I’m really excited to interview Ranger Rose McHenry, the author of “Trip Tales: From Family Camping to Life as a Ranger” about Moab, Utah. Rosanne’s tips for the best things to do in Moab are awesome because she is a former National Park and state park ranger that has worked in over a dozen parks. She loves visiting Moab to explore Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and can’t wait to share her tips with you.
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Balanced Rock at Arches National Park. Photo by Michael Hart on Unsplash.
Moab, Utah
We share a lot of resources and local suggestions in today’s podcast, but you should also check out Discover Moab, the local visitor’s bureau. They are a wealth of information and can help you plan an itinerary based on your time, budget, and interests.
If you’d like to learn how to travel for free using airline miles and hotel points, check out my free 7-day email course.
Gooseneck Bend in Canyonlands National Park
Getting around Moab
The closest major airport is Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), which is about a 4-hour drive to Moab. Instead of making the 4-hour drive, you could also catch a local flight to Canyonlands Field Airport (CNY). This airport is only a twenty-minute drive to Moab, but it has limited service. Use our Expedia tool below to find flight, hotel, and rental car options.
Rosanne says that even if you’re staying downtown, renting a car is a necessity. For the best offers, visit Avis, Budget, or Hertz. If you are staying local, Uber and Lyft are excellent ways to get around. But, be aware that cell service can be a challenge sometimes when exploring National Parks. Because of this, it is best to have your own vehicle.
Canyonlands National Park in the winter. Photo by Subhamoy Basu on Unsplash.
Places we talked about on the podcast
Here is a map of all of the places we talked about on the podcast episode with Rosanne McHenry about Moab, Utah. You can zoom into the map and click on each dot to explore the city.
- Red dots = best places to eat in Moab, Utah
- Green dots = best things to do in Moab, Utah
- Yellow dots = best places to stay in Moab, Utah
Who is Rosanne McHenry?
Rosanne (aka Ranger Rose) McHenry is a former U.S. National Park Ranger and a former California State Park Ranger. She is also the author of a brand new book called Trip Tales: From Family Camping to Life as a Ranger (Amazon link). It provides a hilarious and fun-filled collection of short stories about how family camping adventures as a child inspired her to become a national park ranger. The book is available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle. These hilarious and adventurous accounts of the outdoors are guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, and fill you with the sheer joy of being outdoors.
Ranger Rose has worked in many parks throughout the West. These parks include Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Mount Rainier National Park, Death Valley National Park, Sutter’s Fort, Marshall Gold Discovery State Park, the American River Recreation Area, and many others. In her work as a park ranger, she has done cliff rescue, horse patrol, backcountry foot patrol, river rafting patrol, and been a railroad brakeman. She has also traveled the world as a speaker and world gold panning championship leader. Rose has appeared in numerous news, television, and radio documentaries in many different countries including England, Austria, France, Canada, and Finland. She was Chief Ranger at the Gold Discovery Park in Coloma, California, and has also taught classes for California State University.
When asked what she believes is the most important message she can share with others, Rose immediately replies: “I want everyone to go read these stories and understand how important it is to go outdoors and appreciate the beauty of nature, and to experience our shared heritage of this beautiful planet, our Earth. For each of you who dream of a favorite outdoor experience anywhere in the world, I hope these stories bring joy to your heart.”
Ranger Rose in Death Valley. Photo by Augue Bergman.
Here are a few outdoor adventure podcasts to check out along with a podcast featuring Rosanne:
Click here to download our one-page guide of Rosanne’s tips for Moab.
You can connect with Roseanne on her website and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Camping under the dark skies with stars. Photo by Emma Smith on Unsplash.
Big thanks to today’s affiliate partner – AwardWallet
This episode is brought to you, in part, by AwardWallet. Using airline miles and hotel points makes travel affordable, but keeping track of all of those loyalty programs can be a challenge. That’s why I use AwardWallet to track my miles and points balances, reservations, and special goodies like free hotel night certifications and airline companion passes.
Having everything in one easy-to-use dashboard helps ensure I don’t let any rewards expire and makes logging into my accounts super easy. Go to WeTravelThere.com/awardwallet to start your free account.
Book a Jeep tour to explore the national parks and get close to nature. Photo by Cody Lannom on Unsplash.
Stay tuned for our next episode
Jarryd and me at Creature Comforts enjoying a beer.
Listen to the next episode when US Paralympic Track and Field Athlete Jarryd Wallace shares the best things to do in Athens, Georgia. In this episode, Jarryd and I talk about the Twilight Criterium racers, the interactive Children’s Garden at the State Botanical Garden, and the Athens Beer Trail. We hope you’ll join us when We Travel There.
What’s your favorite part of Moab? Send us a Tweet, let us know in the comment section below, or continue the discussion in our Facebook group!
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Related episodes
To learn more about Utah, please listen to our other episodes:
