Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve

The Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve is one of Moab's most surprising and rewarding natural areas — a 890-acre cottonwood riparian ecosystem and wetland complex that feels like a secret world hidden within the otherwise arid canyon country. Managed by The Nature Conservancy, it's a free and genuinely wonderful nature experience that most Moab visitors completely miss.

The preserve protects one of the last remaining healthy riparian areas along the Colorado River in the Moab valley. The cottonwood groves are ancient and magnificent, the understory is dense with willow and native shrubs, and the wetland areas provide habitat for an extraordinary diversity of wildlife that has no business existing in the middle of Utah's red rock desert.

For families interested in birding, the Matheson Wetlands is one of the best spots in the entire Moab region. The preserve is a critical stopover point for migratory birds on the Colorado Plateau, and spring and fall migration bring species that seem impossibly exotic for their surroundings: warblers, tanagers, orioles, and dozens of shorebird and waterfowl species using the wetland. Great blue herons are year-round residents and are frequently visible from the trail.

Perhaps most exciting for young children: beaver activity is visible throughout the preserve. Dams, lodges, gnawed tree stumps, and if you're there at dawn or dusk, the beavers themselves. For a child who has learned about beavers from books, seeing a real beaver lodge in the wild produces a particular kind of joyful recognition.

The interpretive trail system winds through the preserve with signs explaining the ecology, the species, and the conservation story. It transforms a nature walk into something educational without being heavy-handed. This is the kind of free family experience that reminds you that the most memorable moments of a vacation don't always come with a price tag.