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3 Newbs and a Moab Trip

Shamwedge

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I realize there is a thread on this already, but I didn't want to hi-jack Meadows thread :)

We're planning a Moab trip for next year, sometime in June. I will have a stock manual 2 Door JL Sport S and my brother will have a stock auto 80th edition Gladiator.

We plan on hitting all of the easy rated trails we saw in the infamous Moab book and from Trailsoffroad.com. However, we would like to get a badge of honor or two while we are there. How feasible would it be to do Hells Revenge and Fins and Things (assuming we do the bypasses)?

I would like to do some mods before the trip, but if it's not possible, I'd like to at least know what are limits are.
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Just go have a good time. There are many trails you will be able to do. I think Fins & Things are doable. I also think that Steel Bender is doable. You will have to pick your line and do some light spotting. But still doable. The Gladiator may drag the back of the box some though.
 

wibornz

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One more thing, that I never hear anyone mention. Go up to the Island in the Sky for a sunset and star gazing. It is pretty incredible. If you want to spend the money to get into Dead horse, it is a great place for sunset and it is on the Island in the Sky.
 
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Shamwedge

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Just go have a good time. There are many trails you will be able to do. I think Fins & Things are doable. I also think that Steel Bender is doable. You will have to pick your line and do some light spotting. But still doable. The Gladiator may drag the back of the box some though.
One more thing, that I never hear anyone mention. Go up to the Island in the Sky for a sunset and star gazing. It is pretty incredible. If you want to spend the money to get into Dead horse, it is a great place for sunset and it is on the Island in the Sky.
Thank you for the insight and great suggestion regarding the sunset and stars. I'm very much into astrophotography, and Island in the Sky sounds like an excellent opportunity to get some cool photos. Didn't know about that!
 

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Moab was SUPER amazing years ago. Now it's just an overrun tourist trap with folks trapped in urban sprawl from all over the country, coming to decompress. Yes, you can still get out in the boonies but the dirt roads are dusty and beat to shit from all the traffic. Dispersed camping is always available but you're lucky to find any good spots not taken unless you travel miles into the outback.

My last trip, my favorite spot 5 miles down a dirt road looked like an RV show with so many motorhomes, trailers and toyhaulers. Little kids, drunks and assholes in general jamming around the area making so much dust you could see it for miles.

Wann'a see the parks? Get in line...they fill up early and ya wait until someone leaves before you can enter. Wann'a go to town for groceries or an ice-cream? A 45 minute crawling traffic jam is not uncommon heading into town. Going for dinner? You and about 5000 of your best friends had the same idea. Hotels, campgrounds...booked.

I don't want to blow out your plans for a grand Moab adventure, but be aware, if you like crowds and a Disneyland like get-away...or if you are from the east or some other urban shit hole, it might be right up your alley. The internet and social media has done wonders for Moab, and Utah in general.

My last trip...was my last trip. You can have it ALL to yourself. Just one less local to take up space.
 
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Shamwedge

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Moab was SUPER amazing years ago. Now it's just an overrun tourist trap with folks trapped in urban sprawl from all over the country, coming to decompress. Yes, you can still get out in the boonies but the dirt roads are dusty and beat to shit from all the traffic. Dispersed camping is always available but you're lucky to find any good spots not taken unless you travel miles into the outback.

My last trip, my favorite spot 5 miles down a dirt road looked like an RV show with so many motorhomes, trailers and toyhaulers. Little kids, drunks and assholes in general jamming around the area making so much dust you could see it for miles.

Wann'a see the parks? Get in line...they fill up early and ya wait until someone leaves before you can enter. Wann'a go to town for groceries or an ice-cream? A 45 minute crawling traffic jam is not uncommon heading into town. Going for dinner? You and about 5000 of your best friends had the same idea. Hotels, campgrounds...booked.

I don't want to blow out your plans for a grand Moab adventure, but be aware, if you like crowds and a Disneyland like get-away...or if you are from the east or some other urban shit hole, it might be right up your alley. The internet and social media has done wonders for Moab, and Utah in general.

My last trip...was my last trip. You can have ALL to yourself. Just one less local to take up space.
Interesting. I appreciate the viewpoint. This trip is over a year a way. Hopefully it will die down a smidge by then. Opposingly, it may be better for some newbs to always have someone near by, in case something happens.
 

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Simple solution to the traffic and congestion...go during "off-season", and in the middle of the week.

Go during EJS and the place will be PACKED. IMO, that's worth it, too...just a different experience.
 

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Planning the same trip next year and still debating the dates. It seems like EJS is the official kickoff to crazy season in Utah but we also plan to boondock in death valley. I think we may hit MOAB the week before EJS and then Death Valley the week of EJS. Long drive from Maine so I'm going to overthink and second guess this for months to come šŸ˜‹
 
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Shamwedge

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Planning the same trip next year and still debating the dates. It seems like EJS is the official kickoff to crazy season in Utah but we also plan to boondock in death valley. I think we may hit MOAB the week before EJS and then Death Valley the week of EJS. Long drive from Maine so I'm going to overthink and second guess this for months to come šŸ˜‹
Yea, plenty of time to make plans and then change them about 10 different times haha. It's almost better off just winging it once you get there lol
 

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I did Finns and Things as part of Jeep jamboree last year ā€”- a stock jeep can do it. You WILL scrape on a few places, IMO ... heck, I scraped in a few places in my stock Rubicon. PLAN on scraping. There is one tricky section maybe 2/3rds of the way through.... a narrow steep decline and you need to have a spotter at the base of the trail, IMO. No scraping just a ā€œtrickyā€˜ (for a newb like me) little bit of trail.

overall, if you want a badge trail, that is certainly doable stock. Just have a black paint rattle can ready when you get home or the hotel parking lot..... crawl under, wipe clean, spray.

We stayed at the Moab Valley Inn. Itā€™s dated but itā€™s also fairly inexpensive. Dated+inexpensive is a reasonable deal for me. As a plus, there is a very good BBQ joint next door (stroll across the parking lot). Blu Pig, I think. Good joint. Easy to get lunch or dinner without driving as traffic in Moab SUCKS with all the road construction.

consider this:

post 31 and 36

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...ils-for-pussesā€-ā€”-list-them-here.56846/page-3
 

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Shamwedge

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I did Finns and Things as part of Jeep jamboree last year ā€”- a stock jeep can do it. You WILL scrape on a few places, IMO ... heck, I scraped in a few places in my stock Rubicon. PLAN on scraping. There is one tricky section maybe 2/3rds of the way through.... a narrow steep decline and you need to have a spotter at the base of the trail, IMO. No scraping just a ā€œtrickyā€˜ (for a newb like me) little bit of trail.

overall, if you want a badge trail, that is certainly doable stock. Just have a black paint rattle can ready when you get home or the hotel parking lot..... crawl under, wipe clean, spray.

We stayed at the Moab Valley Inn. Itā€™s dated but itā€™s also fairly inexpensive. Dated+inexpensive is a reasonable deal for me. As a plus, there is a very good BBQ joint next door (stroll across the parking lot). Blu Pig, I think. Good joint. Easy to get lunch or dinner without driving as traffic in Moab SUCKS with all the road construction.

consider this:

post 31 and 36

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...ils-for-pussesā€-ā€”-list-them-here.56846/page-3

This information was incredibly helpful. Thank you for the taking the time to post.
 

Dkretden

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This information was incredibly helpful. Thank you for the taking the time to post.
Terrific, glad that I could help. Have fun in Moab and Fins&Things. On F&T There are a number of by-passes around many of the trickier bits and as a newbie you may wish to use them. Right at the beginning of the trail there is a steep vertical rock wall. Spotter probably required for a newbie. Our guides/spotters (jeep jamboree) said to ā€˜put lockers on and if you donā€™t have lockers, go around......ā€...... the Jeep behind me did not have lockers and tried it anyway. He had no issues.

F&T was fun but really not for me. As I said in the other post, I really like ā€œtrails for Pussesā€ better.... some folks call them ā€œscenicā€ and call the badge trails ā€œtechnicalā€. Whatever the terms there are plenty of choices in and around Moab to just go and explore.

Have fun. I would definitely get CanyonLands (needles or island in the sky) onto your itinerary. Shockingly beautiful there even if you just stay on the paved road.

Needles on a COLD morning after an early fall snow:

Jeep Wrangler JL 3 Newbs and a Moab Trip 414C66AC-8894-4B59-938C-3B68079C13EB


island in the sky two days before the snow:
Jeep Wrangler JL 3 Newbs and a Moab Trip 16E09AC0-8CB3-4B94-9A49-DA306A064F1F
 

SteadyC

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Iā€™ve been to Moab during EJS 3 times, we just got back today, had a great time. And we went last year in May, also had a great time. We did Arches and Needles parks last year, and had a great time. Donā€™t let anyone poopoo your plans, itā€™s still awesome, even when busy. Going back in 4 weeks for rzr weekend with myself and 4 friends. Look at the trails on rr4w.com, and pick which ones you lIke, based on how far trail is from Moab, and how long the trail is, and leave yourself time for drinks after jeepin, for example Finns and Things is very close to Moab. We did Finns and Things, again, and Sevenmile Rim. I have a Sport 2 door with the leveling kit from Teraflex, so little lift, got hung up on a couple of things on sevenmile, had my spotter not been so lazy and didnā€™t get out, I might not have had any issues, ;). didnt hit anything on FnT.

Jeep Wrangler JL 3 Newbs and a Moab Trip 1679F08B-23EF-423A-A0B5-F62463BB21E1


Jeep Wrangler JL 3 Newbs and a Moab Trip 44AC4F0F-FD29-453A-B16E-06A888254920


Jeep Wrangler JL 3 Newbs and a Moab Trip 39171A60-F183-49DB-8369-011E7BF3999C


DF826984-58E3-4227-A9B0-46FD63E4A2AE.jpeg
 
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Avar928

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For your Sport S get the "budget lift" upgrade and swap in Rubi shocks and springs and you'll get a +1-1.5" or so. Make sure at minimum you have tow straps and an air compressor for assisted rescue and sand respectively. A quick deflate valve is nice to air down fast. I carry an extra 2G gas and 1G water Rotopax strapped to the spare with me, chains for snow and ice, and a shovel.

Try the full "Eye of the Whale" trail in Arches, the preferred easy way is north to south. You have a challenging but doable rocky section in the north and downhill on fluffy sand. If you go the opposite way you may get stuck in the fluff going uphill. I made it half way up the trail without a compressor but got caught in the sand and had to turn around going north. Could have aired down and just filled up at a gas station, next time.

I HIGHLY recommend Hartnet Road out in Capitol Reef. Fjord a small river to get on the trail and it is smooth sailing, gorgeous views of the outer areas of the park with basically no one in sight except for grazing free range cows.

I did all these on and more on a bone stock 2.0 JLUS and factory A/Ts. The Sport S is more than capable of handling challenging trails even for a new to off-roader. Certainly expect to get dented and scratched up but that is part of ownership and badges of honor in and of itself.
 
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Shamwedge

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Terrific, glad that I could help. Have fun in Moab and Fins&Things. On F&T There are a number of by-passes around many of the trickier bits and as a newbie you may wish to use them. Right at the beginning of the trail there is a steep vertical rock wall. Spotter probably required for a newbie. Our guides/spotters (jeep jamboree) said to ā€˜put lockers on and if you donā€™t have lockers, go around......ā€...... the Jeep behind me did not have lockers and tried it anyway. He had no issues.

F&T was fun but really not for me. As I said in the other post, I really like ā€œtrails for Pussesā€ better.... some folks call them ā€œscenicā€ and call the badge trails ā€œtechnicalā€. Whatever the terms there are plenty of choices in and around Moab to just go and explore.

Have fun. I would definitely get CanyonLands (needles or island in the sky) onto your itinerary. Shockingly beautiful there even if you just stay on the paved road.

Needles on a COLD morning after an early fall snow:

Jeep Wrangler JL 3 Newbs and a Moab Trip DF826984-58E3-4227-A9B0-46FD63E4A2AE


island in the sky two days before the snow:
Jeep Wrangler JL 3 Newbs and a Moab Trip DF826984-58E3-4227-A9B0-46FD63E4A2AE
I would love to try both types of trails. I guess I like a little danger and thrill I suppose. Looking forward to seeing everything. Right now, we plan on spending an entire day on the White Rim Trail, so hopefully we'll get to see a good majority of the Canyonlands. Excellent pictures!

Iā€™ve been to Moab during EJS 3 times, we just got back today, had a great time. And we went last year in May, also had a great time. We did Arches and Needles parks last year, and had a great time. Donā€™t let anyone poopoo your plans, itā€™s still awesome, even when busy. Going back in 4 weeks for rzr weekend with myself and 4 friends. Look at the trails on rr4w.com, and pick which ones you lIke, based on how far trail is from Moab, and how long the trail is, and leave yourself time for drinks after jeepin, for example Finns and Things is very close to Moab. We did Finns and Things, again, and Sevenmile Rim. I have a Sport 2 door with the leveling kit from Teraflex, so little lift, got hung up on a couple of things on sevenmile, had my spotter not been so lazy and didnā€™t get out, I might not have had any issues, ;). didnt hit anything on FnT.

Jeep Wrangler JL 3 Newbs and a Moab Trip DF826984-58E3-4227-A9B0-46FD63E4A2AE


Jeep Wrangler JL 3 Newbs and a Moab Trip DF826984-58E3-4227-A9B0-46FD63E4A2AE


Jeep Wrangler JL 3 Newbs and a Moab Trip DF826984-58E3-4227-A9B0-46FD63E4A2AE


Jeep Wrangler JL 3 Newbs and a Moab Trip DF826984-58E3-4227-A9B0-46FD63E4A2AE
Thank you for the added insight on Finns & Things and the some reassurance that I should be ok on that trail given that we take our time, pick the right lines, and don't go all crazy. I had not come across Sevenmile trail so thank you for bringing that to my attention. Going to look it up tonight. Thank you for the pictures as well. Makes me want to leave tonight haha.


For your Sport S get the "budget lift" upgrade and swap in Rubi shocks and springs and you'll get a +1-1.5" or so. Make sure at minimum you have tow straps and an air compressor for assisted rescue and sand respectively. A quick deflate valve is nice to air down fast. I carry an extra 2G gas and 1G water Rotopax strapped to the spare with me, chains for snow and ice, and a shovel.

Try the full "Eye of the Whale" trail in Arches, the preferred easy way is north to south. You have a challenging but doable rocky section in the north and downhill on fluffy sand. If you go the opposite way you may get stuck in the fluff going uphill. I made it half way up the trail without a compressor but got caught in the sand and had to turn around going north. Could have aired down and just filled up at a gas station, next time.

I HIGHLY recommend Hartnet Road out in Capitol Reef. Fjord a small river to get on the trail and it is smooth sailing, gorgeous views of the outer areas of the park with basically no one in sight except for grazing free range cows.

I did all these on and more on a bone stock 2.0 JLUS and factory A/Ts. The Sport S is more than capable of handling challenging trails even for a new to off-roader. Certainly expect to get dented and scratched up but that is part of ownership and badges of honor in and of itself.

I've considered the Rubi take offs, but I personally don't want something with miles on it already. When I do decide to life, I'll probably go with a Mopar lift to keep it under warranty.

Thank you as well for another the trail suggestions and detailed route directions! I didn't come across these either in my research. I will be looking into them all tonight.

It's so great to know that the Sport S can in hang with the Rubis. So many videos all show case the 4 door Rubicon. I think it's time for the 2 door to make it's debut haha.
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