The last time I was in Moab, it was still a small town. There were one or two campgrounds and one or two hotels. On this trip, I was floored (and somewhat dismayed) at how much this town has grown in the interval (about 20 years). While it was clear that the town had a large focus on tourism before, that focus is now overwealming. The town has little character left and I’m very sad for the local community. It reminds me of Gatlinburg, TN — another town submerged by tourists.

None the less, the surroundings are still impressive and, of course, with Arches, Canyonlands, the Colorado, etc. there is plenty to see and do. We camped at the KOA on the southern end of town. The weather was less than ideal, but most of the rain occurred in the evenings and over night. The KOA has grown considerably since the last time(s) I camped there. They were building new central facilities and camping cabins galore while we were there. I can see where this is going …. sigh. Furthermore, they are definitely aware that they can get away with whatever they want to charge. The tent sites are not particularly good (gravel on the ground) and quite small. They charge extra for a fire pit and the wood bundles are miserly. But that’s Moab these days…. too bad.

We were there three nights and it rained every night, but there were some clearing moments during the day where I could capture the view of the La Sal mountains.