Magical Moab Meetup October 3 - 13, 2025!!!!

[mm1970]

Yay! New hikes are always exciting.

[NinetyFour]

Yay! New hikes are always exciting.

Yep!!  And I might have 1 or 2 other ones up my sleeve.  Will have to go back to Moab to scout them out.  Tough job.

[oneday]

Yay! New hikes are always exciting.

Yep!!  And I might have 1 or 2 other ones up my sleeve.  Will have to go back to Moab to scout them out.  Tough job.

That's our 94, taking one for the team 😆

[Dicey]

Yay! New hikes are always exciting.

Yep!!  And I might have 1 or 2 other ones up my sleeve.  Will have to go back to Moab to scout them out.  Tough job.

That's our 94, taking one for the team 😆

Or two...or three...

[NinetyFour]

For anyone who has any interest in the Magical Moab Meetup After Party.....

My preference would be to have the MMMAP at the Dutch Oven Group Campsite in the Needles Campground of Canyonlands NP.  From this group campsite, the hiking possibilities are incredible--even for short hikes up on the nearby rocks with early morning coffee or dusk-ish happy hours or evening stargazing.  Longer hikes beckon as well--out to Peekaboo, Druid Arch, Chesler Park, the Joint Trail, etc etc.

The After Party will be October 13 - 17.  This site is released 6 months ahead of time.  This means that on the morning of April 13 (at 8am MDT--but be ready sooner!), we need to be logged into the Recreation.gov website with this site cued up--ready to click on April 13 and again on April 17 and then on Add to Cart.  (We then have ~15 minutes to complete the transaction.)

It would be amazing if many of you were willing to try to get this campsite--to increase our chances of making this happen--even if you are not sure you can attend the AP.  You do need to be prepared for pay for the site, but I would immediately pay you back via Zelle or Venmo.

If you have any questions, you can post them here or shoot me a PM!

Gracias por todo!!  :)

[Zadnak]

Hello new friends! A friend told me about this meetup and this thread.

I see all the RV sites are booked and only camp sites remain. I'll be there with my truck and truck camper (aka commuter vehicle and with a bunch of stuff in the bed) and my doggo.

While I don't mind paying for a tent site, and pitching a $20 Wal-Mart tent to convince the campground staff I'm actually tent camping,(truck camper hack) do the RV sites support a second (27ft) vehicle? If so, would anyone want to split the cost of an RV site? I'm setup for fully off grid, and need to dump and fill about once a week if showering elsewhere.

I'll likely attend the after party as well.

If someone could PM me an invite to the WhatsApp group chat, I would be grateful.

 Looking forward to this!

[mm1970]

You can totally sleep in your truck camper in a tent site. Nobody cares. There's just no hookups. I didn't think the RV sites are big enough for a second vehicle. 

[Exflyboy]

Yup, even get yourself a tent site and split that with somebody that wants to sleep in a tent... You might have to pay to park the additional vehicle in the overflow parking but even that has been proven to be somewhat flexible.

[Dicey]

@Zadnak - Welcome! Please PM me your reservation info. We are banding together so that we can get rid of that hated resort fee and any lock fee you might have paid. We're still at high level negotiations (snirt), so you're not too late to get in on the savings. Please PM your IRL first name, 'cuz I'm the one who makes the nametags, too. FYI, doggos can use their real name or their screen name, whichever they prefer. Nametags are absolutely not required for anyone with more than two legs. In fact, they're not required for anyone, but they're damn helpful.

I don't have the first idea how to send a WhatsApp link, but someone in the group will. For now, you will find all the info you need on this thread. Last year's thread is chock full of helpful tidbits, too. There's a great packing list by our very own @NinetyFour, and a detailed list of our moment-to-moment plans. (There isn't one and hopefully never will be.)

@mm1970 is right, as long as we're considerate, they leave us alone. It is definitely okay to have a truck in a camping site. A tent is not required. We carry a cheapo yellow decoy tent with us and no one's ever had a need for it.

AFIK the RV sites can only accommodate a single rig. We've been known to hide a small car or three here or there and even a not-so-small Honda Passport, but 27 feet might be beyond our wizardry. Consolation prize: Tent sites can have campfires, RV sites cannot.

I was going to ping EFB, but I see there's no need...

[NinjaSue]

@Zadnak Welcome! I just checked the campground for availability, I see plenty of RV sites available.  Please double check you are looking at the correct location- Moab downtown. There are 2 other sunoutdoor locations in Moab.  Good luck!
Agree they only allow 1 RV per RV site. The tent sites are more geared for passenger vehicles, so I don't think you'd fit in the tent sites at 27ft. Not sure in the rustic tent area since I haven't been to that area.  Even the RV/Tent sites in the 99-106 row say up to 25ft.

[2Birds1Stone]

@Zadnak Welcome! I just checked the campground for availability, I see plenty of RV sites available.  Please double check you are looking at the correct location- Moab downtown. There are 2 other sunoutdoor locations in Moab.  Good luck!
Agree they only allow 1 RV per RV site. The tent sites are more geared for passenger vehicles, so I don't think you'd fit in the tent sites at 27ft. Not sure in the rustic tent area since I haven't been to that area.  Even the RV/Tent sites in the 99-106 row say up to 25ft.

Our astro van is just under 16' and barely fit inside the tent site parking space we had, a 27' rig will be quite a ways into the road and might be a real issue. Height should also be a consideration.

[Zadnak]

@Dicey - PM sent. Thank you!

@NinjaSue - You're right. It helps when I look at not the tent sites.

@2Birds1Stone - Valid point about height. I'm roughly 135 inches, so a little over 11ft. I'll keep this in mind. Thanks!

Waiting to hear back if I should book now or later to avoid the resort fee. The RV sites don't appear to be big rig friendly, so I think I can get away with another van to cohabitate a spot.

[LifeHappens]

I really, really hate to do this, but I know we have several people who have travelled to this meetup from other countries. This is a first hand account of a German planning a thru-hike being forcibly detained and eventually deported despite having all the necessary documents:
https://thetrek.co/a-german-thru-hiker-has-been-detained-deported-and-banned-from-the-us-without-a-hearing-heres-what-you-need-to-know/?ref=sidebar

Anyone coming from outside the US needs to think hard about their travel right now :{

[NinetyFour]

Hello new friends! A friend told me about this meetup and this thread.

I see all the RV sites are booked and only camp sites remain. I'll be there with my truck and truck camper (aka commuter vehicle and with a bunch of stuff in the bed) and my doggo.

While I don't mind paying for a tent site, and pitching a $20 Wal-Mart tent to convince the campground staff I'm actually tent camping,(truck camper hack) do the RV sites support a second (27ft) vehicle? If so, would anyone want to split the cost of an RV site? I'm setup for fully off grid, and need to dump and fill about once a week if showering elsewhere.

I'll likely attend the after party as well.

If someone could PM me an invite to the WhatsApp group chat, I would be grateful.

 Looking forward to this!

Hi @Zadnak --glad to hear you are interested in joining the Moab Meetup fun!  You should doublecheck, but I believe the campground has a very generous cancelation policy, so you might want to go ahead and book, as the campground can get pretty busy in October.

I will PM you the link to the WhatsApp group, if I can figure out how!

[Exflyboy]

I really, really hate to do this, but I know we have several people who have travelled to this meetup from other countries. This is a first hand account of a German planning a thru-hike being forcibly detained and eventually deported despite having all the necessary documents:
https://thetrek.co/a-german-thru-hiker-has-been-detained-deported-and-banned-from-the-us-without-a-hearing-heres-what-you-need-to-know/?ref=sidebar

Anyone coming from outside the US needs to think hard about their travel right now :{

That is really depressing..:(.. Its also a good reminder why I chose to "upgrade" my membership (to full citizen) in 2018..

[Dicey]

I really, really hate to do this, but I know we have several people who have travelled to this meetup from other countries. This is a first hand account of a German planning a thru-hike being forcibly detained and eventually deported despite having all the necessary documents:
https://thetrek.co/a-german-thru-hiker-has-been-detained-deported-and-banned-from-the-us-without-a-hearing-heres-what-you-need-to-know/?ref=sidebar

Anyone coming from outside the US needs to think hard about their travel right now :{

At this point, I'm very sad to say that none of our mustachian friends from other lands are planning to attend this year. I don't blame them, but I will miss them terribly.

[2Birds1Stone]

I normally enjoy reading thetrek.co for thru-hiking related content but this is unnecessarily alarmist. TheTrek is not exactly a source I would trust for journalism related to such important decisions as to whether or not to travel to a specific country.......especially since this piece was written about one of their own writers. It's one persons alleged account of a situation. Not a single major media outlet ran with this story and it appears upon some digging that this chick was not exactly prepared for her B2 Visa interview at the border......sure the first two times may have been more lax as far as having the proper documentation, and yes maybe the current administration is giving people a harder time, but there's still millions of foreign tourists coming to the USA per month without any issues whatsoever.

So if someone is on the fence about coming to Moab from outside the USA, don't let an alarmist blog post by TheTrek dissuade you......

[Chaplin]

So if someone is on the fence about coming to Moab from outside the USA, don't let an alarmist blog post by TheTrek dissuade you......

It was all of the other stuff that dissuaded me weeks ago. Whether this particular story is true or not, the situation has become less and less inviting as time has progressed. When I bowed out I didn't give any reasons as I wouldn't want this thread to join the others on the topic, but I would be very surprised if anyone from outside of the US, especially Canada, felt it was appropriate or wise to attend. I would have liked to attend for all the usual reasons: the great people and the great place.

[deborah]

So if someone is on the fence about coming to Moab from outside the USA, don't let an alarmist blog post by TheTrek dissuade you......

It was all of the other stuff that dissuaded me weeks ago. Whether this particular story is true or not, the situation has become less and less inviting as time has progressed. When I bowed out I didn't give any reasons as I wouldn't want this thread to join the others on the topic, but I would be very surprised if anyone from outside of the US, especially Canada, felt it was appropriate or wise to attend. I would have liked to attend for all the usual reasons: the great people and the great place.

+1

[TheGrimSqueaker]

The Venomous Spaz Beast and I booked the last relatively cheap tent site, for the duration.

@Dicey please add us to the list of attendees! I'll bring some (nonalcoholic) beverages to share.

[Dicey]

The Venomous Spaz Beast and I booked the last relatively cheap tent site, for the duration.

@Dicey please add us to the list of attendees! I'll bring some (nonalcoholic) beverages to share.

Yippee! The more, the merrier! PM sent.

[NinetyFour]

The Venomous Spaz Beast and I booked the last relatively cheap tent site, for the duration.

@Dicey please add us to the list of attendees! I'll bring some (nonalcoholic) beverages to share.

Woo hoo!!!!!  Just made my day week!!

[LifeHappens]

The Venomous Spaz Beast and I booked the last relatively cheap tent site, for the duration.

I'm really hoping this means you have a pet wolverine.

[J.P. MoreGains]

I have got to make it this year. Got to put this on my calendar and plan some time off.

[mm1970]

The Venomous Spaz Beast and I booked the last relatively cheap tent site, for the duration.

@Dicey please add us to the list of attendees! I'll bring some (nonalcoholic) beverages to share.

Woo hoo!!!!!  Just made my day week!!

Just made my whole month.  I've always wanted to meet the VSB!  (and GrimSqueaker too, natch)

I'm really hoping this means you have a pet wolverine.

Wolverine...Chihuahua...same thing.  (I am a Chi owner)

[Dicey]

I have got to make it this year. Got to put this on my calendar and plan some time off.

Yes, you do. You can always FIRE if they won't give you enough time off...The afterparty is pretty awesome, too!

[BECABECA]

As today marks exactly 6 months before our wonderful Moab meetup, I was finally able to get the reservation locked in for La Casa at the Lazy Lizard for the duration (10/3 - 10/13). So, if anybody doesn’t want to camp and instead wants to sleep in a real bed indoors, just let me know, we’ve got space for you for any of the days. It’s set up like a hostel with a good mix of bunk beds and full/queen beds, believe it sleeps at least 21 in beds, with two full bathrooms for us and a kitchen and living room. Last year only 6 of us ended up staying in La Casa, which meant we each had our own room, and it was about $50 per person per night. I expect that we can get more than 6 of us this year, so it should pencil out to less cost. And we will have a carpool set up for heading to the main group’s campfire meet every evening, so no need to have your own transportation.

[deborah]

An Australian recently got refused entry into the US because he took a common but slightly circuitous journey there with Cathay Pacific (Sydney to New York via Hong Kong is one that I've been offered by travel agents in the past and known a number of people to take). he was grilled about why he took it, and then sent back to Australia. He didn't get suspended.

As a result, I think any travel to the US is not going to happen for me in the near future.

[NinetyFour]

I have got to make it this year. Got to put this on my calendar and plan some time off.

YES!!!!!  :D

[NinetyFour]

As today marks exactly 6 months before our wonderful Moab meetup, I was finally able to get the reservation locked in for La Casa at the Lazy Lizard for the duration (10/3 - 10/13). So, if anybody doesn’t want to camp and instead wants to sleep in a real bed indoors, just let me know, we’ve got space for you for any of the days. It’s set up like a hostel with a good mix of bunk beds and full/queen beds, believe it sleeps at least 21 in beds, with two full bathrooms for us and a kitchen and living room. Last year only 6 of us ended up staying in La Casa, which meant we each had our own room, and it was about $50 per person per night. I expect that we can get more than 6 of us this year, so it should pencil out to less cost. And we will have a carpool set up for heading to the main group’s campfire meet every evening, so no need to have your own transportation.

Wow just 6 months away!!!!

Thanks for booking La Casa!  Please remind @314159 to bring his smoking jacket to the campfire each evening!  :D

[Log]

As today marks exactly 6 months before our wonderful Moab meetup, I was finally able to get the reservation locked in for La Casa at the Lazy Lizard for the duration (10/3 - 10/13). So, if anybody doesn’t want to camp and instead wants to sleep in a real bed indoors, just let me know, we’ve got space for you for any of the days. It’s set up like a hostel with a good mix of bunk beds and full/queen beds, believe it sleeps at least 21 in beds, with two full bathrooms for us and a kitchen and living room. Last year only 6 of us ended up staying in La Casa, which meant we each had our own room, and it was about $50 per person per night. I expect that we can get more than 6 of us this year, so it should pencil out to less cost. And we will have a carpool set up for heading to the main group’s campfire meet every evening, so no need to have your own transportation.

If I can make it out again this year I will definitely join La Casa again!

Attendance is tbd with work schedule, likely will be another ~long weekend but not the full week~ situation at best. If I win an upcoming audition this June then I could have tenure by Magical Moab Meetup 2027 and then should be able to galavant off on vacation (:

[BECABECA]

If I can make it out again this year I will definitely join La Casa again!

Attendance is tbd with work schedule, likely will be another ~long weekend but not the full week~ situation at best. If I win an upcoming audition this June then I could have tenure by Magical Moab Meetup 2027 and then should be able to galavant off on vacation (:

Yessss! And we can pick you up or drop you off at the airport again.

Wow just 6 months away!!!!

Thanks for booking La Casa!  Please remind @314159 to bring his smoking jacket to the campfire each evening!  :D

Will do! Now we just need them to commit to coming, none of this wishy washy depends on where they’re at in October :P

[314159]

Thanks for booking La Casa @BECABECA!!

Wow just 6 months away!!!!

Thanks for booking La Casa!  Please remind @314159 to bring his smoking jacket to the campfire each evening!  :D

Will do! Now we just need them to commit to coming, none of this wishy washy depends on where they’re at in October :P

I feel simultaneously seen and attacked, lol.

I lost my smoking jacket (in regular life it's just my everyday fleece jacket) when I left it on an airplane in Denver! I realized as soon as we got to the baggage claim and I talked with a worker. It sounded like it would all be worked out when I returned two days later but alas it was not and I never saw it again. However, I have decided to be proud of myself for letting go emotionally and not being too attached to a material object :-)

And please, we can barely plan our life one month at a time, much less six or twelve! But I will say nothing's come up yet so it does seem likelier and likelier we can make it as time goes on...

[Dicey]

Thanks for booking La Casa @BECABECA!!

Wow just 6 months away!!!!

Thanks for booking La Casa!  Please remind @314159 to bring his smoking jacket to the campfire each evening!  :D

Will do! Now we just need them to commit to coming, none of this wishy washy depends on where they’re at in October :P

I feel simultaneously seen and attacked, lol.

I lost my smoking jacket (in regular life it's just my everyday fleece jacket) when I left it on an airplane in Denver! I realized as soon as we got to the baggage claim and I talked with a worker. It sounded like it would all be worked out when I returned two days later but alas it was not and I never saw it again. However, I have decided to be proud of myself for letting go emotionally and not being too attached to a material object :-)

And please, we can barely plan our life one month at a time, much less six or twelve! But I will say nothing's come up yet so it does seem likelier and likelier we can make it as time goes on...

You forgot loved.

[2Birds1Stone]

Thanks for booking La Casa @BECABECA!!

Wow just 6 months away!!!!

Thanks for booking La Casa!  Please remind @314159 to bring his smoking jacket to the campfire each evening!  :D

Will do! Now we just need them to commit to coming, none of this wishy washy depends on where they’re at in October :P

I feel simultaneously seen and attacked, lol.

I lost my smoking jacket (in regular life it's just my everyday fleece jacket) when I left it on an airplane in Denver! I realized as soon as we got to the baggage claim and I talked with a worker. It sounded like it would all be worked out when I returned two days later but alas it was not and I never saw it again. However, I have decided to be proud of myself for letting go emotionally and not being too attached to a material object :-)

And please, we can barely plan our life one month at a time, much less six or twelve! But I will say nothing's come up yet so it does seem likelier and likelier we can make it as time goes on...

We hope to see you there!!!

[NinetyFour]

Reposting from a few weeks ago...(see below)

TLDR: I would love for us to snag the Dutch Oven Group Site at the Needles Campground in Canyonlands NP for the After Party Oct 13 - 17. 

It will be open for reservation this Sunday (April 13) at 8amMDT. 

We will have a better chance of getting it if several of us are at our computers, logged into recreation.gov

If you have not made a reservation on that website before, you might want to do a bit of practicing ahead of time.

If you are able to reserve it, I will reimburse you right away.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  And thanks in advance!!

For anyone who has any interest in the Magical Moab Meetup After Party.....

My preference would be to have the MMMAP at the Dutch Oven Group Campsite in the Needles Campground of Canyonlands NP.  From this group campsite, the hiking possibilities are incredible--even for short hikes up on the nearby rocks with early morning coffee or dusk-ish happy hours or evening stargazing.  Longer hikes beckon as well--out to Peekaboo, Druid Arch, Chesler Park, the Joint Trail, etc etc.

The After Party will be October 13 - 17.  This site is released 6 months ahead of time.  This means that on the morning of April 13 (at 8am MDT--but be ready sooner!), we need to be logged into the Recreation.gov website with this site cued up--ready to click on April 13 and again on April 17 and then on Add to Cart.  (We then have ~15 minutes to complete the transaction.)

It would be amazing if many of you were willing to try to get this campsite--to increase our chances of making this happen--even if you are not sure you can attend the AP.  You do need to be prepared for pay for the site, but I would immediately pay you back via Zelle or Venmo.

If you have any questions, you can post them here or shoot me a PM!

Gracias por todo!!  :)

[J.P. MoreGains]

As today marks exactly 6 months before our wonderful Moab meetup, I was finally able to get the reservation locked in for La Casa at the Lazy Lizard for the duration (10/3 - 10/13). So, if anybody doesn’t want to camp and instead wants to sleep in a real bed indoors, just let me know, we’ve got space for you for any of the days. It’s set up like a hostel with a good mix of bunk beds and full/queen beds, believe it sleeps at least 21 in beds, with two full bathrooms for us and a kitchen and living room. Last year only 6 of us ended up staying in La Casa, which meant we each had our own room, and it was about $50 per person per night. I expect that we can get more than 6 of us this year, so it should pencil out to less cost. And we will have a carpool set up for heading to the main group’s campfire meet every evening, so no need to have your own transportation.

I love Lazy Lizard... I have never stayed there but they let you pay to just use their showers. It's like $2. After a dusty, sweaty summer hike in Moab that is the best value for $2!

[Dicey]

As today marks exactly 6 months before our wonderful Moab meetup, I was finally able to get the reservation locked in for La Casa at the Lazy Lizard for the duration (10/3 - 10/13). So, if anybody doesn’t want to camp and instead wants to sleep in a real bed indoors, just let me know, we’ve got space for you for any of the days. It’s set up like a hostel with a good mix of bunk beds and full/queen beds, believe it sleeps at least 21 in beds, with two full bathrooms for us and a kitchen and living room. Last year only 6 of us ended up staying in La Casa, which meant we each had our own room, and it was about $50 per person per night. I expect that we can get more than 6 of us this year, so it should pencil out to less cost. And we will have a carpool set up for heading to the main group’s campfire meet every evening, so no need to have your own transportation.

I love Lazy Lizard... I have never stayed there but they let you pay to just use their showers. It's like $2. After a dusty, sweaty summer hike in Moab that is the best value for $2!

One of the things I love in Moab is their awesome library, complete with Cosmo the cat. They have a resource center in the lobby that tells you where you can shower, do laundry, and a myriad of other services. They're printed out on neat little lists so you can just grab and go.

[NinetyFour]

More.....please scroll down.....

I would love for us to snag the Dutch Oven Group Site at the Needles Campground in Canyonlands NP for the After Party Oct 13 - 17. 

It will be open for reservation this Sunday (April 13) at 8amMDT. 

We will have a better chance of getting it if several of us are at our computers, logged into recreation.gov

If you have not made a reservation on that website before, you might want to do a bit of practicing ahead of time.

If you are able to reserve it, I will reimburse you right away.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  And thanks in advance!!


Additional info...

IF you are lucky enough to snag the reservation, you will have 15 minutes to complete it and pay for it.

For Primary Occupant, you can either put your info or click Other and put in my info (it's in the Whatsapp thread, or I can PM you ahead of time).

Please put 20 people and 10 cars.  For Camping Equipment, just select Tent.

Thank you!!!

[314159]

It’s just one site available, right? There’s no risk we book 3 sites when we only need one?

[NinetyFour]

It’s just one site available, right? There’s no risk we book 3 sites when we only need one?

Yes, there is only one site called Dutch Oven Group Site at the Needles Campground.

Oh, darn--I just looked at it and someone else has already booked it!!!  (Their reservation starts before the 13th--that's how they were able to do it.)  Well, we can hope that they might end up canceling!!  :(