Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum - May 2021 Seattle to Moab, UT Trip (Photo Dump)

Toyota 4Runner Forum - Largest 4Runner Forum (https://www.toyota-4runner.org/)

- 5th gen T4Rs (https://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/)

- - May 2021 Seattle to Moab, UT Trip (Photo Dump) (https://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/297822-may-2021-seattle-moab-ut-trip-photo-dump.html)

May 2021 Seattle to Moab, UT Trip (Photo Dump)

Just came back from a 10 day road trip to Moab, Utah. Went with a group of friends in a GX470 and a 1st Gen Raptor. Spent time hiking and sight setting both Arches/Canyonlands National Park, and Dead Horse Point State Park. Also visited the Land Cruiser Museum in Salt Lake City - awesome place and I highly recommend it to any Toyota truck enthusiast.

Due to our time constraints and the unexpected failure of the Raptor's ball joint we were limited to Fins n' Things, Hell's Revenge, and the simple Shafer/Potash Trail. We initially planned to complete Top of the World as well. We did all the obstacles at Fins n’ Things and Hell's Revenge, less the Escalator and the deep hot tubs. We still had to drive over 1000 miles back home to the PNW. The Raptor is all stock, the GX and my SR5 has 33's. 4LO plus ATRAC handled everything on these trails, made easy work on rocky ascends. We didn't even touch our skid plates. Most were scrapes on the sliders or taps on the hitch or the corners of the rear bumper.

It was fun being the only Toyota's on the days we hit up the trails. All we encountered were swarms of side-by-sides and the typical Jeep groups with 40"+ tires. Surprisingly empty trails for the most part during the weekday.

We will back again soon but with a re-gear and bigger tires ready other trails. Will do Golden Spike, Poison Spider, ToW, and Elephant Hill next time since we got the National Parks out of way now. Moab is a must-visit for those into the outdoors, especially if you are into wheeling your 4Runner.

<b>Fins n' Things 5/25<b>

We don't have much rock crawling experience as we are used to messing around on dense forest and mountain roads in the wet PNW. We have some man-made rock gardens near Seattle but it's nothing like the slickrock in Moab. Fins n' Things was a great trail to get our feet wet in Moab. Fairly easy 9.5 mile trail consisting of some steep ascends/descends on slickrock fins. We didn't take any of the bypasses as the optional obstacles were pretty simple. The Raptor did scrape his running boards, front and rear hitch often due to the long wheel base and poor breakover angle.

https://i.imgur.com/aFX7ci8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/B6yVjth.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/meawYTX.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/S9byYJp.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/xx1Cmfh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/oVpI51D.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/uGtOeyh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YIqzxac.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/hB9k0vp.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cZU3Wik.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/zPSrb0u.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/PIN4Rcf.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/LOA6qng.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5APwC5e.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/JNxvCsp.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/4FIYKao.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3sMu0LS.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/qRYgwR3.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/LuUWD60.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3YdJRqb.jpg

Looks like a great time!

Thanks for making me hungry hah

Come out to the South Sound and we'll do a beach run or something sometime

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brick Sprickly (Post 3642750)

Come out to the South Sound and we'll do a beach run or something sometime

Where in the south sound? I run the trails of Tahuya in Belfair once in a while.

Hell's Revenge 5/27

A bit more challenging compared to Fins n' Things. Lots of high elevation and narrow lines through the fins. More rock ledges and drop offs. The most puckering areas is when you crest over a fin and not know where to turn, especially descending Dragon's Tail. A front camera would have been beneficial but we just had a friend get out and verify where the line is. If you're not careful you can easily roll your vehicle. We saw three flopped side-by-sides that day.

Hell's Gate wasn't too bad. Easily doable if you're a good driver and/or have a good spotter. We just watched some YT videos the night before to get an idea of which lines to take. The GX with open diffs made it up without issue. My passenger tires slipped off the right wall causing my vehicle to fall which scuffed my rear passenger door handle. Minor cosmetic damage, I can buff it off. Most folks take the shortcut bypass for an early exit but we opted to complete the entire trail which made us go through lots of rocky drop offs.

https://i.imgur.com/8wHU4pT.png

https://i.imgur.com/9dpr7ZI.png

https://i.imgur.com/p1zBp9U.png

https://i.imgur.com/7WoY4Qe.png

https://i.imgur.com/FG8IxwE.png

https://i.imgur.com/9qEImf2.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/8RsEahi.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/fhhpdXX.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CGs3jR8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ErZQHne.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/5PEQe47.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/UYoZ4N8.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/rKG2Xdv.png

https://i.imgur.com/EGkbPyh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/9Y95Zvn.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FXxjdXz.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/wXWqA1p.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seattle206 (Post 3642765)

Where in the south sound? I run the trails of Tahuya in Belfair once in a while.

East Olympia. Yeah I've been meaning to get up to Tahuya but never have yet. Looks like a great time but would be nice to go with someone who knows the routes first. Next time you plan to go It's an easy hour from me.

Looks like an awesome trip with some capable rigs! Any need for your locker? Sounds like you and the GX only needed A-Trac. That's always encouraging!

Quote:

Originally Posted by AggieOE (Post 3642805)

Looks like an awesome trip with some capable rigs! Any need for your locker? Sounds like you and the GX only needed A-Trac. That's always encouraging!

Thanks. No need for a locker at Hell's Revenge, just 4LO and ATRAC is all you need. Of course having a locker for something like Hell's Revenge or the Escalator would help but it is not necessary. Some folks were actually surprised to see us make it up without using lockers, like all the jeep guys.

Finally got to see a 4Runner do Hells Gate! I have done it my 99 XJ but always wonder why no on in a Toyota would try it. This gives me comfort that I made the right decision switching to a 4Runner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverFox2020 (Post 3642872)

Finally got to see a 4Runner do Hells Gate! I have done it my 99 XJ but always wonder why no on in a Toyota would try it. This gives me comfort that I made the right decision switching to a 4Runner.

Yeah, there were a bunch of Can Am's that ran up Hell's Gate with ease. Then a group of tricked out JK's and their guide spotted his group up. The GX only has open diffs and center lock and made it up without a scratch. I have an ARB locker in the rear of my SR5 which I used just to ensure constant traction when climbing the gate. We just have basic off the shelve suspension, no fancy long travel or custom tunes.