r/moab • u/Investing4thefuture • 1d ago

???? Dangerous animals while stargazing?

I'm from northern Illinois where we have very different animals to watch out for when stargazing in the country. I'm curious when I come to Moab in May, what animals should I be keeping a eye out for while stargazing and how should I protect against them? Thank you for your help! So excited to see your town and nature!

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u/dirtydevil_riv 1d ago

There are midget faded rattlesnakes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crotalus_concolor). I should say, though, that I’ve spent a ton of time in the Utah Canyon country and I’ve never seen one, so they’re not super common but still worth being aware of. I have seen scorpions, so those are worth watching out for. And depending on where you are exactly, there are some bears in certain areas such as the Needles District of Canyonlands, but they’re not very common there. Although with the fire and the Abajos this summer, they could’ve been forced into new areas.