The La Sal Mountains are a tightly structured mountain range between Utah and Colorado. The pyramid-like mostly snow-covered peaks appear as background panorama on many pictures of Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. Here is the second highest peak in Utah with nearly 3,900 m. From Moab an 80 mi long loop road leads to Hwy # 128 through the mountains and back to Moab. First we pass Castle Valley where deep red sandstone towers rise up and the John Wayne classic Rio Grande was shot. On a very short distance we leave the red semi-desert to pass subalpine flora, and to reach nearly vegetation-less alpine elevation of 2,700 m.
We stop in Moab for stockpiling: Grocery, water, and diesel. Otherwise Moab is a town where mass tourism left its marks. The infrastructure is perfect, the prices mainly insolent. Even in winter when everything sleeps the campgrounds ask for real good prices. But most of them cant even be called cosy. Without intending to do Moabs inhabitants wrong: It didnt happen to us meeting even one friendly person. This is a very ordinary consequence of mass tourism. But anyway, I would prefer to plan a summer visit as much as possible in advance to get a reservation on the campgrounds in the parks. Or use alternatively the BLM campgrounds at Hwy # 128. But there are no hook-ups.