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First Trip To Moab Coming Up! Any Advice?

2K views 27 replies 10 participants last post by  Tommy R 
#1 ·
Hey y'all,

So in about 2-3 weeks it looks like I'll be taking a trip to Moab. It'll be my first time to Moab and I know it'll be bitter cold, but I don't care! :D I'll be towing the Jeep with a buddy riding shotgun so I'll have a spotter, though we'll likely do the trails solo unless we group up with any other crazy wheelers willing to battle the weather while we're there.

We plan on running at least Moab Rim and Poison Spider. Given the chance, I may also try Potato Salad Hill, but I may be a bit tentative given the rollover videos I've seen! Anyway, if y'all have any input on the trails out there, I'd love to hear it. I've been told by friends I wheel with (who have been to Moab) that these two trails won't be much of a problem for my Jeep so that's good. Any other suggestions? Keep in mind I'm not looking to beat up my rig. I want to have fun, but don't want it coming back all wadded up.

We'll be staying at the Big Horn Lodge. I'm told it's pretty nice and the price of $45/night can't be beat! We should have 3 full days out there and if the weather is nice enough we may spend half a day mountain biking, too. I'd also be interested in hearing about any cool touristy spots y'all could recommend.

Thanks,
Tommy
 
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#2 ·
Moab is such a great play place. Nice to have in my backyard. Aside from wheeling there, I spend a bit of time there Hiking, Climbing, Biking, and Off-Road Motorcycling. So feel free to PM me if you have any questions about those activities there.

As for non-wheeling touristy stuff... Hiking in the Fiery Furnace in Arches Nat'l Park is a fun, unique experience. You do have to watch a 10 min vid at the visitors center, and have to pay something like $5 per person extra for a permit to hike in there... but its well worth it.

For Food... I typically eat at: the Moab Brewery(hot wings to melt your face off), Zax(great pizza), Pasta Jay's(great biking carbs).

The local shops should have some really good discounts on their outdoor gear as it is the offseason too.

Have a good one down there.
 
#4 ·
Steel bender was pretty fun as well as Hells Revenge. Metal masher was another great trail with great obsticles and views. A good trail to start off on to get a feel for the slick rock would be Fins 'N Things.
Last spring, a friend stayed at the Big Horn lodge and it was really nice. Plenty of room to park your tow rig and the rooms were nice. There's a Moab trail book that is spiral bound which is nice when you're on the trail and you don't loose your place on the book. Its sold at the bookstores there. Also, for meeting up with other rigs, there's a huge grocery store where (I can't remember the name) you can get supplies for the day and possibly meet up with other groups and go with them. I'm hoping to go in April and can't wait.
 
#5 ·
I was there in June and did Fins N Things, Shafer Trail, Long Canyon, and Onion Creek.

Fins was the only trail that had any degree of difficulty. The others were more scenic. Shafer trail was fun and it was pretty cool going up the switchbacks into Canyonlands National Park.

If I ever go back I'd like to do Hell's Revenge. I think it's pretty much the only other hardcore trail that my Jeep can do in it's present configuration.

If you can, pick up the Charles Wells Guide to Moab book. It has all the trail info you will need. I wasn't so sure I'd be able to tackle Fins but that book gave me the confidence to run it...that and some guy from New Mexico I ran into in town who gave me some tips and encouragement.
 
#6 ·
Don't try Potato Salad Hill if you're alone. You may find yourself in a precarious position where you won't be able to go up or down. It's good to have another vehicle on top in case you need a strap. I've made it up, but it was an adventure. :)

You could definitely do Hell's Revenge. Most of the trail can be done in an open/open vehicle on 31 inch tires. The difficult obstacles like Escalator, Hell's Gate and the hot tubs are optional. And there is a bypass for Tipover Challenge.

The Big Horn Lodge is a good place to stay. See if they'll give you free breakfast vouchers at the Smitty's Golden Steak in front of the motel.

The best mountain bike trail is Porcupine Rim. There are a couple of shuttle companies that'll take you to the beginning of the trail. Then when you finish, you can just ride back into town.

Have a great time and be careful. :cheers2:
 
#7 ·
Take note of the trails that have water crossings, The water will most likely be ice or very iced over. I was just thinking about trails like Kane Creek that has multiple water crossings... during the summer is an awesome run, but in winter could be just hellacious, and not the fun kind of hellacious.
 
#9 ·
I ate at a Mexican place at the end of town closest to Arches NP. I think it was called La Hacienda. I liked it so much I ate there again 2 days later. heh
 
#13 ·
I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank everyone for their comments. I'm still frantically trying to get everything ready for the trip so time is tight. :) Anyway, I'll post up with the trails we end up hitting and I will start a daily "blog" here to chronicle the trip. ;) I'll post the link when I do.

Tommy
 
#15 ·
+1 on the pics. When I was wheeling I think I got a little too wrapped up in the driving that I didn't take as many pictures of my Jeep as I wish I did.
 
#18 ·
Sorry, I updated the trip "blog" thread with the details, but we had to cancel. My friend ended up getting seriously ill the morning we were about to leave and ended up being hospitalized! He's okay now, but because that was his only available week to go, I had to cancel and am now desparately trying to reschedule the trip.

Tommy
 
#19 ·
Well, another friend of mine came through and is going to go to Moab with me! We leave Austin on 2/21 (this coming Sat.) and will arrive Sunday afternoon. Coinidentally, it'll be on my birthday that we arrive. Happy b-day to me! :)

I'm still trying to determine what trails to do. Definitely want to do Moab Rim, Poison Spyder, Hell's Revenge (along with Escalator, etc.), but am open to suggestions for others. Looking for a decent challenge, with good views, and hopefully not too much change for significant body damage. Though my Jeep is decently armored.

Also, we're looking to hit some mountain bike trails. My friend isn't much of a biker so we're looking for more leisurely rides. Maybe take some shuttles and so the more "downhill-ish" trails, if those exist.

Reservations are made for the Big Horn and we're planning on hitting pretty much all the restaurants y'all mentioned. Thanks again for the input so far and please keep it coming!

Tommy
 
#21 ·
You won't be disappointed with the Big Horn... I have stayed there for many weeks and it's a great place! Also as said Smittys has good cheaper food, I just ate there tonight. Zax and Pasta Jays are both awesome as well. You really can't go wrong with food in Moab, most places are good. I have done quite a few trails around Moab but most are on the easier side and you are probably looking for something harder. Like Polecat said you can't beat Fins for great scenery and a decent trail. If you have any particular questions on things PM me, I may be able to help. Ohh and if you end up biking Porcupine Rim look just to the right of Castle Rock in Castle Valley and you might be able to see my house.

What are you talking about?

A Geo Metro Can do it!

Btw that was funny as hell! Great find!
 
#22 ·
Cliff, thanks for the info! If you're available, you should come join us for a beer while we're there. We're arriving Sunday afternoon and leaving Friday morning.....or maybe Saturday morning. ;)

Heck, this offer goes out to anyone else who may be in the area, too. :)

After doing more research, I can confidently say that I want to at least do Hell's Revenge, Golden Spike, Moab Rim, Poison Spider, Pritchet Canyon, Cliffhanger, and maybe Metal Masher. We're not just looking for moderate-to-hard trails. If some are particularly scenic, but less challenging, we'll do those, too!

And it goes without saying that if anyone is out there and would like to join us, you're welcome to!

Tommy
 
#23 ·
I should be free all week since I am unemployed at the moment lol It sounds like you guys have a lot of awesome trails planned... you will have a blast! As far as moderate scenic trails, like I said you can beat Fins for scenic also Dome Plateau has an amazing overlook and some cool wind caves and 3D is a pretty cool loop as well. Ohh and when you do Pritchet hit Kane Creek Overlook at the end. Its a short easy trip but well worth the view. Also if you spend any time in Arches NP hit Tower Arch while you are there. Again pretty easy but it goes into a very unvisited part of the park that is really nice. I am sure you probably already looked here but there are a good list of trails at http://www.rr4w.com/
 
#24 ·
I hear you! I'm in the same boat so I'm trying to make the best use of all this free time that I can. :) PM me your number and we'll grab a beer. We'll be at the Moab Brewery Sunday night (if they're open) to celebrate my b-day. :) If you'd like to come wheelin' with us, you're more than welcome to.

Tommy
 
#25 ·
Keep us posted on how this trip worked out, i'm planning a trip there for next december/early january.. Im interested to hear about the conditions there during the winter and what trails would be good for some nice moderate scenic trail rides. It will be part of a road trip that will be taking me from Jersey to texas, then to moab for the scenery and wheeling/biking, then up to park city for some back country skiing, then back to jersey. Ill be driving the jeep and not trailering it for this trip so unfortunently ill have to stick to some more mild trails in moab. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
 
#26 ·
Keep us posted on how this trip worked out, i'm planning a trip there for next december/early january.. Im interested to hear about the conditions there during the winter and what trails would be good for some nice moderate scenic trail rides. It will be part of a road trip that will be taking me from Jersey to texas, then to moab for the scenery and wheeling/biking, then up to park city for some back country skiing, then back to jersey. Ill be driving the jeep and not trailering it for this trip so unfortunently ill have to stick to some more mild trails in moab. Let me know if you have any suggestions.
Well as far a current weather here in Moab, today I washed my jeep and spent the day in short sleeves. It was about 55 and sunny. It really depends on the week in the winter here. Some weeks are cold and others like this one are very warm. That sounds like an awesome trip RussoGuitar! Between the biking, jeepin and back country skiing. There is some pretty awesome BC skiing just outside of Moab as well in the La Sal Mountains. I was up there in 2 ft of fresh pow like a week ago. Although the avalanche danger can get pretty high and hard to predict around here. I sent you a PM Tommy R... have a good trip!
 
#28 ·
Hey y'all!

Well, the trip was a HUGE success and I owe y'all a debt of gratitude for helping point us in the right directions. :) I have to say that the Brewery has some really good beers and Pasta Jay's is fantastic! All the other places we ate were really good, too, but Pasta Jay's stood out! Also, there's a little deli near the Wells Fargo bank (Panatele's?) that has a great meatball sub. Highly recommended for lunch.

In case you're interested, I did a trip log with write-ups, pics, and videos. Check it out if you're interested:
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?p=6622396#post6622396

Thanks again!! :cheers2:

Tommy
 
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