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    Desert Highlights

    5.0 (64 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 6:00 pm

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    Hiking Canyonlands National Park
    Jose R.

    When my family and decided to use Desert Highlights as our guide for two hikes ( Arches & Canyonlands) we did not know what to expect. The only thing I can say is that they did not disappoint. Kai was out guide for both days and she was absolutely phenomenal. She was an exceptional guide. We could not have done it without her. I would highly recommend Desert Highlights to anyone visiting Moab, Utah. Ask for Kai when making your reservation. We had an amazing experience.

    Bikerafting on an Alpacka packraft from Desert Highlights
    Andrew A.

    We rented packrafts from Desert Highlights for four days/three nights of bikepacking/bikerafting on the Green River! Melissa was so warm and helpful in showing us how to set up the packrafts (an Alpacka Mule, and an Alpacka Denali Llama), how to strap our bikes to them, giving us advice on our trip/route, and being flexible with our ridiculously early pickup time and ridiculously late pickup time. (As we were returning the packrafts late at night, we happened to run into a Desert Highlights guide, Ed, who was eager to hear about our trip.) I'd definitely want to rent gear from them again, and would trust their guiding ability!

    Rapping down the onion
    Connie S.

    We had such an amazing day in Granary Canyon with our guide Herb! It was a little snowy but he ensured we were safe throughout. The full day canyoneering trip took us through many gorgeous landscapes. The tour itself has a lot rappels with beautiful scenery and some really fun scrambling. Herb is really easy to talk to and knowledgeable; we thoroughly enjoyed learning about the surrounding climbing, rope work, geology / ecology, and the history of the Anasazis that used to live in the canyons. It was a full on experience! This company is professional, well-organized, super accommodating of our last-minute booking. I would definitely go with them again whenever we go back to Moab. Thank you guys!

    Rappelling down behind the arch!
    Heather D.

    We had an awesome time rappelling and hiking down Medieval Chamber with our friendly, knowledgeable guide. Kai was very helpful and encouraging and definitely knew how to make us feel safe and comfortable. I was worried that it was going to be too windy today but it wasn't too bad in the canyon, and I'm so glad we did it! This is a very experienced, knowledgeable company. If you are afraid of heights, let them know ahead of time and they can help you pick a good trip for your comfort level!

    Rappel at Morning Glory Arch, the free fall was very different, but amazing!
    Dillon S.

    Medieval Chamber with Kai was so much fun! We are first timers and she did such a good job explaining everything and making sure safety was the priority. I'm afraid if heights, but the 100' rappels were super fun and I felt very safe. Will definitely be booking another trip with them next time!

    My husband and I had Keira all to ourselves for a 1/2 day of canyoneering; our first time. We're in our 60's and in fairly fit shape and repelled twice, the second time down a 90' canyon wall, all with the expertise and guidance of Keira. She was an amazing guide. We had a fantastic and exhilarating experience. We highly recommend Desert Highlights!

    Sonya D.

    Had a great experience with our guide Ed, we did the medieval chamber packrafting tour. They were super accommodating and helped us plan out our whole personalized experience. Rappelling was definitely a highlight of the trip! They provide all the gear you need and help you determine what to bring with you. I loved that you could do hiking, rappelling and rafting all as the same tour. Also, great historical and nature educational aspects.

    Royce Z.

    Crushed it! Was a little nervous taking my 6 and 8 year old daughters to repel for the first time. Apparently, I was the only nervous one. The guide (David) was awesome and helped make the girls (and dad) comfortable. Such a memorable experience. Must do while visiting Moab.

    My husband and I spent an incredible full day exploring Canyonlands with our Guide Herb. Herb is very knowledgeable about the history of the Utah national parks, the ecology and the ins and outs of all the trails. He picked us up at our hotel at 8:15 am and he dropped us back at 4:30pm. We covered a good portion of the Island in the Sky district (with a great final drive into the canyons along the White Rim Trail road). We look forward to returning next year to discover the Needles with DesertHighlights. This was our first time hiring a guide in a National Park and we highly recommend it.

    Midevil Chambers Cayoneering
    Rebekah L.

    If you want to do Moab right, check out Desert Highlights. This family-owned guided tour experience is worth the investment. We spent the day hiking through the canyons in Moab, rappelling, and packrafting on the Colorado River. Our guide Jake was knowledgeable, skilled, and not only took us on a great day-long adventure, but also took the time to explain the geography, and history surrounding the canyon and Moab. BYOL and water, plenty of sunscreen and your appetite for experience, trust me you'll get your fill and more. They offer a variety of excursions, but because our time in Moab was brief, we had to try and get in as much as we could while we were here. Thanks Desert Highlights for the memories and moments. We can't wait to come back and try it all over again!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Desert Highlights

    Review Highlights - Desert Highlights

    Our guide, Melissa, was exceptional in her preparation and in her knowledge of repelling technique and safety.

    Mentioned in 20 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Moab Desert Adventures - Us and our awesome tour guide Marie

    Moab Desert Adventures

    4.6(12 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Larry and MDA are the best! My friend and I visited Utah to do some hiking, climbing and…read morecanyoneering in Zion, Bryce and Moab the week before we had to be in Vegas for a conference. Moab was at the tail-end of our trip and we had just gone through a pretty taxing rental car issue when we arrived.. so needless to say we were seeking an escape. The town was really lovely, and we were looking forward to meeting with MDA for a climb up Looking Glass. We were introduced to Larry, the manager of operations and an accomplished adventure guide for the company. Larry was just a fantastic guy all around.. polite, funny, he kept us engaged through the whole experience, and even acted as tour guide for us so we could get a good sense of what Moab had to offer. Looking Glass itself was a phenomenal experience. I'm a first-time climber and my friend had some experience under her belt, but we are both in good shape and Larry briefed us on exactly what the demands were for the climb and what we were to expect. After a crash course in harnessing, belaying, and the ensuing climb, it didn't take us more than an hour to summit. Larry was a gem, helped us gather some great photos, and even took us along the scenic route back to show us different sites along the way. The experience was precisely what we were looking for, we wouldn't hesitate to book another tour with Larry again.

    We had a great canyoning experience yesterday together with Moab Desert Adventures. Our guide…read moreJustin was highly knowledgable and had a great way of explaining how and what to do. So we were just with my son and myself and Justin and Luna, Justin's dog. We went into the mountains up to a point where we put on our wet suites and from there started our descent via waterfalls and cliffs. Highly recommendable

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    Moab Desert Adventures - Cmon down J

    Cmon down J

    Moab Desert Adventures - Great canyoning adventure with Justin

    Great canyoning adventure with Justin

    Moab Desert Adventures - Fins are so much fun!

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    Fins are so much fun!

    Looking Glass Arch

    Looking Glass Arch

    4.3(3 reviews)
    21.2 mi

    The climb is located eastern rib ( 38°16'30.37"N 109°24'11.85"W). Extremely fun, and easy climb…read more Just as stated, 3 pitches to the summit, and accurate information. All solid bolts with the exception of the second bolt on the second pitch are slightly loose but unfortunately didn't have the equipment to fix. Just bolts on third pitch anchors, no chains or rings. A 60m rope runout on a double rap on the third pitch, but it's walkable to pitch 2 anchors --make sure you close the system. Climbed on 06-22-2018. Didn't see any rattlers on this climb --though their holes are everywhere.

    We decided to check out Looking Glass Arch for a quickie climb before we headed back to CO. I had…read moreread about an easy 3-pitch bolted route (Regular Route) that tops out on the summit followed by an ~115 ft free hanging rappel. We were a bit thrashed from climbing Honeymoon Chimney the day prior in nasty winds and my climbing partner was sick, so this seemed like the perfect objective. The amphitheater/arch are quite spectacular and it's worth the short hike even if you don't want to climb. We were there on a Sunday and it wasn't a zoo like some areas in Arches. The arch is ~5 min from the parking lot. No water/bathrooms so plan ahead. DIRECTIONS The easiest way to get to the arch is to turn right on Looking Glass Road (23 miles from central Moab on Hwy 191 south). If you hit Wilson Arch you've gone too far. Once on Looking Glass Road the side road to Looking Glass Rock is signed. The road is passable with 2WD or low clearance vehicles.

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    Looking Glass Arch
    Looking Glass Arch
    Looking Glass Arch

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    Front Range Climbing Company

    Front Range Climbing Company

    5.0(2 reviews)
    0.7 mi

    I have contracted with their colorado chapter multiple times. This was my first time using and…read morecontracting with the Moab chapter. I took a group of 12 gals on a 3 day canyoneering/rock climbing excursion with them. From start to finish this trip was fantastic. We booked our trip easily 5 months in advance. we had a large group and specific dates so had wanted to make sure we got the dates that we were looking for. There was not a lot of communication that happened until we got within a couple of weeks from the trip. Then Patrick, the manager of the moab portion contacted all of us via email. We had all of our questions answered promptly and thoroughly. The week before we each got a phone call from Dan the owner of the company, detailing things out for us and asking if we had any specific questions that had not yet been answered. we had been given a detailed packing list in advance. So everyone had everything that they needed and then some ;) Since we were coming in from colorado, they transported all of us via their van from golden to moab. Not having to put all the miles on our vehicles was nice. And just having us all arrive at the same time was great. No worries about where folks were. From the camping spot in moab, they unhooked the trailer and off we went on a adventure! The first day we did some rappelling at a famous arch in the area. Each group or persons expedition will look different. They do a lot of different activities with different folks. There was some hiking involved but it was all good. We did a small rappell. And then a larger rappell. 11 of the 12 had not rappelled before. They supplied all the needed gear. And they were also very patient with everyone in explaining and just helping folks to work through any fears. And answering questions. We hiked to another end of this hike and we were picked up and transported back to camp. The guides let us relax, change clothes whatever we needed to do, and they made the dinner for all of us. This was so appreciated. If you have special dietary needs, they accomodated my daughter and I well. I am gluten free vegan and she is gluten free vegetarian. We had one other person in the group who was dairy free. We were taken care of and had yummy food just like everyone else. This doesn't happen a lot. Many companies dont seem to be able to accomadate special needs, I was thankful and appreciative that they nailed it. And we were able to eat and enjoy. The guides also created a fire for us for that night. The next day we had a breakfast time given to us. They again were making breakfast. It was a hot breakfast, filled with lots of yummy stuff. We got out gear ready for the day and off we went. The next day we did some more rappelling and then some easy multi pitch climbing. This day was long but we got to do a lot of fun stuff. We had a lunch break at a park in between. You will need to bring your own lunch but definitely not a problem. When we were all done for the day, they brought us snacks and then made dinner for all of us again. They also created and tended to the fire for the 2nd night and provided smores and also gluten free treats. The next day was packing up. They had a traditional continental style breakfast. Coffee was always supplied as well for those that are coffee drinkers! They loaded all of our gear into the trailer and from there we went off to rock climb! This was so fun. Lots of varieties of difficulty on top rope lines. Fun was had by all! When our trip was over they drove us back to golden. From start to finish, every thing ran smoothly and was fantastic. Thank you front range climbing!! I will definitely be back with a group in the future! you guys are amazing! And just a note dont forget to tip your guides! This is how they make their money, and these guys really worked hard for it!

    I simply couldn't have had a better time. Thanks for being amazing. The food. The adventure. The…read moreeasy going, knowledgable nature of the guides. You answered all my questions and taught me a lot of new things about climbing that I will use as I learn and grow in this sport!

    Grand Valley Climbing

    Grand Valley Climbing

    3.3(16 reviews)
    62.9 mi

    I'm surprised there are not more reviews of this place. It's a neat little climbing gym with some…read moresurprisingly tall climbing walls. Bouldering, top roping and lead climbing routes are all available here. There's also a fitness area upstairs. The locker room has a shower and lockers for storing valuables (cubbies are found next to the main climbing area). There's even a small store where you can purchase climbing gear. Pretty much you can find all the amenities you'd expect at a typical climbing gym. One big thing for me is the ventilation. Some gyms are horrible at it and you are pretty much breathing in a ton of chalk and dust while climbing. However, this gym seems to do a great job at ventilating the place! Then on second thought, I haven't been here on a busy day so I'm not the best judge of that. There are student, military and family discounts on the monthly passes so that's something to consider if you are thinking about signing up. The $16 daily pass is pretty pricey, but there's currently a deal for $8 passes on Wednesdays after 5pm. I think it is great that there's an indoor climbing gym in Grand Junction! Super friendly staff and chill vibes here. The only con is the pricing. It's quite expensive for a small gym... I'm from Seattle where indoor rock climbing was born so you can imagine the gyms there can be pretty big. That said, this gym is relatively small but the pricing is comparable to a much larger gym. Another thing to take into account is the cost of living in Grand Junction, which is much less than Seattle, so lowering the price can potentially bring in a lot more customers.

    Just a massive disappointment; you can see clear as day the owner's, Fabrizio, use of narcissistic…read moreand manipulative business and management tactics are what give this gym not just the worst rating in Colorado but a stale, disgusting, and dangerous environment. HVAC filters 11 months out of date, a water fountain leaking constantly and COVERED internally in black mold. Holds that never get sanitized and bathrooms with years of biofilm building on the surfaces. Pads you can fall into but hit straight concrete, gym equipment that doesn't turn on, no yoga as advertised, no fitness as advertised (just a PT doing work for free that hasn't realized he's being manipulated yet, sorry Jesse) and as far as I can tell a supremely under-trained staff that doesn't know how to correctly fit a harness or respond to an event or know how to recognize belay behavior that needs correcting putting unsuspecting guests in harms way. And as a side note, if you work here you will be lied too, bait and switched about your position, hours, and expectations and then be immediately fired if you start to ask questions as to why things are the way they are. And Fabri, bud, you're a retailer...you shouldn't tell folks "we invented this thing, its called the internet, you should use it" when they ask if you have items you don't have for sale. It makes you look like a donkey's rear-end and absolutely removes any chance of that person ever spending money on the retail items you do feel like selling. Dude, what a schmuck.

    Photos
    Grand Valley Climbing - Happy twins!

    Happy twins!

    Grand Valley Climbing - Lead pit

    Lead pit

    Grand Valley Climbing - Part of the HUGE bouldering area

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    Part of the HUGE bouldering area

    Desert Highlights - tours - Updated August 2026

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