Moab

Doling out hot tubs and pub grub after a dusty day on the trail, Moab is southern Utah's adventure base camp. Mobs arrive to play in Utah’s recreation capital – from the hiker to the four-wheeler, the cult of recreation borders on fetishism.

Starting in the 1950s, miners in search of 'radioactive gold' – uranium – blazed the network of back roads that laid the groundwork for this 4WD mecca. Neither mining nor the hundreds of Hollywood films shot here have influenced the character of Moab as much as the influx of fat-tire, mountain-bike enthusiasts.

The town becomes overrun from March through October. The impact of all those feet, bikes and 4WDs on the fragile desert is a serious concern. People here love the land, even if they don't always agree about how to protect it. If the traffic irritates you, just remember – you can disappear into the vast desert in no time.