Another visit to Moab

[Murphydog]

If you don't already have this, I would suggest getting a copy of the Charles A. Wells 'Guide to Moab'. It's been invaluable keeping us on the trail, some of which can only be found via odo readings, etc..

It's also great to have the trails rated so you can work your way up as your experience capabilities grow.

-Steven

I did grab a copy of that, the latest edition even! I notice that they have a companion app as well so I might download it too.

Sponsored

 

[Murphydog]

It's very easy to see the bypasses; you have to go out of your way to run Hells Gate and Escalator. The trick, I think, is to know that when you see the sign for Staircase, to go that way and use that route as your trail exit, rather than continuing above Tip-over Challenge. The section beyond Tipover Challenge, which is the exit route that the Funtreks guide will send you on, has eroded and gotten to be the chunkiest section of the trail, the hardest section for a lower (stock JLUR) vehicle. Taking the Staircase exit route now looks to me to be the easier way. The turn-off for it happens near Tip-over Challenge, and there's a clear sign.

I looked through Funtrek for Hells revenge and didn't see a note for "Staircase", is that the cut over that take you back to the beginning of the trail rather than the rougher traditional exit?

 

[Murphydog]

I’m from Utah and ride MTB and have ridden Moab’s Porcupine Rim in late August tons of times. It will be hot, but not horrible. Hottest time of the year is July, it cools progressively through August usually. You’ll be in the upper 80’s to low 90’s.

Id take the soft top, it’s a little less comfortable on a long road trip, but the AC should be adequate (mine has been here in SLC when it gets that hot), and you’ll love having it back in the early and late parts of the day. Just be sure to have hats and means of keeping your skin protected from the sun.

Those trails will be fun, not too challenging, but fun. Consider the Porcupine Rim jeep trail too. It’s a lot funner than it sounds, on the upper end of your difficulty window, but still quite doable in a stock rubicon. It’s my favorite trail down there that I’ve run so far in my jeep.

We tend to get rolling first thing in the morning on trips like this, so I could see us having the top flipped back until it gets too warm, and yup, we will have plenty of hats and sunscreen on hand.

I have the soft top on now and plan to do some local day trips to see what we think of the noise on the highway. We don't mind 80-90 degree days, heck we often times head to Phoenix the last week of August for one more blast of heat before the typical PNW winters.

 

[Murphydog]

I was there at the end of May with a Sky One Touch and never opened the top. It looks like it will be a little warmer when you are there. Also, if you're prone to sunburns it might not be a great idea to go open air. Personally, I'd go with the hard top since, at a minimum, it should make the drive there more tolerable.

I hear ya on the heat for sure, though we do "enjoy" it for short spells. I am hoping to take in all the scenery, especially the days in both National Parks and it seems like with the roof open we would have amazing views.

If school for my son wasn't a factor I would have pushed it out to end of September/Early October.

 

[ColoradoMike]

I looked through Funtrek for Hells revenge and didn't see a note for "Staircase", is that the cut over that take you back to the beginning of the trail rather than the rougher traditional exit?

Yes; it's not in Funtreks. You see a sign for it near Tipover Challenge when you're on the trail. Staircase includes an obstacle that I have not yet run, but from video, I believe Staircase and that route constitute an easier exit than the Funtreks route, and others have told me this. Also Staircase looks really fun. So, the next time I run Hells, I will follow the sign toward Staircase rather than continuing up above Tipover. I seem to recall you would make a left near Tipover to take the Staircase route, whereas the Funtreks route goes up to the right.

 

[Murphydog]

Got the first few items for the trip.

• Igloo BMX cooler courtesy of the Amazon treasure truck, $65! Won’t feel bad if lost, damaged or stolen
• Sun protection!
• 
  
  
  

 

[AVGeek99]

OK - we confirmed our trip to Moab, got a AirBnB reserved. We are leaving Seattle Saturday August 27th and should arrive in Moab Sunday the 28th. We plan to depart Saturday September 3rd and get home the 4th. We will overnight in Twin Falls both ways. We are splitting time between Jeeping and visiting National Parks. This is not in date order, but here are the general days I have planned

1. Arches NP - after 2 days of driving I think a day visiting the park is a good idea. Following the earth trekkers guide for 1 day in Arches NP
2. Fins and Things
3. Seven Mile Rim
4. Canyon Lands - Shafer trail and part of White Rim trail. Plan to do half of White Rim Trail, then back to Moab via the scenic route
5. Canyonlands - Island in the sky, like Arches following the earth trekkers guide for one day in Canyonlands

I fee like each of those days is doable with out to much time stress, and gives a good mix of Jeeping and sight seeing.

I am driving a stock JLUR. I have a winch and recovery gear. I am comfortable off road, but not willing to jump on the trails 5 and as ranked by Red Rocks 4WD club, though I may start Top of the World just to see how far I can comfortably go - my comfort level that is.

Looking for a suggestions from the groups too.

Thinking 18-20 PSI for airing down at the trail heads. 22 PSI was my experience at Broken Arrow in Sedona and it seemed pretty good.
Debating on tops - I have both hard and soft, and I think hard top will be better driving too and from, but soft top sunrider should give better views with the opportunity to close the hatch and crank the AC when it gets too hot.

Thanks in advance for all of your insights.

I was in Moab in March, going again in a couple weeks, going to be hot!!

March was my first time in Moab and on any trails like that. I was a little nervous at first, but after the first couple easier trails I got a handle on what the Jeep was capable of and it gave me a lot of confidence. The key to larger obsticles is picking your line, and of course take it slow. Don't be afraid to get out and survey what's in front of you to find the right line.

I have a stock 2021 JLUR with 315 75 17s on 17x9 rims. I aired down to 15 for all my trail riding and had no issues. I was in Moab for six days and did all of the things on your list plus a couple extra. Here are some tips.

1. Arches NP - after 2 days of driving I think a day visiting the park is a good idea. Following the earth trekkers guide for 1 day in Arches NP - Check out the trail to Tower Arch. It's a fun little trail, a good warm up for things to come.
2. Fins and Things Fins n Things is fun, but if this is all you have planned for the day then you have plenty of time to do Hells Revenge, you'll drive right by it. If you skip Hells Gate, Escalator, and the pot holes, it really isn't any more difficult than Fins n Things. It's just bigger and longer. I hooked up with some guys from PA righ at the beginning of Hell's Revenge. They spotted me on Hell's Gate; it was awesome. We took the traditional exit. My Stock Rubi did fine, though I did need to get out and find my line a few times. Bottomed out here and there, but nothing serious and no damage.
3. Seven Mile Rim - You'll love it. Seven Mile Rim is a super fun trail.
4. Canyon Lands - Shafer trail and part of White Rim trail. Plan to do half of White Rim Trail, then back to Moab via the scenic route - I would probably reconsider this one. I did the full White Rim Trail. It was fun, and I'm glad I did it. But a big part of all my trips is photography. I got a lot of cool shots on the White Rim. If I had the time I'd probably take three full days to complete the White Rim. There is a good amount of cool stuff to see on the White Rim, but the trail itself is rather boring. Most of it, and all of the first half, is just a bumpy gravel road with some rocky and slick rock sections. Murphy Hogback is the first section where 4WD is even needed and it's half way in. If by the scenic route back to Moab you're talking about the Potash road, I would definitely skip that. It is just a bumpy gravel road, that never ends. The scenery is cool, but the same/similar scenery can be had in many places. If you really want to do half of the White Rim and take a more scenic route back to Moab, go back up Schaefer Canyon Road and then take Long Canyon back down to the river. Long Canyon is a simple but cool little trail with very good scenery. Alternatively, instead of White Rim, you could drive down to the Needles District and do Elephant Hill. Don't let Park Ranger scare you by telling you it's one of the most technical trails in Utah. It's not a super easy trail, but it's not super difficult either. It's a lot of fun with scenery that is quite different from what you get at Island in the Sky.
5. Canyonlands - Island in the sky, like Arches following the earth trekkers guide for one day in Canyonlands. - If you do Elephant Hill on Day 4, you should be able do Schaefer Canyon when you're exploring Island in the Sky.

 

[AVGeek99]

I picked up the FunTreks book, thinking I should activate the free 6 month OnX offer via Jeep? Also thinking Trails off road is worth getting?

any thoughts?

Yes, get the OnX Off Road app. It works with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay so you can display it on your monitor. The recording/tracking feature is also helpful if you get turned around on the trail, you can see where you've already been. Be sure to download maps for offline use before you head out.

 

[Murphydog]

I was in Moab in March, going again in a couple weeks, going to be hot!!

March was my first time in Moab and on any trails like that. I was a little nervous at first, but after the first couple easier trails I got a handle on what the Jeep was capable of and it gave me a lot of confidence. The key to larger obsticles is picking your line, and of course take it slow. Don't be afraid to get out and survey what's in front of you to find the right line.

I have a stock 2021 JLUR with 315 75 17s on 17x9 rims. I aired down to 15 for all my trail riding and had no issues. I was in Moab for six days and did all of the things on your list plus a couple extra. Here are some tips.

1. Arches NP - after 2 days of driving I think a day visiting the park is a good idea. Following the earth trekkers guide for 1 day in Arches NP - Check out the trail to Tower Arch. It's a fun little trail, a good warm up for things to come.
2. Fins and Things Fins n Things is fun, but if this is all you have planned for the day then you have plenty of time to do Hells Revenge, you'll drive right by it. If you skip Hells Gate, Escalator, and the pot holes, it really isn't any more difficult than Fins n Things. It's just bigger and longer. I hooked up with some guys from PA righ at the beginning of Hell's Revenge. They spotted me on Hell's Gate; it was awesome. We took the traditional exit. My Stock Rubi did fine, though I did need to get out and find my line a few times. Bottomed out here and there, but nothing serious and no damage.
3. Seven Mile Rim - You'll love it. Seven Mile Rim is a super fun trail.
4. Canyon Lands - Shafer trail and part of White Rim trail. Plan to do half of White Rim Trail, then back to Moab via the scenic route - I would probably reconsider this one. I did the full White Rim Trail. It was fun, and I'm glad I did it. But a big part of all my trips is photography. I got a lot of cool shots on the White Rim. If I had the time I'd probably take three full days to complete the White Rim. There is a good amount of cool stuff to see on the White Rim, but the trail itself is rather boring. Most of it, and all of the first half, is just a bumpy gravel road with some rocky and slick rock sections. Murphy Hogback is the first section where 4WD is even needed and it's half way in. If by the scenic route back to Moab you're talking about the Potash road, I would definitely skip that. It is just a bumpy gravel road, that never ends. The scenery is cool, but the same/similar scenery can be had in many places. If you really want to do half of the White Rim and take a more scenic route back to Moab, go back up Schaefer Canyon Road and then take Long Canyon back down to the river. Long Canyon is a simple but cool little trail with very good scenery. Alternatively, instead of White Rim, you could drive down to the Needles District and do Elephant Hill. Don't let Park Ranger scare you by telling you it's one of the most technical trails in Utah. It's not a super easy trail, but it's not super difficult either. It's a lot of fun with scenery that is quite different from what you get at Island in the Sky.
5. Canyonlands - Island in the sky, like Arches following the earth trekkers guide for one day in Canyonlands. - If you do Elephant Hill on Day 4, you should be able do Schaefer Canyon when you're exploring Island in the Sky.

Thanks for the info! I was looking at White Rim not as a Jeep trail but more for the scenery. We love to get out and see the sights in the Southwest.
Good to know about doing both Fins and Hells revenge in the same day as I do want to run seven mile rim too.
I installed ONX, Trails Off-road and have Gaia too. Nice they work with Car play.

can’t wait to get there!

 

[Jeepeto]

If you don't already have this, I would suggest getting a copy of the Charles A. Wells 'Guide to Moab'. It's been invaluable keeping us on the trail, some of which can only be found via odo readings, etc..

It's also great to have the trails rated so you can work your way up as your experience capabilities grow.

-Steven

100x this

this book is the Bible of Moab.

 

[Drytellsr]

Just be advised, running with your top down or doors off will invite all that red trail dust into every inside nook and cranny of your jeep to include your dash.

 

[ColoradoMike]

Just be advised, running with your top down or doors off will invite all that red trail dust into every inside nook and cranny of your jeep to include your dash.

This is a thing. After doing Poison Spider in May, the sand had gotten into the gaps between the dials in the center console, making them feel gritty when turning, etc., the windows sounded gritty when opening and closing.... I don't mind having to wipe seats and dashboard etc.... but the grit deep into the moving parts that I can't clean... concerned me a little.

 

[Murphydog]

This is a thing. After doing Poison Spider in May, the sand had gotten into the gaps between the dials in the center console, making them feel gritty when turning, etc., the windows sounded gritty when opening and closing.... I don't mind having to wipe seats and dashboard etc.... but the grit deep into the moving parts that I can't clean... concerned me a little.

i hear y’all, prior to the Jeep I had a Ram 1500. We did a lot of back roads with all windows, sun roof open and back window open. Dust everywhere is an understatement! However it is also part of the experience and I gotta say I love it! Though the interior cleaning does suck afterwards.

 

[Jeep4Win]

I’m planning a trip to Moab in September. Glad to come across your post. Looks like great weather.

 

[Murphydog]

Picked a few more goodies for the trip. The Viair 400P is on Amazon prime for $166.82

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