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Moab:
Utah's Adventure Capital
Moab, the only Utah town located on the Colorado
River, is in the heart of the Colorado Plateau. It is the premier multi-sport
destination in the United States, and many consider it to be the "Adventure
Capital" of the world. The area is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts as well
as a geological wonderland. The town of Moab is nestled in a valley with the
12,000 foot La Sal Mountains on one end and the mighty Colorado River on the
other. All of this is surrounded by 1,000 foot red rock cliffs and
breathtaking, rugged desert terrain.
The town of Moab was settled by cowboys and
ranchers in the mid 1800's, and was still a small farming community up to the
early 1950's. Mining has always been important to the Moab economy, but in the
1950's, fueled by the Cold War, the uranium industry exploded. Charlie Steen, a
geologist from Texas, had been searching for uranium deposits in the area for
two years when he struck it rich at his Mi Vida claim southeast of Moab. The Mi
Vida mine would ultimately be worth more than $100 million, and make Moab
famous. After Steen's discovery, thousands of prospectors, miners &
laborers came to Moab and by 1956 the town's population had nearly quadrupled,
going from 1,300 to nearly 6,000-just slightly smaller than it is today! By the
mid 1960's, however, the boom had ended, mills closed, and hundreds of workers
were laid off. 
Today tourism is the primary industry of Moab. The
area is blessed with an abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities including
exploring the outdoors by mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking, 4X4,
scenic airplane flights or whitewater rafting. There are also two national
parks found minutes away from the town of Moab:
Arches National Park, and
Canyonlands National Park. These parks
offer many spectacular views and experiences, including whitewater rafting down
the Cataract
Canyon section of the Colorado River, and hiking to Delicate Arch - Utah's
famous icon.
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