Just more than 5,000 people call Moab home, yet this scrappy desert outpost welcomes more than 3 million visitors each year to play among its austere and inspiring red-rock landscapes.

While most people time their vacations for the spring and early fall, visiting in late autumn and even winter offers unique ways to experience the desert.

Indeed, the quieter months may be the best time to take in Moab’s top-notch stargazing, recently recognized by the town’s designation as an international dark sky place, or to leisurely wend your way through Arches National Park, which no longer requires a reservation to enter after Oct. 31.

ITINERARY

FRIDAY

2 p.m. | Go climb some rocks

While Moab is known for its mountain biking and river rafting, the town is also a world-class climbing destination. Book a beginner-friendly climbing course with Faith Dickey, a highliner (someone who walks a slackline at a great height) who broke multiple world records before opening Elevate Outdoors, a guiding company specializing in climbing, canyoneering and highlining excursions (from $115 per person for a half day). She’ll patiently usher you up climbs of beautiful Wingate sandstone at locations with playful names like the Ice Cream Parlor or Wall Street — some just steps from the Colorado River. You can also practice your skills at Climb Moab, an indoor climbing gym south of town opened in 2023 by two local women with a goal of making the sport more diverse and accessible (day passes $20, with gear available for rent).

7 p.m. | Embrace the fusion

After spending much of 2023 closed for an expansion and renovation, 98 Center is again serving its delicious Vietnamese fusion from its downtown location on Center Street. Folding kimchi and pork belly into a deviled egg ($10) elevates a classic finger food, and the menu continues its playful riffing with offerings including tart yuzu limeade ($6); savory bánh mì nachos ($19) topped with pickled vegetables, shredded pork or chicken, and crème fraîche; and surprisingly good cheesesteaks (starting at $16) inspired by the owner’s upbringing in Philadelphia.

Nearly all of the menu items can be made vegetarian or vegan, making it an easy space to satisfy everyone’s cravings.9 p.m. | Find yourself a treat

The Mexican-style ice cream shop La Michoacana Artisan has proved so popular that it recently moved into a larger storefront, just across from 98 Center. Beyond its ice creams (starting at $3.50 for a scoop) and ice pops ($4) in traditional flavors like blackberry-and-cheese and contemporary ones like Fruity Pebbles, visitors swear by the mangonada ($8.50), a full-to-bursting cup of mango sorbet and fresh mango with layers of spicy condiments like Tajín and chamoy. If sweets don’t tempt you, head a block away to Rooted Vine, a new wine bar that is energizing Moab’s lackluster bar scene. Enjoy a glass (from $8) at the white marble counter; each wine comes with a card detailing the vineyard, the wine’s preparation and tasting notes.

SATURDAY

9 a.m. | Get into a diner

When the owner of Canyon Steak and Waffle House, one of the area’s last true coffee-counter joints, retired in 2022, the employee who took it over knew better than to tamper with a good thing. The place may now have a new name, Cactus Jacks, and an updated interior, but it still hums with that undercurrent of efficiency that all good diners have. The unlimited coffee ($3) is robust, the food is tasty and reasonably priced, and the televisions behind the bar screen adventure sports documentaries. Even if you’re not typically a fan of the dish, the B&G breakfast (that’s biscuits and gravy, along with eggs, hash browns and a choice of meat, $15) with a side of Hatch green chile ($2) is a highlight, as are the cornflake-crusted slabs of French toast ($16).

10:30 a.m. | Tread among towers

Stop at the deli and hot bar at the back of Moonflower Community Cooperative to pick up a trail lunch, then drive north to State Highway 128, known locally as River Road. This scenic byway follows the sinuous curve of the Colorado River, along which you may glimpse elusive bighorn sheep. A few miles after the turnoff for Castle Valley, you’ll arrive at the Fisher Towers trailhead. A roughly 2-mile (one-way) trek takes you deep into a landscape of red and purple sandstone pedestals shaped over hundreds of millions of years by erosion. Turn around whenever you feel comfortable, perhaps at the base of the Titan — the largest of the towers, at 900 feet, and one of the tallest unsupported pinnacles in the world. It’s also a good spot to enjoy your lunch.

2 p.m. | Learn about the past

Moab and the surrounding landscape have made many appearances in film, television and advertisements. On your way back toward town, stop in at Red Cliffs Lodge to visit the Moab Museum of Film and Western Heritage (free). It’s outdated and kitschy, but this basement attraction features some serious gems, including the mannequin modeled after Geena Davis that was driven off a cliff at Fossil Point, just outside town, in the 1991 classic “Thelma & Louise.” Browsing the displays may also explain some of your lingering déjà vu: Fisher Towers appeared in an episode of the television show “Westworld,” while other locations have been featured in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” the music video for Jon Bon Jovi’s “Blaze of Glory” and Kevin Costner’s 2024 film “Horizon: An American Saga.”

3 p.m. | Walk on the wild side

If you’re traveling with children (or are a child at heart), head to the Moab Giants Dinosaur Park ($18 for general entry) north of town for a peek into Moab’s storied paleontological history. Inside the museum, find casts of bones excavated from the newly opened and nearby Utahraptor State Park. Lee and Susan Shenton, longtime volunteers, can often be glimpsed preparing specimens in the paleontology lab and may just invite you back for a tour. Outside, venture along a half-mile trail studded with more than 100 life-size replicas of dozens of dinosaur species that once roamed the area. A VIP museum ticket ($28) also gets you access to a 3-D movie theater and a guided tour of the prehistoric “aquarium.”

5 p.m. | Soak up the star

Dead Horse Point State Park ($20 per vehicle) is out of the way, about a 25-minute drive southwest of Moab Giants, but it’s definitely worth a visit. The lore behind the name is unsettled, but one iteration suggests that once a herd of wild horses, corralled on the point by ranchers, leaped to their deaths here. While the park offers 7 miles of interconnected trails to explore, time your arrival at the Point Overlook for just before dusk. Not only will you witness a spectacular sunset, but you’ll also be perfectly placed to take advantage of Moab’s 2024 designation as an international dark sky place. Rangers occasionally set up telescopes and host star parties in the park, but all you really need is a warm jacket, a star chart and some patience.

8 p.m. | Eat upscale food

The only hint that Birdy’s Finer Diner was once a Denny’s restaurant is a single framed poster advertising the chain’s well-known Grand Slam breakfast. Today, the rest of the dated décor is gone in favor of flamingo wallpaper, neon accents and lots of greenery in the dining space. On a recent visit, harissa-roasted carrots were served atop a creamy bed of labneh ($16), followed by a prime-rib sandwich smothered in Hatch green chile queso ($22). The cocktails ($16) offer modern takes on classics, such as a daiquiri with spiced rum and Campari. If you ask nicely, they may even serve it to you in a butt-shaped glass.

SUNDAY

8 a.m. | Go out on an arch-athon

Let’s be honest, you’re here for Arches National Park ($30 per vehicle). On your way over, stop at Más Café for a cafe de olla latte (from $7), flavored with cinnamon, orange zest, brown sugar and black pepper, and a baked good (from $3.50), made down the road by queer- and Black-owned Adobe Garden Apothecary. In Arches, make the scenic 12-mile drive to the Windows Section, which offers the highest concentration of sandstone arches in the park. Stop at the Double Arch Trailhead (about a half-mile) or the Windows Trailhead (1 mile), which gives you access to North Window, South Window and Turret Arch. And if you cannot bear to miss Delicate Arch, the landmark that adorns many Utah license plates, continue on to Delicate Arch Road, where it’s possible to view the arch from a pullout.

11 a.m. | Bring some Moab home

One small-town benefit is that you can do all your souvenir shopping on a single corner. Back in Moab, get lost between the shelves at Back of Beyond Books, a true gem offering new and used titles alongside an extensive catalog of rare books and first editions focused on natural history and Western ephemera. For local flavor, pick up titles by Edward Abbey, Terry Tempest Williams, Ellen Meloy or Zak Podmore. Then head to the sister stores Arteesian and Moab Made — one next door, the other just across the street — for ceramics, art, clothing, jewelry, home goods and body care products made by dozens of local artisans. The rattlesnake vertebrae hoop earrings by Coyote Crafted (sustainably sourced from roadkill, from $38) are a huge hit among locals.