How to Spend 2 Days in Moab, Utah: The Best Moab Itinerary

Moab is a small desert town in southern Utah and is home to two of the most beautiful national parks, Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Although you can spend a week exploring everything the area offers, you can see the must-see attractions in 2 days in Moab.

You can make your base camp in Moab and spend one day in Arches National Park and another in Canyonlands National Park, exploring some of the most beautiful areas in Moab. This guide has everything you need to know about creating the best Moab itinerary, including the best things to do in 2 days in Moab.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, my blog may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

Tips for Spending 2 Days in Moab

Reserve your timed-entry ticket for Arches National Park. Arches National Park has over 1.5 million visitors per year, so it is implementing a timed entry reservation system to help with the increasing crowds. The tickets are first-come, first-serve, so I recommend getting yours early during their release schedule.
Start or end your day with hiking. It is very hot in the summer months in Moab, and the area has little to no shade. I recommend planning your hikes for the early morning or late afternoon, so you can avoid hiking in the midday heat.
Pack food and a lot of water. There aren’t any places to buy food or water in the national parks, so I recommend packing your snacks, meals, and water for the day. If you are driving, you can bring a cooler with everything you need! Packing your food will also allow you to stay in the park rather than fighting the traffic to come back in. It is also crucial to bring a lot of water since the park gets very hot.
Bring a lot of sunscreen. Since Moab has little to no shade, it is crucial to wear and pack sunscreen!
Always remember to leave no trace. It’s crucial to pack out what you pack in and leave no trash. Some spots have trash bins, so you can easily throw your trash away. If they don’t have trash bins, you can throw your trash away at a nearby gas station or convenience store.

What to Pack for 2 Days in Moab

Hiking Boots: If you want comfort and support on your trip, hiking boots are the go to.
Hiking Socks: Having moisture-wicking and comfortable hiking socks are just as important for exploring.
Hiking Backpack: You need something to carry all your food, clothes, and anything else you need while adventuring, so having a supportive hiking backpack is crucial.
Hydration Reservoir/Water Bottles: While hiking or just exploring, it is important to have enough water! I always pack a hydration reservoir.
Jackets: The weather is unpredictable, so I always pack a rain jacket and insulated jacket.
Ten Essentials: The Ten Essentials are crucial for hiking!
Microspikes: If you plan on winter hiking, you will need to bring microspikes.
Snowshoes: Also if you hike in the winter, you may need snowshoes.

Best Places to Stay in Moab

Moab is a cute town near Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park that has many accommodations for all budgets. You can even find some unique accommodations!

If you have or can rent camping gear or a campervan, I highly recommend it because there are campgrounds close to Moab. If you are interested in renting a campervan, I highly recommend renting from Escape Campervans!

Best Moab Hotels:

Best Moab Campgrounds:

Best Itinerary for 2 Days in Moab

When you visit Moab for 2 days, I recommend spending one day in Arches National Park and the next in Canyonlands National Park. These beautiful national parks are within a half-hour from Moab and are some of the most beautiful national parks in the US. And they offer something for everyone, including fun trails and easily accessible overlooks. You will not be disappointed visiting them during your 2 days in Moab!

Day 1 in Moab

The first day of your 2 days in Moab consists of exploring Arches National Park. Arches National Park has over 2,000 natural arches, making it the densest concentration of natural arches in the world! It has beautiful views throughout the entire park, and most don’t require hiking. You will quickly fall in love with this beautiful national park in Moab!

Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch is one of the most iconic and picturesque arches in Arches National Park, sitting on a cliff overlooking the surrounding area. Because of its beauty, it’s one of the most popular arches in the park, so I recommend visiting Delicate Arch first so you can enjoy it with fewer crowds.

There are three ways to view Delicate Arch. The first two are viewpoints at the end of Delicate Arch Road. The Lower Viewpoint is only a short walk from the parking lot. The Upper Viewpoint is a half-mile hike from the parking lot and has a steep section to get to the view. The best way to view Delicate Arch is to hike the 3.2-mile trail that brings you to the cliff the arch is on. I highly recommend starting your 2 days in Moab by watching the sunrise from Delicate Arch. It’s one of the most beautiful spots for sunrise!

Park Avenue

Park Avenue is one of the first stops on the Arches Scenic Drive and offers stunning views. You can stop at the easily accessible viewpoint or hike the easy 2-mile trail and get an up-close and personal experience with Three Gossips, Courthouse Towers, Queen Nefertiti, Queen Victoria Rock, Organ, and Tower of Babel. You can see all of these from the Park Avenue Viewpoint, but I highly recommend hiking the trail.

If you decide to hike the Park Avenue Trail, there are two places you can start, Park Avenue Viewpoint and Courthouse Towers. The trail follows the canyon floor past the beautiful rock formations mentioned above. Once you get to the second parking lot, you can turn around and hike back the way you came.

Courthouse Towers

If you do not want to hike the Park Avenue Trail, you can view the Courthouse Towers from the Courthouse Towers Viewpoint. The massive monoliths and walls will make you feel small in the best way from the viewpoint!

Balanced Rock

Balanced Rock is one of the most iconic attractions in Arches National Park because it is a large rock sitting on top of another and seems to be barely balancing. You can follow the short 0.3-mile trail to loop around Balanced Rock and get an up-close and personal experience with it!

Sand Dune Arch

Sand Dune Arch is unique compared to the rest of the arches in the park because it is between sandstone fins! Sand Dune Arch only requires an easy 0.3-mile hike, making it the perfect stop to add to your Moab itinerary!

If you want to tackle a longer trail and see two more arches, you can add Broken Arch and Tapestry Arch to create a 2.8-mile loop!

Pine Tree Arch, Tunnel Arch, and Landscape Arch

Pine Tree Arch, Tunnel Arch, and Landscape Arch are beautiful arches at the end of the Arches Scenic Drive. The 3-mile hike begins at the Devils Garden Trailhead and travels on the Devils Garden Main Trail before turning right towards Tunnel Arch and Pine Tree Arch. Once you enjoy both viewpoints, you will follow the trail back to the Devils Garden Main Trail for another 0.7 miles to Landscape Arch.

If you wanted to make the 7.9-mile Devils Garden Loop, you could continue on the trail, but it will take about 4-6 hours to complete.

Double Arch

Now it is time to head to your final spot around sunset time. Double Arch is a huge arch that you can hike under by following a 0.6-mile trail. The greatness of Double Arch will blow you away when you are underneath it! It is a popular arch, so you won’t be alone when exploring it, but there are fewer crowds in the late afternoon.

The Windows and Turret Arch

Across the parking lot from Double Arch are the Windows and Turret Arch, where you will watch the sunset. The area is one of the most beautiful places in the park to watch the sunset, in my opinion! To get to North Window, South Window, and Turret Arch, you can hike an easy and flat 1-mile loop. The trail will bring you to North Window, where you can climb into the arch and get a beautiful view. It then travels around the back to South Window, which you cannot climb into but can take in its beauty from the trail. The trail loops back around towards Turret Arch, which is another arch you can climb in.

Once you complete the short hike, you can choose your favorite spot in the area to watch the sunset. You cannot go wrong anywhere you choose!

Day 2 in Moab

The second day of your 2 days in Moab consists of exploring another beautiful national park in Moab, Canyonlands National Park. Canyonlands National Park is the largest national park in Utah and offers stunning views! There are four districts in the national park, Island in the Sky, The Needles, The Maze, and the rivers, but because you only have one day, you only explore Island in the Sky. It is the most popular district in Canyonlands National Park and offers some of the best views in Moab!

Mesa Arch

Mesa Arch is one of the most iconic viewpoints in Canyonlands National Park, especially for sunrise. I recommend watching the sunrise from it because it will blow you away with its beautiful views. The 0.6-mile roundtrip hike to Mesa Arch is easy and follows along a path with rock cairns that leads you to the beautiful arch overlooking the canyon. Because this is the most popular spot to watch the sunrise, there will be many people, so I recommend arriving early.

Shafer Canyon Overlook

Shafer Canyon Overlook is a short walk from the parking lot and overlooks the 18-mile Shafter Canyon Road that runs through the canyon. If you have the right vehicle and are up for the drive, you could drive Shafer Canyon Road, but it is not for the faint-hearted, and you need to allocate an entire day to it! If you do not have time, you can take in the stunning views from Shafer Canyon Overlook.

Upheaval Dome

One of the few roads off Canyon View Point Road is Upheaval Dome Road, which has a few hikes. One of the most beautiful hikes is the Upheaval Dome, which has a beautiful and unique view of Canyonlands National Park. You can either hike the entire 1.6-mile roundtrip hike or only to the first overlook for a 0.6-mile roundtrip hike.

The hike begins at the end of the Upheaval Dome Road on the Upheaval Dome Trail. A trail junction is near the beginning of the trail, connecting with Syncline Loop Trail. You want to continue straight on the Upheaval Dome Trail because the Syncline Loop Trail is a strenuous 8.5-mile hike. After a few minutes of hiking, you will see the first overlook to your right. The first overlook has stunning views! If you don’t want to continue the rest of the trail, you can turn around here. The second overlook is a half-mile from the first and offers the best views on the trail!

Whale Rock

Whale Rock is a short but steep 1-mile roundtrip hike that brings you to the top of a sandstone fin. The trail is easy to follow, and there are handrails to help you conquer the steep hike. Once you reach Whale Rock, you get beautiful views of the Upheaval Dome.

Green River Overlook

Green River Overlook is off the side road on Upheaval Dome Road and has one of the best views in Canyonlands National Park! And the best part? It only requires a short walk from the parking lot to the overlook. Green River Overlook offers stunning views of Orange Cliffs, White Rim Road, and the Green River, carving through the canyon. You can see for miles from the overlook, including the Maze District.

Candlestick Tower Overlook

Once you are back on Canyon View Point Road, you can enjoy a few more overlooks that offer beautiful views! Candlestick Tower Overlook is a small pullout that overlooks the canyon with rock features that resemble candlesticks, and you can view it from the parking lot or walk on a short path to the canyon rim.

Buck Canyon Overlook

Buck Canyon Overlook is the next viewpoint and offers beautiful views of the canyon and the La Sal Mountains in the distance. It is one of the less popular overlooks in Canyonlands National Park, but I would not skip it!

White Rim Overlook

White Rim Overlook is another beautiful viewpoint, where you can see the views from the parking lot. If you are up for a hike, I recommend hiking the easy 2-mile roundtrip hike to the White Rim Overlook. Starting at the White Rim Overlook Trailhead, the trail follows an easy-to-follow path for a mile until it reaches the overlook. The White Rim Overlook has stunning views of the canyon and the La Sal Mountains in the distance.

Orange Cliff Overlook

Orange Cliff Overlook is one of the last viewpoints before the end of the road and offers beautiful views. The overlook is only a short walk from the parking lot on a paved path.

Grand View Point Overlook

Although you could watch the sunset from many locations in Canyonlands National Park, Grand View Point Overlook is one of the best! You can watch the sunset from the parking lot viewpoint or the overlook at the end of the hike. The 2-mile easy hike begins in the Grand View Point parking lot and follows along the canyon rim for a mile before reaching the final and most beautiful viewpoint. The trail is easy to follow and offers views along the entire hike. The Grand View Point Overlook will take your breath away, especially during the sunset. If you want to avoid the crowds at Mesa Arch during sunrise, you could watch the sunrise here.

If you want to plan an epic 2 days in Moab, this guide is the perfect place to start! It has everything you need to know about creating the best 2-day Moab itinerary, including the best things to do in 2 days in Moab!