Best Moab Tour
Arches National Park, Fiery Furnace
The
moment the park ranger says there’s no turning back once you enter
Arches National Park’s Fiery Furnace, a certain gravitas settles in as
visitors begin this gloriously colorful and otherworldly three-hour walk
through narrow canyons. It’s moderately strenuous—mostly because you’ll
have to squeeze through narrow cracks—but the park rangers’ enthusiasm
and the surrounding orange and red mountain splendor make any pain
bearable. The ranger-led tour is so popular that tickets—$10 for adults,
$5 for children—must be reserved online in advance.
Highway 191, five miles north of Moab, 435-719-2299, NPS.gov/Arch
Best Non-Traditional Bacon
Buck's Grill House
Bacon
may be starting to lose its grip as the dominant food trend, but if
you’re only sort of ready to move on, we’ve got two drool-worthy words
for you: duck bacon. At Buck’s Grill House, get the strips of smoky,
savory, fatty goodness as a side—it goes well with everything—or order
the blue duck burger, which perfectly combines beef, duck bacon and blue
cheese for one of the best burgers in Grand County.
1393 N. Highway 191, Moab, 435-259-5201, BucksGrillHouse.com
Best Zion Supply Stop
Sol Foods Market & Deli
Not
so long ago, visitors to Zion National Park had little to choose from
when it came to stocking up for a camping expedition into the majestic
wilds. But Sol Foods, in neighboring Springdale, has kicked grocery
shopping into high gear with its focus on variety, quality and good
prices. The Utah-only section celebrates the best consumer goods from
the Beehive State, and there’s also a well-stocked deli, gourmet and
health-food options, movies to rent and even a front porch where you can
enjoy a meal in front of the towering Zion landscape.
995 Zion Park Blvd., Springdale, 435-772-3100, SolFoods.com
Best Poor Boy Meal
Moab Diner
Back
in the ’60s, Moab Diner—then the Poor Boy Diner—sold hamburgers for 29
cents. Well, those days of cheap burgers are long gone. But the diner’s
bowl of zesty chile verde can be had for a mere $4.99, served with flour
tortillas. Add an order of the diner’s signature Sweetwater
potatoes—fried skin-on potatoes covered in green peppers and bacon
bits—plus a thick and creamy milkshake for sharing, and you’ve got a
meal that’s as classic as the diner itself.
189 S. Main, Moab, 435-259-4006, MoabDiner.com
Best Cowboy Grub
The Market Grill
On
the west side of Cedar City, next to the stockyards where trucks unload
cattle for market, stands a small, potent testament to the all-but-gone
cowboy life. The Market Grill is a 33-year-old family-run diner with a
seasoned griddle that turns out huge, fluffy pancakes. The eggs and
corned-beef hash are resolutely tasty, and there’s typically a cowboy at
the bar jawing with the chef. Even the smell of cow manure that floats
in the air as you leave the premises is pleasant, a reminder that this
gem of Americana defines the word “authentic.”
2290 W. Highway 56, Cedar City, 435-586-9325
Best Reason to Say Cheese
Quesadilla Mobilla
When
you hear tourists say “Cheese!” in or around Moab, they’re likely
posing for a photo—or exclaiming over the deliciousness of Quesadilla
Mobilla’s gooey offerings. This food truck’s campfire-inspired fare will
put a smile on any face with menu items like the dirt bag—cheese and
refried beans encased in a tortilla—or more adventurous quesadillas
filled with green-chile chicken, sauteed artichoke hearts, fresh
spinach, black olives and, of course, cheese.
435-260-0289, QuesadillaMobilla.com
Best Place For Women to Meet Women
Women's Redrock Music Festival
Do
you love the desert, folk music and men-free spaces? The Women’s
Redrock Music Festival’s motto is “Music by women, for everyone.”
Annually in August, the scenic southern Utah town of Torrey turns into a
hotspot for women both gay and straight. Headliners for 2012’s festival
included Crystal Bowersox, Toby Beard and Raining Jane, and
prize-winning spoken-word poet Andrea Gibson. Besides live music, the
festival offers a songwriters workshop, a line-dancing class, hikes and
yoga.
RedRockWomensFest.com
Best Sepia-Toned Memories
Circle H Old Time Photos
Southern
Utah’s colorful history is tied to the Old West, from the birthplace of
Butch Cassidy to the Monument Valley locations of John Ford’s classic
films. So, when you visit, why not bring a little piece of that history
home with you? Moab’s Circle H Photos provides the costumes, props and
backdrop for you and your family to pose as though your stopover
actually took place more than 100 years ago, leaving you with an
authentic-looking keepsake.
131 N. Main, Moab, 435-259-2474
Best Monte Cristo Sandwich
Timberline Inn Restaurant
Just
off the west side of Interstate 15 across from the small-town charms of
Beaver, the Timberline Inn Restaurant offers standard American cuisine
with “a pinch of flair.” No pinches were involved in the making of the
Timberline’s Monte Cristo, though: Its flair is in its excess. The
egg-fried sandwich contains piles of turkey, ham, Swiss and cheddar, all
sprinkled with powdered sugar, served with sour cream and strawberries
on the side. Despite its European roots, the sandwich is a perfect
encapsulation of Utah’s passion for all things sweet.
1542 S. 450 West, Beaver, 435-438-2474, Timberline-Restaurant.net
Best Guardian of the West
Back of Beyond books
This
is a bookstore that cries out for you to unwind and ease into a slower,
more meditative rhythm. Sofas and chairs, all worn and comfy, dot the
store, inviting patrons to spend time perusing possible candidates for
purchase. It’s far from being a place that discourages loitering—Back of
Beyond’s owner will congratulate you on deliberating your purchases.
The shop stands both in contrast to and in agreement with the rugged
individualism celebrated in its extensive range of Edward Abbey works
and Western literature.
83 N. Main, Moab, 435-259-5154, BackOfBeyondBooks.com
Best Unusual Pie Sampler
SunGlow Motel & Restaurant
Located
27 miles west of Capitol Reef National Park, SunGlow is a destination
itself. Sit yourself down among the happy tourists and cowboy locals and
order the pie sampler, which gives you half slices of four varieties of
pie: buttermilk, oatmeal, pinto-bean and—the ultimate in pie-dom—the
sweet-pickle pie. Odd, yes; awesome, definitely.
91 E. Main, Bicknell, 435-425-3821, SunGlowMotel.com
Best Music Hideaway
The Busta Crack Shack
Who
says you need drywall or proper lighting? A couple of college kids in
Cedar City succeeded in turning a rundown shack—where crackheads used to
squat and get high—into a music venue. In its short existence, the
Busta Crack Shack has been visited by popular bands out of Salt Lake
City and Provo, playing for the small audiences that cram into the tiny
space to hear the latest music from up north.
31 S. 100 West, Cedar City, Facebook.com/BustaCrackShack
