9/14 - Top Of The World 6/10
"Top of the World" is a viewpoint on Waring Mesa. It has a spectacular view of Fisher Valley, Onion Creek, and the La Sal Mountains, but this view is only part of a variety of landscapes seen from this trail. Waring Mesa is east of Moab and south of the Dewey Bridge crossing of the Colorado River. Approximate mileages: 74 miles total, 10 miles off highway.
Scenery:
The Entrada Sandstone is beautiful wherever it is exposed, and we travel the base of a long stretch of its cliffs near the Colorado and Dolores rivers. The Top of the World viewpoint is a cliff edge above Fisher Valley and Onion Creek with the La Sal Mountains in the southern background, and there are vistas of distant plains and the Book Cliffs to the north. Narrow Onion Creek canyon is different from anything else in the area.
Surface:
There is some graded road, but most is broken layered rock. Shelves of varying sizes are encountered along the 4X4 section of the trip, both ascending to the overlook and then descending from it.
Trail Details:
The Top of the World viewpoint is worth the trip even without the other good scenery. The trail turns off Utah 128 at the site of the old Dewey Bridge (unfortunately burned up a few years ago). It uses a graded county road to climb a fair portion of the altitude gain necessary to get to the viewpoint, but when it finally departs from this road, the four wheeling fun begins in earnest. But this is not meant to discount the part of the trail that is on the county road, as the colors in the sandstone rocks are spectacular.
The four wheeling section features many sections of loose rock interspersed with several mean shelf type climbs that will test both vehicles and the driver's resolve to reach the viewpoint overlooking Onion Creek. Once there the view is 360 degrees. Often times the winds here can be impressive as well with a flood of air rising up from the valley below.
Minimum Requirements:
Lockers: one
Tire size: 33
Winch required: recommended
Tow points front and rear yes
Working low range in T-case yes
Muffler: mandatory on all trails
Three-point (at least) seat belts: mandatory on all trails
9/15 - Behind The Rocks Rated 7/10
The land named “Behind the Rocks” is an elevated area south of Moab bounded roughly by the Moab Rim cliff s and the rim of Kane Springs Canyon, which is still farther south and west. This trail follows the most difficult routes in this region, though it gets its reputation and rating from “White Knuckle Hill”. Going down the hill is scary enough, but be prepared for a long wait and a good show while some see if they can climb it. It may be the most difficult hill hereabouts that is ascended with any frequency, although the frequency is diminishing as it erodes.
Approximate mileages: 55 total, 35 off highway.
Scenery:
The rock layers behind the Moab Rim slope downward, and a virtually impenetrable area of Navajo Sandstone domes and fins is in view most of the time. Canyons, including lovely Hunter Canyon, are cut into older layers. Balcony Arch, Picture Frame Arch, and a distant view of Pritchett Arch may be seen. Road Surface: Most of the road is sandy dirt with occasional rock outcrops. To get in and out of the many small canyons involves taking a bumpy trip over sandstone ledges.
Highlights:
There is a warm up hill soon after departing the highway and numerous minor canyon crossings before reaching High-Dive Canyon, so named because it is a short walk to a “highdive” pour off into a beautiful pool. The climb out is via “Upchuck Hill”. A few miles farther is “White Knuckle Hill”. All along the trail the views of nearby rock formations and the towering La Sal Mountains are exceptional.
Minimum Requirements
Lockers: recommended
Tire size: 33
Winch required: recommended
Tow points front and rear yes
Working low range in T-case yes
Muffler mandatory on all trails
Three-point (at least) seat belts. mandatory on all trails
9/16 - Cliffhanger Rated 8/10
This trail is the only vehicle route onto the Amasa Back, a high isolated area surrounded by Kane Springs Canyon, Hurrah Pass, and a big loop of the Colorado River. If Kane Creek is full, the crossing can become impassable. The views are spectacular all the way up the side of Kane Springs Canyon. Farther along the trail is high above the canyon of the Colorado River. At various places along the trail there are petroglyphs and other evidence of early visitation.
Approximate mileages: 20 total, 12 off pavement.
Scenery:
This trail goes to an overlook of the Colorado River that is spectacular. Since it retraces the route on the way back, much of the scenery is on the way back, because the struggle to climb up from Kane Creek demands so much attention early in the day. The cliff edge look into Jackson Hole is inspiring, and the afternoon view of the La Sal Mountains and the Behind the Rocks area is one of our best. Road Surface: Most of the road surface is rock. It crosses various sandstone layers that create difficult stair step ledges. There is some sand, some dirt amid rock layers, and even some fairly level slickrock.
Highlights:
The trail grabs your attention immediately as it descends a cascade of rock ledges from the Kane Creek Road to the creek bottom. The creek crossing can range from dry sand through quicksand to deep water depending upon recent weather. A difficult ledge waits immediately after the creek crossing. From here on up the trail seems to consist of an endless series of steep, irregular ledges that require good ground clearance and maneuverability. The actual Cliff hanger obstacle is a big ledge on a narrow shelf trail overlooking Jackson Hole. The correct line at this obstacle seems to change constantly, and also varies for different wheelbases.
Minimum Requirements
Lockers: one
Tire size: 33
Winch required: recommended
Tow points front and rear yes
Working low range in T-case yes
Muffler: mandatory on all trails
Three-point (at least) seat belts. mandatory on all trails
9/17 - 3D "Pickle" Rated 4/10
The 3-D Trail tours the vicinity of colorful Hidden Canyon and Bink Spring, northwest of Moab. It visits the canyon bottom and canyon rim, and finally, a high overlook of the area (hence the name 3-D). A few of the hills have been known to challenge stock vehicles, but most of the tour is pleasant, scenic, family 4-wheeling.
Approximate mileages: 59 total, 28 off highway.
Scenery:
This canyon country is unlike the Moab valley with its sheer Windgate Sandstone rimmed cliff s; instead 3-D visits canyons that are a few hundred feet deep in the smooth, red and white layers of the Entrada Sandstone. The slickrock areas are made up of the white layer that caps the Entrada. Vistas are to the north toward the Book Cliff s. Road Surface: There are some two track dirt sections, a little slickrock, a sandy and maybe wet wash bottom, and some rock/dirt mixtures with a few ledges.
Highlights:
Not far from the beginning is “Airport View Hill” where a few stock vehicles with highway tire pressure may have to try more than once. Hidden Canyon bottom is very sandy but is usually not difficult. The climb out of the upper canyon first encounters “The Wall”, which looks like a rock wall to the uninitiated, but is usually climbed easily by stock vehicles. Just past this is “Mean Hill”, which climbs about 200 feet in two steep sections. The first section begins with a shelf followed by a loose red dirt hill. The final climb looks worse than it is because it is on a “hogback” with a drop off on both sides.
Minimum Requirements:
Lockers: one
Tire size: 33
Winch required: recommended
Tow points front and rear yes
Working low range in T-case yes
Muffler: mandatory on all trails
Three-point (at least) seat belts: mandatory on all trails
9/18 - Poison Spider Rated 6/10
Poison Spider Mesa forms one of the cliff features that is part of the Moab landscape northwest of town. The mesa is bordered on the east by Moab Valley and on the south by the Colorado River. Access is via Scenic Byway 279. The trail climbs to the rim via the sloping rock layers. The first few miles of trail must be retraced, but most of the travel time will be spent on a loop that reaches the rim. It has become one of our most popular trails because it has great scenery and because the jeeping is just challenging enough to be fun without quite being a vehicle buster. Incidentally, we love the name, but the population of Black Widows is probably no greater than other local areas. Approximate mileages: 37 total, 16 off highway..
Scenery:
The vista across the fins of Behind the Rocks toward the La Sal Mountains is as fine as they come. The rim view overlooks Moab 1,000 feet below and includes a 300 degree panorama. . The usual lunch stop is a short hike to so-called "Little Arch." Jeep Arch is seen clearly from the rim.
Highlights:
Much of the loop portion is on Navajo Sandstone slickrock, with one stretch of 0.4 miles of bare rock. There are also rock ledges, sandy washbottom, and two blow-sand hills. After some initial switchbacks that travel is making tougher, and a sandy flat stretch, a sandy canyon leads to the "Waterfall". Ascent is over several rock ledges in the next quarter mile that give the trail its rating. There is an optional V notch section that makes for great pictures, either triumphant or tragic. The scenery all day is worth the trip by itself.
Minimum Requirements
Lockers: one
Tire size: 33
Winch required: recommended
Tow points front and rear yes
Working low range in T-case yes
Muffler: mandatory on all trails
Three-point (at least) seat belts. mandatory on all trails
9/19 - Moab Rim Trail Rated 7/10
The Moab Rim is the cliff rim seen just to the southwest of town. Its only 4WD access begins just downriver from town and the first mile has about the highest density of obstacles of any of our trails. Many vehicles have “bit the rocks” on the succession of rock ledges and tight turns that lead to the rim. Once on top the trail is sand and rock. After closing a short loop the trail returns on the same rocky mile it started with.
Approximate mileages: 14 total, 9 off highway.
Scenery:
The first mile of the trail follows the tilted rock layers and has increasingly higher overlooks of the Colorado River gorge in one of its most beautiful areas. The rim view includes the La Sal Mountains, Moab and Spanish Valleys, some of Arches National Park, and distant features such as the Book Cliff s. Road Surface: The first part of the trail is mostly on bedrock that nature has broken into ledges and steps. The higher country has slickrock, blow sand, and some sandy dirt with broken rock mixed in.
Highlights:
Among the many steps in the first mile are the “Devil’s Crack” and the “Z Turn” The first requires a tricky turn onto a ledge to avoid dropping a wheel into the crack beyond. The latter has two turns over irregular rocks and ledges, many of which are off camber. On top, a slickrock dome has an optional climb with about an 85 percent grade.
Minimum Requirements
Lockers: one
Tire size: 33
Winch required: recommended
Tow points front and rear yes
Working low range in T-case yes
Muffler mandatory on all trails
Three-point (at least) seat belts. mandatory on all trails
9/20 - Hells Revenge Rated 6/10
Our premier slickrock trail lies northeast of town between the Sand Flats Road and the river. There are long stretches of slickrock where the 4WD trail has been marked. The most difficult obstacles are out of the stock-vehicle class, but those can be bypassed. There are steep climbs and descents and some edges that are not for the faint of heart. The steep slopes, however, are not technically difficult because of the excellent traction on sandstone. In a few places, the trail crosses the now-famous "Slickrock Bike Trail," a motorcycle and mountain-bike trail. Approximate mileages: 16 total, 12 off highway.
Scenery:
The large vistas sweep full circle from the La Sal Mountains through Arches National Park to the cliff rims that overlook Moab Valley. The nearby country is an amazing stretch of bare sandstone with clefts and canyons, including the Colorado River canyon.
Highlights:
In addition to the slickrock, there are rock ledges, broken rock, sand, and a little blow sand. The first ascent offers an immediate challenge to first, get onto it, and then to overcome nervousness about the drops on both sides. The major slickrock area includes steep climbs, sharp turns, and a hair raising descent along a steep ridge with little room for error left or right. Names like "Tip Over Challenge" and "Rubble Trouble" offer an insight into challenges offered in the later portions of the trail.
Minimum Requirements
Lockers: recommended
Tire size: 33
Winch required: recommended
Tow points front and rear yes
Working low range in T-case yes
Muffler mandatory on all trails
Three-point (at least) seat belts. mandatory on all trails
All trail days will be meeting at 2182 U.S. 191 (Moab Reservation Center) at 830AM. Departing time will be approx. 30-45 minutes after meeting time. Please arrive early to pick up your registration packets and air down. Waivers will be mandatory for all participants - so everybody arriving and participating must come sign in.
Participant stickers will also be mandatory to join our trail groups every day. Stickers must be placed in bottom left corner of windshield.
Our Partners for accommodations:
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