Trails of Moab

[JohnTheLuck]

Gemini Bridges is cool and easy. Well worth seying the bridges from the top. Now, you could also do Bull Canyon up to the point right under Gemini Bridges, with a small side trip to Surprise Overlook.

I would suggest you to get these two books which are the reference for my trips:

Guide to Moab Backroads and 4-Wheel Drive Trails, 3rd Edition, Charles A. Wells

Utah Trails Moab Region, Peter Massey

 

[sn0wrunner]

I've run most of the trails mentioned in this thread in my 3rd gen. Fins n' things, hell's revenge, poison spider, moab rim, behind the rocks, etc. My wife and I just bought a '16 SR5 this weekend, and even being an experienced wheeler I wouldn't be taking the new 4runner out on any of those trails. Especially if it were stock. It's just too nice. There are a lot of steep ups and downs where you will definitely hit your trailer hitch or bumper/s if you don't have a good feel for the approach/departure angles of the vehicle. Judging from your first post, I would suggest staying on trails that are listed 4 or lower on the trail damage site. Take my opinion with a huge grain of salt, like I said we literally just bought it and I'll be avoiding dirt roads for as long as possible. After all, that's what my 3rd gen is for anyways. :becky:

The best advice I can give you is to stay within your comfort zone. No shame in turning around because you aren't comfortable with a trail. I've seen it a lot before, there are too many groups out there that pressure people into doing obstacles that are well out of their comfort zone, skills, and vehicle's ability. All that combined and a lot of stuff can go wrong. But do have fun out there! It's an awesome place.

 

[Jetboy]

FWIW - you will return with scratches on your bumpers from Fins and Things. There's one downhill ledge that is very hard to navigate without kissing the rear bumper. I've attached an image showing the line if you want to keep you bumpers pretty. Especially at stock height. If you're not an experienced driver you'll almost certainly hit because you won't have the nerve to take it at a 45 degree angle. Your pucker factor will kick in and you'll go straight down and hit both front and rear bumpers. It's still fun, but just something to be aware of. The rest of the trail is pretty easy.

You could probably run Hell's Revenge without issue if you're super careful. I also ran Poison Spider Mesa in my 4runner with no body damage other than a few bumper scuffs, but I did put the skid plates to good use. Never needed any assistance as far as jacks or winch. So a stocker can run it, but you really should have a spotter for that one.

You can take a long scenic and mild offroad drive out on Kane Creek. It's beautiful, rarely busy, and has some intermediate obstacles that should be no problem for the 4runner.

I also agree with the suggestion to go out on Potash road/shaffer trail though canyonlands. It's beautiful and easy to do.

Some other suggestions for relatively easy offroad trails would be elephant hill in the island district of canyonlands and if you have more time there are some nice trails in the maze area. There are also a long set of back trails in canyonlands island district if you turn right just past the visitor's center. You'll leave the park proper and go out into BLM land. There's some great primitive camping out there too.

 

[Jetboy]

Oh, one more thing. The road that winds down the cliff from canyonlands is called the shafer trail. It is the 6 mile segment that goes down into the canyon. At the bottom the white rim trail follows the river around in a big loop. The potash road is a segment of road that goes from the junction of the white rim trail and shafer trail and takes you down river into the town of Moab. Sometimes they close the shafer trail segment in bad weather. Check before you go out of the way to get there. It sucks to get to the bottom of the shafer trail to find a closed gate. You can call the visitor's center to ask. I did that last winter and had to backtrack out in the dark, in the snow. If it's open at the top it'll be open at the bottom. But if you go the other way you may get to the bottom and find it locked.

Here's a short video of Cane Creek to give you an idea of a typical segment of the trail. Nothing hardcore. Just a little bumpy. But lots of beautiful stuff to see. It's a lot like the same scenery on the shafer trail, so if you did that route, you could skip Cane creek and go to the sand flats area for one of the other cool trails over there.

One more thing - if you do go out to sand flats (hell's revenge, fins and things) just go look at potato salad hill. It's insane that a stock 4runner can run that climb. The videos do not do it justice. You won't believe how steep it is when you see it in person.

 

[JohnTheLuck]

It sucks to get to the bottom of the shafer trail to find a closed gate.

But even then, it is a really nice trail with exceptional scenery.

 

[Jetboy]

But even then, it is a really nice trail with exceptional scenery.

I totally agree. I got stuck last winter in January out there in the dark. Drove out with a friend who's never been to Moab or off road. Got into Moab mid day and went out to make that loop. It was just at dusk when we arrived to find the locked gate. It's kind of a long bumpy ride back at night when you can't see much.

 

[JohnTheLuck]

I totally agree. I got stuck last winter in January out there in the dark. Drove out with a friend who's never been to Moab or off road. Got into Moab mid day and went out to make that loop. It was just at dusk when we arrived to find the locked gate. It's kind of a long bumpy ride back at night when you can't see much.

This could also happen any time between spring and fall, after heavy rain the Shafer Trail is closed sometimes because the sand/gravel gets so slippery. You never know what to expect there !!!

 

[Jetboy]

We had about a foot of snow. Not a big deal, but it made some of the cliff edge portions a bit more intense when you have snow that slopes toward the edge.

 

[JohnTheLuck]

We had about a foot of snow. Not a big deal, but it made some of the cliff edge portions a bit more intense when you have snow that slopes toward the edge.

I know what you mean. I tried to go up Long Canyon road in early January 2014. The portion above the fallen rock was always in the shade during the day and ice formed and stayed. My Wrangler rental never made it and it even start to go backward... Scary as hell, even if I am a lot used in winter conditions, living up north myself.

 

[RonJR]

Some other suggestions for relatively easy offroad trails would be elephant hill in the island district of canyonlands and if you have more time there are some nice trails in the maze area.

I would not recommend the Maze district for a newbie or for casual offroading. It's pretty remote (45 miles of gravel just to get to the ranger station), few rescue services available (and they are very expensive), poor cell phone coverage, requires extra fuel, and really should be planned fairly carefully as a multi-day, multi-vehicle trip. It's an awesome place to go, but probably not for the OP.

The roads in the Maze district are not too technically difficult, except for the Teapot section and some areas near the Dollhouse, both of which will require spotting for most drivers. I would hesitate to take a stock 4th or 5th gen through there. I'm sure it's possible, but it would get scraped up.

I haven't yet been on Elephant hill, but my reading is that it again would be somewhat beyond the OP's comfort level.

 

[jwkilgore]

The video is cool too. I think I would have puckered a bit on that rock slide! Not because of the slide, but bashing the front end. I mean, by the time I get to Moab, the Runner will have under 3,000 miles. Sure would be awesome to come home with a "hero scar"!!

Fixed it. If someone back home points to your "hero scar", start talking about your awesome trip to Moab.

That said, it's your ride and your wife/girlfriend (potentially) screaming in the passenger seat. Mine would be. If a little trail damage scares you (or her), then leave the 4Runner at the hotel and rent a Fiat (Jeep) or RZR https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=orv+rental+moab

 

[Ray Dunakin]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't know if Moab was like a national park or something, where they want charge you just to set foot in it.

I'm guessing that as long as I avoid the most popular trails, I shouldn't run into too much traffic off-road.

 

[Jeremy556]

Moab is a town, happens to be the largest town in SE Utah. There are 3 National Parks in the vicinity (it's like $80 for an annual pass for ALL of them), and endless BLM land in every direction. There are a couple of trails just outside of town that you pay a few bucks to use (Hell's Revenge, Fins'n'Thins, Porcupine Rim). If you avoid the popular trails, there are plenty of areas you won't see another person for weeks.

This picture was taken about 1500 feet outside of a National Park. I stopped by the ranger station near there, and he hadn't seen another person in months.

 

[jwkilgore]

Thanks for the replies. I didn't know if Moab was like a national park or something, where they want charge you just to set foot in it.

Not to derail the thread, but all public lands require money for maintenance; especially National Parks. Trash pickup, repair road damage, a police force to come help when someone steals your gear, etc.

In order to get this money, the options are to 1) force all taxpayers to foot the bill, including taxpayers in, say, Maine, who will never make it out to Moab; 2) recoup all costs locally by entrance fees; or 3) a combination of the two.

The best solution is option (3). In general, the set big-budget costs are taxpayer funded. Cost of land, capital items (buildings, new roads), payroll of employees, etc. The land is open to all citizens, no matter where they live, and this keeps it that way. It also keeps the daily user fees reasonable.

Other costs are recouped by user fees. Things like trash pickup, general maintenance, etc. I.e., the people who leave the trash and break things are the ones who pay for it.

You aren't paying to "set foot in it". You are paying to recover what it costs when you and 9,999 other people set foot in it and a dozen of those people trash the place.

 

[LawnDart]

Just in 2015 Arches National Park had 1.5 million visitors.

 

[Knight-Errant]

What are the best months for decent weather in Moab?

It seems like September and October are great for a trip out there in the fall, along with April and May in the Spring. What are experiences outside of those months like?

I'm basing this off of the monthly averages chart at weather.com

https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/USUT0165:1:US

 

[LawnDart]

What are the best months for decent weather in Moab?

It seems like September and October are great for a trip out there in the fall, along with April and May in the Spring. What are experiences outside of those months like?

I'm basing this off of the monthly averages chart at weather.com

https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/USUT0165:1:US

April-May-early June. Or September-October. It was crazy hot even in early June. Make sure your AC works.

 

[JohnTheLuck]

For me, March to April, and October to November.

I already went December to January in 2013 - 2014 but end-up having too much snow at some places. We hike Chestler Park with temperature just below freezing point. we had to keep our bottles inside our coats because they were freezing!

The problem with summer temperature is you have to carry too much water during hikes.

 

[Ray Dunakin]

Not to derail the thread, but all public lands require money for maintenance; especially National Parks. Trash pickup, repair road damage, a police force to come help when someone steals your gear, etc.

In order to get this money, the options are to 1) force all taxpayers to foot the bill, including taxpayers in, say, Maine, who will never make it out to Moab; 2) recoup all costs locally by entrance fees; or 3) a combination of the two.

The best solution is option (3). In general, the set big-budget costs are taxpayer funded. Cost of land, capital items (buildings, new roads), payroll of employees, etc. The land is open to all citizens, no matter where they live, and this keeps it that way. It also keeps the daily user fees reasonable.

Other costs are recouped by user fees. Things like trash pickup, general maintenance, etc. I.e., the people who leave the trash and break things are the ones who pay for it.

You aren't paying to "set foot in it". You are paying to recover what it costs when you and 9,999 other people set foot in it and a dozen of those people trash the place.

I disagree. When I enter public lands, I don't do anything that costs anybody else anything. I don't damage anything, I don't leave trash, and I don't do anything criminal. As for roads, we already pay an arm and leg in gas taxes that are supposed to support maintenance and repair of roads. My "use" of the land costs the government exactly $0.

The cost of policing public lands could be covered by fining the crap out of morons.

 

[STX4Runner]

I disagree. When I enter public lands, I don't do anything that costs anybody else anything. I don't damage anything, I don't leave trash, and I don't do anything criminal. As for roads, we already pay an arm and leg in gas taxes that are supposed to support maintenance and repair of roads. My "use" of the land costs the government exactly $0.

The cost of policing public lands could be covered by fining the crap out of morons.

You may not cost anything, but it still costs money to have this resource. Again, they have to have staff to monitor it, put up signs, maintain roads, empty trash cans and vault toilets, etc. And one of the BLM's smallest uses they manage for is recreation. They are mostly managing the land for mining, logging, oil and gas exploration and stock grazing. Which cost money to manage. We are uniquely lucky in the US that we have access to millions of acres of public land for recreation. I am happy to pay a nominal fee to enter a national park or an even smaller fee to camp at a designated BLM or Forest Service campground. I don't know what else you're referring to that costs money as I've never paid just for day use for fourwheeling, shooting, dispersed camping, etc. Also, gas taxes are for maintenance of highways, not dirt roads on BLM or Forest Service land.

Oh, and fining morons like crazy would be unlikely to work. How much have the Bundy's paid the BLM for grazing over the past 25 years? I'm not trying to turn this political at all as this is not the place for that, just illustrating that fining the people may not result in much revenue.