Moab and Rafting
 

I need guidance on the Moab area, activities and lodging in July. Plan to raft 1 day in Westward Canyon area. What do you suggest for a family of 4 (children 14 & 18) who have never been to Utah before. Flying into Salt Lake City and will be spending a week. Thank you.

Make sure to take the guided fiery furnace tour in Arches NP.<BR><BR>My wife and I stayed in the MicroTel last July and found it to be very clean and family friendly. The rooms are on the small side, but who wants to be in there anyway?<BR><BR>Moab was one of the highlights of our tirp. Enjoy!

Hi,<BR><BR>I'm not sure where the Westward Canyon area is but we have done the one day rafting trip out of Moab when our two boys were 10 and 13 and we all had a fantastic trip. The rafting company we used is no longer in business but there are many good ones in Moab.<BR><BR>Make sure you do the hike in Arches to Delicate Arch! My boys loved that hike.<BR><BR>If you have time you might also want to rent a 4 x 4 jeep and explore some of the jeep trails. Shafter Trail is a lot of fun.<BR><BR>http://www.so-utah.com/archcany/homepage.html<BR><BR>July is HOT. Bring sun screen and drink plenty of water!<BR><BR>Utahtea

Oh, I read the title and misunderstood. I though Moab was the name of a US Air Force bomb, not a name of a region!

We stayed at a condo rented through moab condos (www.moabcondos.com) last October and thought it was just great. You can view all the condos on their website and pick the one you like, they offer weekly discounts, and I think July is offseason for rates. Gives you a little more space to spread out, and then you don't have to eat all your meals out. (&amp; most of the condo complexes do have pools!)<BR><BR>If you are real adventurous, you might try canyoneering - you can book a great trip at www.deserthighlights.com. Some of the trips are easier than others, and I think Matt has trips specifically designed to be 'cool' during the hot summer months. <BR><BR>The rafting sounds great, as well as the recommendation to rent a jeep for a day. Bicyling is big in Moab, but it might not be all that fun in the heat in July, and renting bikes for 4 could add up...<BR><BR>Oh, don't miss Deadhorse Point State Park - great view!

Hi Futures,<BR><BR>You'll have fun on the rafting trip, but don't expect a lot of whitewater this year especially in July. Severe drought. The canyon you're doing is called Westwater and it's a great day raft trip! What company are you going with? Moki Mac is excellent!<BR><BR>PS - Important to wear Tevas, or else sneakers you'll never want to use again. The river mud permanently stains sneakers - and I don't know very many people who enjoy wearing pink sneakers.<BR><BR>Have fun!

Dayle,<BR><BR>Were is Westwater from Moab?<BR><BR>Utahtea

The Westwater is upstream of Cataract. If you put in on the Colorado River near Fruita, Colorado you will float through the Westwater Canyon and you can take out near Cisco, Utah.<BR><BR>I went with a group of friends years ago and we overturned our raft on a series of rapids called &quot;Sock-It-To-Me&quot;. Other notable rapids are called &quot;Devil's Staircase&quot; and &quot;Skull Rapids&quot;. It was a great trip!

Thank you shao lin. <BR><BR>Utahtea

Hi Utahtea,<BR><BR>Shao lin is good!<BR><BR>I'll take this chance to plug Moki Mac. Their dad started the river running business over 40 years ago, had 3 boys who grew up on the rivers.<BR><BR>1 brother lives in SLC &amp; takes care of the business end of things along with the 800 number.<BR><BR>1 brother lives in Page, AZ and runs the Cataract &amp; Grand trips.<BR><BR>1 brother lives in Green River, UT (off 1-70 on the way to Moab) and runs the Green River, Westwater and other trips.<BR><BR>We did the 5 day oar powered Green River trip. WOW! 100 miles, 5 days, 7 people, bald eagles, beaver, wild cattle, easy trip, great food! Desolation Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon at it's deepest point. Awesome! Recommend the Green River trip highly!

<BR>Dayle,<BR><BR>I would love to do a longer rafting trip but I have a medical condition that really keeps me from doing it:(<BR><BR>Utahtea &lt;green with envy&gt;<BR><BR>