Monticello is a small town in southeastern Utah, about 50 miles south of Moab at the junction of US-191 and US-491 (formerly the notorious US-666). It's a useful stopping point in canyon country, with basic motels, gas stations, and restaurants, and the landscape all around it is stunning.
The Abajo Mountains rise directly to the west, providing a cool forested escape from the redrock canyons. To the north, the Needles district of Canyonlands is the closest entry into the national park from here — less visited than the popular Island in the Sky, and worth it. South in Blanding, the Edge of the Cedars State Park has some of the best Ancestral Puebloan pottery in the region.
One local surprise worth knowing about: the Peace Tree Café, a coffee shop that serves smoothies and good food — unexpectedly good for such a quiet and conservative corner of Utah.