Arches and Canyonlands National parks, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: Though they collectively comprise 5,576 square miles of warped desert and sculpted sandstone, all lie within a four-hour drive of the Grand Junction, Colorado, airport, making them accessible for weekend escapes and weeklong expeditions. We recommend building a visit around one of four core canyon sports: mountain biking, paddling, canyoneering, or hiking. Mix and match if you suffer from adventure sports ADD.

MOUNTAIN BIKING
While it also serves as the jumping off point for rafting and climbing trips, Moab is the region's mountain-biking hub, and riding slickrock -- sandpapery stone that provides better than usual traction -- is the main attraction. Rent a full-suspension rig and pick up maps at Chile Pepper Bike Shop, which also serves a mean espresso (rentals from $35 per day; chilebikes.com).

Can't-Miss Moab Day Rides
Of the 40 Moab trails, these three are must-hits: Gemini Bridges, an easy 14-mile slickrock and dirt roller with a vertical drop of 700 feet (shuttle up to the trailhead with Coyote Shuttles, 435-259-8656); Porcupine Rim, a 15-mile grind along a ridge with sections of fast slickrock; and Baby Steps, a new 12-mile singletrack trail with views into Arches.

The Classic Long-Weekender
Following a dirt road through canyons of sandstone and along the towering walls at the confluence of the Colorado and Green rivers in Canyonlands National Park, the 80-mile White Rim ride is the ideal introductory multiday trip. Western Spirit Cycling Adventures, an eco-conscious outfitter founded in 1989, leads four-to-six-day trips (from $745; westernspirit.com).

A Week in the Maze
A four-hour off-road drive from Moab, the Maze is a labyrinth of wide, interlocking canyons lined with 8,000-year-old pictographs, tucked into the most remote region of Canyonlands National Park. On Rim Tours' five-day, 125-mile gourmet trip, guides lead riders through the Maze, set up camps on cliffs overlooking the mesas, and prepare fancy fare such as Dutch-oven lasagna, chicken fajitas, and grilled salmon (about $1,000; rimtours.com).

PADDLING
Water is the sculptor of canyon country and is often the most efficient means of exploring it. Although water levels tend to be low in October, that's actually an advantage. On Lake Powell the drowned marvels of Glen Canyon re-emerge (last year the famous Cathedral of the Desert was exposed, and current levels indicate it will reappear again). Reduced flow in Cataract Canyon means even more rapids per mile.

Rediscover Glen Canyon
Created by a dam in 1963, Fake Powell (as some environmentalists refer to it) flooded Glen Canyon, and the river rats who loved the place -- or maybe just saw photos of it -- have been lamenting ever since. On Glen Canyon Kayak Guides' three-night tour that starts from Page, Arizona, paddlers explore slot canyons, by boat, every day and camp out on sand dunes (from $625; kayakpowell.com). The outfitter also runs customized paddling trips to the Cathedral, should it reappear.

Dory Down Cataract Canyon
Running the more than 25 named rapids of Cataract Canyon in low floating rowboats similar to the craft piloted by John Wesley Powell on his first descent of the Colorado River, in 1869, makes the Class III and IV whitewater seem even wilder than in a regular raft. Tag-A-Long Expeditions leads a six-day, 100-mile camping trip that includes daily hikes into side canyons to see the Anasazi Indian ruins in Canyonlands National Park ($1,035; tagalong.com).

CANYONEERING
Lost amid the furor that ensued when Aron Ralston sliced off his arm to free himself from a canyon boulder is the fact that exploring narrow sandstone slots needn't be dangerous. Use a guide service, which can match your ability (some canyons require rope skills) to the appropriate terrain.

Peek-A-Boo Gulch
Mischievously curvy, smooth-walled, and full of mini-arches that you can crawl through, over, and under, Peek-A-Boo is a beginner-to-intermediate-level complex in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Sign up with Escalante Outback Adventures for customizable day trips ($75; escalante-utah.com).

Buckskin Gulch
Said to be the longest slot canyon in the world, Buckskin Gulch starts near the Wire Pass trailhead in Paria Canyon and runs for more than 16 miles, with walls that are rarely more than 20 feet apart. Paragon Adventure, in St. George, leads day trips to hike, climb, and wade through Buckskin's fluted sandstone ($395 for two; paragonadventure.com).

Shimrock, Blarney, Lavar Canyons
Shimmying through these remote slots near Lake Powell is akin to crawling under your bed. Vertically. Desert Highlights, the oldest canyoneering outfitter in the area, leads two-day air safaris from Moab to the canyons, which include primers on chimneying, down-climbing, and rappelling ($500; deserthighlights.com).

HIKING
Zen in canyon country is walking along trails, finding red-flowering Indian paintbrush, hearing the wind rustle in the junipers, and gaping at geologic time writ in the Triassic rock. These hikes deliver it.

Scramble Indian Creek
Winding through a canyon of eroded pinnacles on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land just outside the Needles District, the Indian Creek trail twists for 16 miles to the Colorado River. The area's towers draw climbers, who swim in Indian Creek, a rare perennial stream. Check conditions with the BLM office (435-587-1500).

Bag Tukuhnikivatz Peak
The third-highest mountain in Utah's second-highest range, 12,482-foot Mount Tukuhnikivatz, a.k.a. Tuk Peak, dominates the La Sal range and provides a break from the sandstone. Set aside a day for this biggie, starting in the alpine fir and aspen at 10,000-foot La Sal Pass, a 40-mile drive southeast of Moab. Then it's a steep two-and-a-half-mile, 2,482-foot bushwhack to the top. Check trail conditions with the local BLM office (435-259-8825).

Trek the Island in the Sky
The eight-mile Upheaval Dome trail starts in the shade of the piñon, juniper, and furze of the Island in the Sky in Canyonlands National Park and wends down through the Breach, a sandstone cleft in the mesa wall. Savor the views of tablelands, buttes, and the distant Green River on the descent, but save your stamina for the 1,460-foot climb back to the top (www.nps.gov/cany).

Explore the Devils Garden
Walk into, under, and around eight of the most iconic bridges in Arches National Park while zipping along red-and-white-striped sandstone fins on the 7.2-mile Devils Garden loop. Warning: Arches is the most heavily visited park in southern Utah, so hit the trail early (by 7 am) or, if you don't mind a little headlamped hiking, head out in the hour before sunset (www.nps.gov/arch).