Lionsback Resort

The Lion's Back is a fin of sandstone on the edge of Moab, and four-wheel drives used to climb it. It stands on private land and has been closed to them for liability reasons, except once, in 2016, when three Jeeps were let up it for the Jeep's 75th anniversary. The resort that took its name keeps it in view from the pool, which is heated all year and has a cold plunge beside it. Its 34 flat-roofed casitas in pale render stand on 175 acres of red rock above town, with most of the land to stay wild. They are the first phase of a plan that includes a 150-room hotel and a spa, which the small print says may or may not be built. Inside there is glass onto the slickrock, and since the houses are all electric, the fire in the living room burns water vapour, lit to look like flame.

Recommended for families and friends who want a house in the desert and do not mind cooking, since the restaurant is still part of the plan. A Strata has two bedrooms and a Mesa three, each bedroom with its own bathroom and a freestanding tub, and the kitchens have Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. The concierge will stock the fridge before arrival or send a private chef, and rafting on the Colorado and mountain biking are booked through the Moab Adventure Center. The Mill Creek Trail starts at the resort, but Main Street is five minutes' drive and Arches about fifteen, with no shuttle, so a car is needed. Every deck has its own hot tub, and the outdoor lights are kept low for Moab's Dark Sky Initiative, so after dark there is little on the slickrock to compete with the sky.