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ese same horses become part of the experience. Red Cliffs Ranch offers guided trail rides through the canyon landscape, where the desert is quieter, temperatures are cooler, and the first sunlight gradually warms the surrounding cliffs in a peachy glow. Horseback also changes the pace, and there is time to hear hooves on the trail, watch the canyon walls change colors with every turn, and take in birds-eye views of the winding river. It's easy to see why Hollywood finds this landscape irresistible. Moab with the Edges Smoothed Moab itself has evolved right along with its lodging. e town center still has the easygoing outdoor-town energy, but now it comes with good restaurants, on-trend cafés, art galleries, and locally owned boutiques. e Moab Food Truck Park includes a mix of vendors that makes for an easy stop between outings. Shops such as Moab Made showcase work from local artists and makers, giving the town a sense of creativity that stretches beyond adventure extremists and rockhounds. After days spent among cliffs and canyons, downtown is a welcome contrast that feels current, independent, and bursting with authentic personality. Moab may still be famous for the rocks, but these days there is plenty happening between them. Jon Bailey is a San Diego-based travel journalist, exploring the globe with his husband and their two daughters. For more adventures, visit 2dadswithbaggage.com Arches Still Owns the Spotlight No luxury itinerary should become so lax that Arches National Park gets pushed aside. ose pretty rocks in the headline are famous for a reason. Balanced Rock looks improbable even when standing directly beneath it, an enormous mass of sandstone perched on a very narrow pedestal. Around the Windows, trails weave beneath vast natural openings the scale of which makes people seem like miniatures. Early morning is particularly appealing, and cloud cover can be equally welcome. Softer light brings deeper shades of red and orange into the sandstone and makes the park wonderfully photogenic while providing hikers with a little relief from crowds and the Utah sun. e size of these structures does not fully register in photographs, and there is something powerful in simply standing beneath one and looking up. Red Cliffs for a Western Change of Pace Travelers who prefer ranch atmosphere and immediate access to horseback riding and the Colorado River will enjoy the cowboy vibes at Red Cliffs Lodge along Highway 128. e lodge offers more "rustic luxury," but its setting gives it plenty of character along with genuine Hollywood credentials. e surrounding canyon country appeared in Western films featuring John Wayne and others, including Rio Grande and e Comancheros. e grounds stretch along the river beneath enormous canyon walls, with mature trees and green lawns breaking up the surrounding red rock. No tents here, but traditional accommodations offer plenty of space, including some with sitting areas, kitchenettes, and outdoor decks. Individual cabins offer memorable views toward the property's green pasture, where horses graze with towering sandstone walls directly behind them. Horseback riding through Moab's rugged canyon country follows trails once traveled by John Wayne and other Hollywood Western stars River view cabins at Red Cliffs Lodge sit at the edge of the Colorado River, nestled between dramatic rock sculptures and green valley pastures Downtown Moab is a charming mix of rustic and gentrified, and Moab Made is a great stop for locally created art and gifts @ranchandcoast