Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [26]
An open, spacious microbrewery/ restaurant on the south side of town, Moab Brewery serves fresh handcrafted ales brewed on-site, along with a wide variety of steaks, sandwiches, salads, soups, vegetarian dishes, and assorted house specialties. It's popular with families, who gobble down basic American fare such as burgers, fresh fish, and the popular St. Louis smoked ribs. The huge dining room is decorated with light woods, outdoor sports equipment—including a hang glider on the ceiling—and local artwork. Patio dining is available.
You can sample the brews—from wheat ale to oatmeal stout—at the separate bar. The brewery usually has about half a dozen of its beers available on tap at any given time. There's a gift shop plus beer to go in half-gallon jugs in insulated carriers. Beer is sold in the bar; in the restaurant, diners can purchase beer, wine, or mixed drinks.
Moab Diner
189 S. Main St. (2 blocks south of Center St.). ☎ 435/259-4006. Main courses $4.25–$17. MC, V. Daily 6am–10pm. Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, and Dec 25. AMERICAN/SOUTHWESTERN.
Late risers can head here all day for breakfast—among the best in town— featuring all the usual egg dishes, biscuits and gravy, and a spicy breakfast burrito. The decor is definitely diner, but the place does have lots of green plants (real, not plastic). Hamburgers, sandwiches, and salads are the offerings at lunch. For dinner, there's steak, shrimp, and chicken, plus liver and onions. In addition to ice cream, you can get malts, shakes, and sundaes with seven different toppings. No alcoholic beverages are served.
Sunset Grill
900 N. U.S. 191. ☎ 435/259-7146. Fax 435/259-7626. www.moab-utah.com/sunset grill. Main courses $13–$23. AE, DISC, MC, V. Daily 5pm–closing. AMERICAN.
Perched on a hill at the north edge of Moab, this fine restaurant offers the best sunset views in town. Once the home of local miner Charles Steen, the Sunset Grill contains four tastefully decorated dining rooms and three patios. A favorite of locals celebrating special events, the restaurant serves aged USDA Choice steaks, hand-cut in-house, plus such treats as grilled Colorado lamb chops in mint butter served with port-wine peppercorn sauce; and grilled salmon filet, prepared with an Oriental glaze and served in a light soy-sherry cream sauce. Texas-style prime rib sells out often, so get here early if it's your first choice. The menu also includes a number of chicken dishes and several pasta selections. Utah microbrews, some 30 wines, and full liquor service are available.
Picnic & Camping Supplies
The best grocery store in town is City Market, 425 S. Main St. (☎ 435/259-5181; www.citymarket.com). You can pick up sandwiches from the deli, assemble your own salad at the salad bar, or choose fresh-baked items from the bakery. The store also sells fishing licenses, money orders, and stamps; offers photo finishing and Western Union services; and has a pharmacy. For camping supplies and equipment for hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities, try Red Canyon Outfitters, 23 N.
Main St. (☎ 435/259-3353) or Gear-heads, 471 S. Main St. (☎ 435/259-4327).
Nearby Attractions
Many visitors to Arches also spend time at nearby Canyonlands National Park. See chapter 8.
3
BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK
by Jack Olson
IT'S A STRANGE AND SEEMINGLY COMPLICATED PLACE. FROM THE RAGGED ridges and saw-toothed spires to the wind-ravaged desolation of Badlands Wilderness Area, Badlands National Park is an awe-inspiring sight and an unsettling experience. Few leave here unaffected by the vastness of this geologic anomaly, which spreads across 381 square miles of moonscape.
The Sioux Indians who once traversed this incredible land named it mako sica, or "land bad." Early French-Canadian trappers labeled it les mauvaises terres à traverser, or "bad lands to travel across."
Steep canyons, towering spires, and flat-topped tables all appear among Badlands buttes. Despite their apparent complexity, the unusual