A Primer on Moab

dodge guy wrote:
How far can I go on some of the trails with a 16 Ram 1500 with 2” of lift? Not looking for aggressive off roaring. Just to get back to see some of the less seen sites!

Of course a lot depends on your previous 4x4 experience. You can look at this web page and concentrate on trails rated 2 or 2+ to start. You might look at some of the trails rated 3. Search for videos on them and see what sorts of obstacles that you will encounter and decide if you can do them.

For a starter course, try Shafer Trail off of Island in the Sky in Canyonlands and head back to Moab on the Potash Road. This really isn't much of a 4x4 road and it has been improved a lot in the last few decades. But it gets you right into the scenery.

On the other side of the river is Chicken Corners. A little more difficult than Shafer Trail but still not very technical. Rated a 2, it's considered by many to be an intro to Moab four wheeling.

Another relatively easy trail is Gemini Bridges. It takes off from UT 313 about 13 miles from the junction with US 191. There's a pretty small sign at the turnoff but usually lots of cars parked there, as it is the start of a heavily used mountain bike trail. About 5 1/2 miles down the road is a side road to the trail head for a short walk to view the bridges. Back at the truck, you can continue on down the Gemini Bridges road. It does get rougher but still doable with care. You'll come out on US 191 right across from the Brand Trails parking lot.

These trails will give you an idea of what's out there, but you'll still rarely find much solitude. Moab is just crazy busy.

If your appetite is whetted by these trails, you can always rent a jeep to try something a little more difficult. You have a pretty big rig and if it's a crew cab/quad cab it has a long wheelbase which makes it much easier to bottom out.