A Primer on Moab
We spend a lot of time in Moab. I first visited there in the 60’s and have been going back ever since. I probably camped in the area over 300 days in just the last 10 years. So I thought maybe I’d put...
Forum Discussion
What to do continued
Scenic Drives
I won’t include the roads through Arches NP and Island in the Sky /Canyonlands NP as I figure you’ll drive those roads if you are visiting those parks.
I’ve already mentioned UT 128 up the Colorado River as far as Dewey Bridge. A turnoff from this road takes you south through Castle Valley and up to the La Sal Mountains. The La Sal Loop Road will eventually drop you back onto US 191 south of Moab. This loop can take the better part of a day if you stop to explore, have a picnic and take pictures.
Driving downstream on UT 279 on the north side of the river is a nice way to spend an evening. You’ll pass Wall Street about five miles along this road where you may see lots of climbers heading up the rocks right beside the road. Just beyond there is a nice panel of petroglyphs. Definitely worth getting out of your vehicle to view. Watch for traffic. Further along you’ll pass Corona Arch and then Jughandle Arch. There are more petroglyphs above the Jughandle Arch parking lot. (For more information on rock art in the Moab area, check out this brochure) One may also drive this road by coming down off the Island in the Sky via Shafer Trail or Long Canyon roads (see below)
Even if you don’t camp down there, if you’re in Moab for more than a few days, a trip down to the Needles District of Canyonlands NP is a nice little jaunt. Stop at Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument on UT 211, the road into the Needles. Lots of rock art on this panel. There’s an outhouse there if you need one before you get to Canyonlands.
4x4 Roads
We really don’t do much four wheeling as we use our mountain bikes to get around. We’ve been on some of the4x4 roads and a good many of them require modified (non-stock) equipment. If you rent a jeep for a day of exploration, the rental companies will have suggestions on where to go (and where you’re not allowed to go with their equipment).
One of the better listings of 4x4 trails in the area is by Red Rock 4-Wheelers. Check out their website for descriptions, maps, and photos.
If you do Elephant Hill down in the Needles District of Canyonlands NP, do the short hike to the Joint Trail. It is cool in there even in the summer, so a place to picnic if you so choose. The hike out to the Confluence Overlook is also nice. We’ve seen it when the Green River was running red and the Colorado River was running green! :h
There are some trails they don’t list. Maybe they’re too easy for them to even consider. ;) In Canyonlands, the White Rim Trail can be done in a day. Drop in at Shafer Trail and head clockwise around the Island in the Sky. You can see parts of this trail when you are at some of the viewpoints on the Island. Murphy Hogback is the biggest challenge, but most four wheel drive vehicles with decent clearance can make this trip. A smaller vehicle like a Subaru Outback might be challenged by Murphy Hogback however. Many smaller sport UTES aren’t really 4x4 but rather all-wheel drive. I’d be a little cautious about taking one of them. I doubt I’d take our RAV4 on the White Rim.
Another, easier option is to drop down Shafer Trail and take a left on Potash Road about five miles down. This will take you back to Moab via UT 279 on the north side of the Colorado River. You’ll go past the evaporation ponds at Potash and past the place where the closing scene of “Thelma and Louise” was filmed (no, it wasn’t the Grand Canyon!). I did this route in a brand new 1981 Honda Accord (the small versions back then) and my girlfriend at the time only had to get out and push once!
One can also drop down off the Island on Long Canyon Road which takes off from UT 313 just before Dead Horse Point SP. This also joins UT 279 but upstream from Potash, so it’s a much quicker way back to Moab. Generally traversable in a high clearance 2WD vehicle, but rains and spring runoff can leave large rocks in the road in the bottom of the canyon.
Scenic Drives
I won’t include the roads through Arches NP and Island in the Sky /Canyonlands NP as I figure you’ll drive those roads if you are visiting those parks.
I’ve already mentioned UT 128 up the Colorado River as far as Dewey Bridge. A turnoff from this road takes you south through Castle Valley and up to the La Sal Mountains. The La Sal Loop Road will eventually drop you back onto US 191 south of Moab. This loop can take the better part of a day if you stop to explore, have a picnic and take pictures.
Driving downstream on UT 279 on the north side of the river is a nice way to spend an evening. You’ll pass Wall Street about five miles along this road where you may see lots of climbers heading up the rocks right beside the road. Just beyond there is a nice panel of petroglyphs. Definitely worth getting out of your vehicle to view. Watch for traffic. Further along you’ll pass Corona Arch and then Jughandle Arch. There are more petroglyphs above the Jughandle Arch parking lot. (For more information on rock art in the Moab area, check out this brochure) One may also drive this road by coming down off the Island in the Sky via Shafer Trail or Long Canyon roads (see below)
Even if you don’t camp down there, if you’re in Moab for more than a few days, a trip down to the Needles District of Canyonlands NP is a nice little jaunt. Stop at Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument on UT 211, the road into the Needles. Lots of rock art on this panel. There’s an outhouse there if you need one before you get to Canyonlands.
4x4 Roads
We really don’t do much four wheeling as we use our mountain bikes to get around. We’ve been on some of the4x4 roads and a good many of them require modified (non-stock) equipment. If you rent a jeep for a day of exploration, the rental companies will have suggestions on where to go (and where you’re not allowed to go with their equipment).
One of the better listings of 4x4 trails in the area is by Red Rock 4-Wheelers. Check out their website for descriptions, maps, and photos.
If you do Elephant Hill down in the Needles District of Canyonlands NP, do the short hike to the Joint Trail. It is cool in there even in the summer, so a place to picnic if you so choose. The hike out to the Confluence Overlook is also nice. We’ve seen it when the Green River was running red and the Colorado River was running green! :h
There are some trails they don’t list. Maybe they’re too easy for them to even consider. ;) In Canyonlands, the White Rim Trail can be done in a day. Drop in at Shafer Trail and head clockwise around the Island in the Sky. You can see parts of this trail when you are at some of the viewpoints on the Island. Murphy Hogback is the biggest challenge, but most four wheel drive vehicles with decent clearance can make this trip. A smaller vehicle like a Subaru Outback might be challenged by Murphy Hogback however. Many smaller sport UTES aren’t really 4x4 but rather all-wheel drive. I’d be a little cautious about taking one of them. I doubt I’d take our RAV4 on the White Rim.
Another, easier option is to drop down Shafer Trail and take a left on Potash Road about five miles down. This will take you back to Moab via UT 279 on the north side of the Colorado River. You’ll go past the evaporation ponds at Potash and past the place where the closing scene of “Thelma and Louise” was filmed (no, it wasn’t the Grand Canyon!). I did this route in a brand new 1981 Honda Accord (the small versions back then) and my girlfriend at the time only had to get out and push once!
One can also drop down off the Island on Long Canyon Road which takes off from UT 313 just before Dead Horse Point SP. This also joins UT 279 but upstream from Potash, so it’s a much quicker way back to Moab. Generally traversable in a high clearance 2WD vehicle, but rains and spring runoff can leave large rocks in the road in the bottom of the canyon.
