn't so big that getting from one end to another is a huge drama, but staying north is definitely more convenient to Arches.

I agree w/ Melnq8 - for easy access to the park stay on the north side. But the town is small - IME the bigger traffic issues are inside the park itself.

I've stayed in "downtown" Moab a couple of times and didn't have any traffic delays when driving through town. The biggest traffic delay I've experienced was the line entering the park to get to our camping spot.

I wouldn't even worry about traffic in town. Even if it's busy, it's only a matter of about 5 minutes from one end to the other. Choose the hotel you like best - I wouldn't really consider the location as a major factor since the town is so small.

I would stay at the Red Cliffs Lodge 15 min. outside of Moab. The location is gorgeous, right on the river and looking at red cliffs. The road is a scenic byway so it's a joy to drive on. I didn't find Moab very charming. It includes a great, homemade buffet breakfast as well.

If you have kids, the Mariotts on the north end of town have great rooms and an awesome pool complex that is open all year round. That's where we always stay.