To avoid some high prices in Moab, my wife and I stayed 7 nights in the Robbers Roost Motel in Green River. Granted it is 45-50 minutes from Moab but we also spent some time in Goblin Valley SP and Capitol Reef.
We were driving a rental car that we picked up in SLC.
Which direction are you coming from?

May should not be as busy as March/April or summer. What do you mean by premium rates? Are they higher in May than in summer?

Are you looking at weekends or weekdays? What dates? There are a few events in May, not sure how big they are. I would guess the Rally on the Rocks (15th - 18th) is the biggest of them. Look at the events calendar for your specific dates:

http://www.discovermoab.com/calendar.htm

Late April is fine too, not much difference between that and early May. If you continue to have lodging issues, try looking at campgrounds as some of them have cabins for rent.

No way I would drive back and forth from Green River for 2-3 days. That's almost 2 hours a day you'd waste going back and forth.

Davemeister,

Moab is a fun little funky town and it's just so nice to walk to dinner. There really are a rather wide range of lodging types and prices. What is your budget?

I would never stay in Green River and drive back and forth. You would use up your savings in gas.

There are also many campgrounds. Why not camp? May is the perfect time.

I would think May would be a more popular time to visit Moab than later in the summer...it's just too too hot any later! My first visit there was over a Fourth of July weekend and hiking after 10:00 am was out of the question for me, with the temps around 105 degrees that early. If you can swing late April, you might have better luck with the rates. We enjoyed the Apache Motel one year when we visited in early April. A real throwback place, but roomy and comfortable. Moab is so awesome, the scenery so amazing, do whatever you can to get there!

A little background:

I've been to Moab before - and look forward to returning! While visiting Colorado in 2008, I crossed over for one night and hiked Arches the next morning. It was late August and it was HOT! I stayed at La Quinta for about $75. The going rate for La Quinta in May 2013 is $152/nt, weekday or weekend. Therefore I concluded that a lot more people must be visiting the town in May than in August.

Perhaps I'm making too big a deal about price. I don't expect to stay for $75 and will pay whatever it takes. Priceline & Hotwire can probably help. But I would prefer to visit when the town is less crowded.

So what's it like in late April? Short pants or long?

Some years ago my wife and I did a 4-day backpack trip in Canyonlands in mid-April. Weather was sunny and warm during the day and and pleasantly cool at night. The day we hiked out a cold front pushed through the region and we got out just before a rain/snow mix started to fall.

So, to answer your short or long pants question: Yes!

P.S. Here's a schedule of events if you want to avoid a possibly busy week:
http://www.discovermoab.com/calendar.htm

I'd make sure I missed Rally on the Rocks, for example, but whatever turns you on.

A few years ago I went to Moab/Arches/Canyonlands and stayed at the BW Canyonlands in Moab.I was there in mid-May and the weather was excellent. The motel was full but that didn't seem to translate into packed parks.

The only place that drew somewhat of a crowd was Delicate Arch at sunset.

I've heard stories about it being impossible to get good photos there. I found most people cooperated. People who wanted photos in front went quickly and left.

As the sun started to go down and the Arch started to turn orange, nobody blocked the view.

Well, I just plugged in some random dates and LaQuinta is $190 in August of 2013. Moving your trip to late April gives you the same rate as mid-May. Changing the dates from May to late April probably won't change how busy the town is, unless your original dates were during one of the few events that take place during May.

Late April is possibly/probably shorts but that all depends.

I think it's time to explore your other options for lodging.

Get something booked that is cancellable and refundable, then continue to look for a better deal as your dates get closer. Just for example, LaQuinta is $75 next week, so it is entirely possible the rates may drop the week or so before you go. But I would still get something booked, as Dayle and I suggested there are campgrounds (with cabins or camping) that would be reasonable. Just don't use Priceline or Hotwire and get locked into something that you can't change unless you get a really really great rate.

I've been twice over Memorial Day weekend and didn't find it crowded it all, IMOP. It was a bit warm, so perhaps an earlier visit in May would be somewhat better.

Dave,

I live in Utah and go down to Moab at least once a year. I usually go in early May or early October. Sometime I go outside those times, earlier or later, depending on current weather trends (just because I can) .

If camping, I like the Arches campground, but it must be reserved ahead. It's very small and only a few spots are first come/first served.

If I go earlier or later in the spring/fall, I like to go for more comfort. Unfortunately my favorite B&B, The Dreamkeeper, is now closed. A nice one across the street, Calle Cochita B&B, is also quite nice with terrific owners and very yummy breakfasts!

Once I stayed at the La Quinta out of necessity and unplanned. It was actually quite nice. I've also stayed at the Motel 6 and it is not nice!

There is a commercial campground right across the bridge coming into town from the north. It has cabins and hot showers. Not bad at all.

Just because the town may be busy due to special events, doesn't mean the parks will be crowded. Usually only the parking lot at the Devil's Garden in Arches fills up by mid-morning. Even so, the trails don't get the crowded feeling in spring and fall.

Can't say about summer as I never go then.

Happy Hiking!

As Dayle has mentioned May is a good month for locals to go. April and May are definitely better than July and August as far as heat goes so it just is nicer to go on the spur of the moment in May. You may find higher rates for hotels than you would in Feb, but the parks will not feel crowded at all. I was in Arches a couple years ago on free park entrance day in April (didn't plan that, it just happened to be then). There were more people than I would have expected heading up to Delicate Arch, but it was certainly not crowded by any means. The town may be a bit crowded, but it isn't any better in June and it can handle the crowds pretty well.

The only week I would try to avoid-- unless you want to participate-- would be Jeep Safari, which happens the week before easter- so sometimes March and sometimes April.

And really the only off season rates for the hotels anymore seems to be Nov-Feb.

Thanks for the feedback, folks! Sounds like May - my first choice - is about as good a time to go as any.