Choose Your Stay
Historic Hotel
RV Park
Campgrounds
The old Desert Moon Hotel and Cactus Cabaret Dancehall were built in 1936 and have served miners, railroad workers, truck drivers, tourists, and travelers for generations. The property has a long and colorful history, including its days as the town bar and brothel, and remains one of the most distinctive places to stay in the area.
Located in Thompson Springs, a former mining town with a current population of around 50 people, Desert Moon is one of a kind. It is both a historic relic of the wild west, and an evolving creative property, with ongoing restoration, artistic touches, and a small on site community continuing to shape what it becomes.
A Historic Desert Stop with a Wild Western Past
Historic Hotel: The Desert Moon Inn
The Desert Moon Inn was originally built in 1936 as a boarding house for miners and travelers passing through Thompson Springs. Today, its private rooms have been reimagined as immersive, art filled spaces, each with its own mood and character.
Plant Room
Crystal Room
Southwest Room
Arches Access
Most visitors head to the main entrance. Guests at Desert Moon are also close to a lesser known north side entrance to Arches.
Accommodations at Desert Moon
Historic Hotel
Stay upstairs in the historic Desert Moon Inn, where each room has its own artistic personality. The inn is more like a boutique boarding house, with private rooms, shared bathrooms, and a shared kitchenette.
RV Park
Settle in under the shade trees with full hookup RV sites offering water, electricity, and sewer.
A desert basecamp with easy access to Moab, Arches, Canyonlands, and the surrounding region.
Campgrounds
Pitch a tent and enjoy the quiet, open desert atmosphere. Campers have access to restrooms, showers, and water spigots, with plenty of room to take in the landscape.
Explore the Area
One of the best parts of staying at Desert Moon is the setting itself. The property sits at the base of the Book Cliffs, surrounded by open desert, shifting light, and ancient pictographs. Sunrise and sunset are especially beautiful here. Desert Moon offers a beautiful setting to experience this part of Utah.
Just up the road, Sego Canyon adds another layer to that experience, with ancient Archaic and Fremont pictographs and petroglyphs, dramatic canyon walls, and traces of the area’s old mining history. It is one of the most remarkable nearby places to explore, and a reminder that this landscape has held meaning for a very long time.
What Guests are Saying
"Great spot to park your RV and explore Moab!! Friendly staff. We had our dog with us and had zero issues with any of the residents or their pets. The train is fun to watch and you are ten minutes from some pictograph and petroglyphs to go see. Hook ups work great. Shade tree was nice.We will be back!”
“My family and I loved staying here! Can't wait to come back and stay in other "themed" rooms. Loved the crystal room! A little off the beaten path but a cool experience. The building was super neat, remodeled after being used to house miners long ago. Highly recommend!”
"Unbelievably unique and beautiful!!! Each room in this old boarding house was artistically hand painted. Then there is a shared kitchen area, a balcony and a shared bathroom… I just have never seen anything like it!"
"The Desert Moon is an absolute hidden gem! The couple that owns this place were very welcoming and you can tell they put their hearts into restoring this place. I loved the eclectic decor and the themed rooms. The historic vibe of this place really comes through, the train rolling by and the horn sang out topped it off for me."
Find Us in Thompson Springs
Located just off I-70 at Exit 187, Desert Moon is an easy stop on the way to Moab, Arches, Canyonlands, and the surrounding desert. Close enough for adventure, but far enough out to feel like its own experience.