EXPLORE | BEING THERE
ROCK STEADY
Moab, Utah, draws ‘moon walkers,’ stargazers, and adventurers.
GETTING THE SHOT
This image of Andy Lewis
silhouetted against a full
moon took four months
to make. “Even with every
piece of technology we
could get our hands on, it
came down to going there,
scouting, and seeing what
lined up,” says photogra-
pher Renan Ozturk, who
aimed his camera from
more than a mile away to
frame the shot of Lewis
on a slackline (a length of
woven fabric that’s sus-
pended in the air). When
the weather, people,
and moon did eventually
align, “we only had about
a 30-second window to
capture the moment.”NIGHT VISIONS
With three designated
International Dark Sky
Parks less than an hour’s
drive from Moab, those
who can’t see the Milky
Way from their homes
(a majority of Americans)
can get their star fix there.
At Arches and Canyon-
lands National Parks, and
at Dead Horse Point State
Park, visitors can gaze
up at thousands of stars
visible to the naked eye—
compared with the few
dozen, at most, visible
from a big city. To help
maintain these stellar
views, Moab has strength-
ened its ordinances
against light pollution.DAYTIME MOVES
Surrounded by public
lands featuring Jurassic-
era sand dunes weathered
into titian-tinted cliffs
and spires, Moab lures
adventurers and nature
lovers who want to
interact with the elements.
Activities range from
the mainstream (rafting,
biking, hiking) to the
extreme (slacklining, BASE
jumping with parachutes
or wingsuits). Parks in the
area have also taken steps
to make the outdoors
more accessible for people
with disabilities.24 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC