Rotary Park

Rotary Park on Mill Creek Drive is one of Moab's best community parks for families with young children — and what sets it apart from the town's other parks is its proximity to Mill Creek, which flows near the park and provides a rare opportunity for water access in the middle of Utah's desert canyon country.

In a town where the dominant outdoor activities require age minimums, physical fitness, or significant expense, Rotary Park offers something wonderfully simple: a playground, shade trees, and a creek where kids can wade and splash. On a warm Moab afternoon, the ability to stick your feet in cool running water without driving to a river launch point is genuinely valuable.

The playground equipment is appropriate for toddlers through elementary-age kids, and the tree cover gives the park a cooler, more comfortable feel than Moab's exposed red-rock landscape. Picnic tables make it suitable for a brought-from-home lunch break between larger activities.

As with all outdoor activity in Moab, timing is critical. Summer temperatures can exceed 100°F, making midday visits uncomfortable and potentially dangerous for young children. Morning visits before 9am and evening visits after 6pm are the comfortable windows. Spring and fall extend that window significantly.

Bring a spare set of clothes for kids who will inevitably find their way into the creek. The water is clear and cold from mountain snowmelt, and no child with access to it stays dry. That's a feature, not a problem — especially in the Moab heat.