There is no lodging inside Arches, although nearby Moab offers a wide range and variety of options for where to end the day.
Located just 5 miles south of the national park's main entrance, Moab started out life as an agricultural outpost for missionaires from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, then evolved into a gritty mining town as a result of the uranium deposits in the surrounding landscape.
Today, though, the town's forte is taking care of visitors, whether they're in town to visit Arches and Canyonlands, come to mountain bike, or are heading down river for some white-water excitement.
What are your options for bedding down at night? There are plenty of name-brand roadside motels -- Super 8, Best Western, Days Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Motel 6, and Ramada, for example -- as well as some interesting independent motels.
The Arrchway Inn is on the extreme north end of town right off U.S. 191. It offers many of the same amenities as do the namebrand motels, as well as a nice pool, a BBQ you can borrow to grill your dinner, and offers indoor bike storage. Plus, they offer you a shuttle to reach downtown.
The Gonzo Inn downtown is more of the more eclectic lodgings in Moab with a variety of rooms and suites to suit your taste.
If you prefer bed-and-breakfasts, Moab doesn't disappoint.
Sunflower Hill takes the B&B approach a step further; in fact, this property is described as "A Luxury Inn."
The Garden Cottage at Sunflower Hill.
Hidden a few blocks off the main drag, Sunflower Hill offers beautiful rooms spread across two buildings, a swimming pool surrounded by gardens, and quiet. Along with the pool, which is open April-October, there's a hot tub to ease any aches you pick up out in the parks. Breakfasts might feature frittatas, fruit-filled wheat muffins, fruit smoothies, and always plenty of fruit.
Inside Sunflower Hill....
All rooms are non-smoking, there are evening "refreshments," a guest pantry, Wi-Fi, a locked bike storage area, and more. Rates in 2012 ranged from $120-$210 a night, depending on your choice of rooms and season.
Another quiet B&B is the Cali Cochitta several blocks to the south of Sunflower Hill. The owners renovated a late 1800s Victorian house into a lovingly maintained and comfortable waystation.
The courtyard at the Cali Cochitta B&B.
Two enticing pet-friendly cottages off the main building provide a little more peace and quiet. David Boger, who owns the B&B with his wife, Kim, handles the bulk of the cooking and isn't afraid of catering for groups.
Cable TV, Wi-Fi, Flatscreen TVs and DVD players help you feel at home. Rates in 2012 ranged from $90-$175 per night.
If you don't mind a 30-minute drive from downtown, there are two larger properties that might entice you.
Looking down on the Sorrel River Ranch from Arches.
The Sorrel River Ranch just might be the most opulent lodging in the area, and the rates reflect that, quickly rising past $400 a night and climb towards $700 if you're looking for a family unit during the high spring-to-fall season. But the accommodations on this 160-acre spread rimmed by redrock arguably are the best in the area. Rooms -- suites, really -- are spacious, feature log furnishing, hardwood floors, lots of wood wainscotting, fireplaces, and most of the amenities of home.
There's a restaurant on site, a spa, and you can even bring your horse. There's a small pool, a fitness center, tennis courts, and even a business center if you simply can't call in well.
One of the suites at Sorrel River.
An off-day from exploring the two parks is deliciously spent relaxing at the ranch, which backs up to the Colorado River, making it possible to spend a refreshing afternoon going downstream in a "rubber ducky." ATV rides, horseback treks, float trips and more can be arranged by the staff.
Not quite as far from downtown Moab as the Sorrel River Ranch, though almost, is the Red Cliffs Lodge. It, too, has gorgeous views of the Colorado River, the "backside" of Arches beyond it, and lots of red-rock everywhere you look. Accommodations run from rooms and suites to cabins with kitchenettes, though there is a restaurant on the grounds as well as a winery! Lots of knotty pine and heavy tiles went into this resort. While it's decidely not as upscale and plush as the Sorrel River Ranch, the rates are friendlier, at less than $250 a night for a River King or Creekside Queen suite during the summer of 2012, and right around $100 during the off-season.
To search for other lodging possibilities in the area, check out this page managed by the folks in Moab.
