Moab area : July 20, 21, 22

[RockyMtRebel]

My wife booked 4 nights at the GATEWAY CANYON RESORT in GATEWAY, CO and while she soaks up resort spa stuff, my 19 year old son and I plan to take the dirt roads west and explore various Moab trails. I've identified July 20-22 as off-roading days, and I want to put together a list of runs beforehand. If anyone else is interested in joining some target Moab runs during these days, let me know!

I will be lifting the suspension an inch or two soon & planning on putting on 35x12.5x17 Ridge Grapplers so that I can have a little more rubber contact & a few inches of additional clearance ;)

Anyways, Moab area July 20,21,22..... it'll be hot so I'm glad I have a/c:lmao:

[Tom]

never mind

[RockyMtRebel]

Yea it'll be hot! I may just stay at higher elevations for the most part - around the La Sals and/or even head south to the Telluride area and do some San Juan mountain wheelin'. But I definitely have a few runs I'm wanting to do: Lockhart basin, Elephant Hill, Kane Creek, Sand Flats, etc

[blensen]

I wouldn't do Kane Creek if I were you. Most of it is easy and scenic, but there are a few obstacles even a built Jeep on 37s will struggle with. And those obstacles tend to be next to a cliff edge.

[RockyMtRebel]

Yea, maybe Kane Creek is out.... I don't wanna break anything or fall off any cliffs.

[jayson44]

naw...Kane Creek's exit is not that tough. the Flatties run that trail every year at EJS and most of those guys are stock.

I've had no issues either time I ran it, both Jeeps on 35s, never used lockers.

J.

[blensen]

It was the breakover angle that killed me. My JKU's belly wasn't high enough with 2.5" lift and 35s to clear the big ledge on the way out before the waterfall. Maybe I just didn't hit it hard enough after I got kicked to the left like in this video. If you think you can do this with your truck then the rest of the trail is no problem.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Oq_thynj8

[dscowell]

My truck on 31s made I through Kane creek pretty easy.

I'd suggest Fins and Things and maybe some other scenic trails. Lots of beautiful land out there might as well see some of it a long with wheeling.

[RockyMtRebel]

Yes, Fins & Things for sure. I'll skip Kane, looked up and it's probably at my limits or beyond. Definitely would like to do Lockhart Basin

[FINOCJ]

Fins is super fun (and super busy) - be careful of approach and departure angles with the long truck. Some of the transitions onto and off of the slickrock are very sharp. I took a couple of interesting routes in places, but I somehow managed to drag the rear bumper on my cj5 with 33s on one exit (its like a 65 degree depart angle). I saw a couple of trucks (s10 and rangers I believe with minimal lift) leave most of their rear bumper behind, but I didn't see a single full size truck on it. I'd love to watch you run it!

[RockyMtRebel]

I wonder if going in the middle of hot summer will mean less people on the trails....

i will have 35" tires and be lifted, should be around same or a little more clearance than a stock Powerwagon at that point. My truck has pretty good clearance at front bumper, but rear is your basic rear bumper and I sure wouldn't want to lose it. Hoping a few others might wanna join me on some trails and that way I'll have spotter help. My son can also be my spotter and hopefully help me avoid damage.

[Chris]

I've been there in July and temps were typically over 100. Not bad at all! :D

I'll see what my July looks like as we get much closer.

[cornpone99]

Hey Matt,
i was just there for spring break. We did, alone, top of the world,elephant hill, Kane creek, hells, fins, poison spider, gold bar.
elephant hill was awesome, but far away and you need a permit, we camped and did a hike to make the trip more relaxing.
if you've never been fins and hells are mandatory and in that order.
we did Kane creek down stream and I was glad, hamburger hill was pretty torn up, glad I had gravity on my side
poison spider was really challenging and would save it for last
7 mile rim which I did in December was great too, with a lot of different terrain.
but really you can't go wrong. It's so much fun!
enjoy, see you on the trails

[dieseldoc]

Umm.....🔥 🔥 🔥 enjoy the heat on the rocks man.

[RockyMtRebel]

Hey Chris, Thanks! You got a lot of runs in, looks like a great way to spend Spring Break. I was there early March for about 24 hours and wa able to do Onion Creek about 20 miles in and turned around due to mud. A Jeep Rubicon was coming back and said he couldn't make it thru - we were both trying to do the loop that comes out Castle Valley. What a beautiful ride! I also did Gemini Bridges the next morning before heading out towards Vegas.... easy route but great views.

I think Lockhart Canyon and Fins & Things would be awesome - Anything additional would be icing on the cake. I think I'll skip Elephant hill. Thanks for the suggestions!

[RockyMtRebel]

Umm.....   enjoy the heat on the rocks man.

Air Conditioning, sun glasses & lots of cold beverages ;)

[dieseldoc]

Right. You have the v8 to run a.c. on the trail. My 4.o not so much.
But all good that's why you wheel at night.
Makes a r or 5 into a much more fun ride.....

[JandDGreens]

I really want to get my A/C fixed for this summer. We have had so many toasty drives home from our excursions in the past couple years. My wife would love it! As for Moab I hope when we go down there n Sept. It is a little cooler by then.

[nick]

I ran across an old video of me coming down a hill near the end of Hell's Revenge and it reminded me of a few things about the trail. This area and the obstacle afterwards are a bit tricky and you will want a spotter. Nothing your truck can't handle, but having someone there to make sure you stay on your line is really helpful.
You will also want a good map if not a GPS to help you along the way. At times there are several other trail systems that weave their way in and out of the 4x4 trail, and it can get confusing.

If I can, I would love to sneak out for the weekend and join you. I love Moab.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeW_nw-fLKk&list=PL5h7INCuDKGaoE8DDSou9hQ-Zw7zwkmfm&index=1

[RockyMtRebel]

Awesome video nick! I'm not planning on doing Hells Revenge, too technical for me at this point and too many other trails on my to-do list.

we should plan a Lockhart Basin trip for sometime in the fall when it's not so hot. This late July trip might end up changing to a Telluride mountain off road adventure instead of Moab, considering how hot it will be at that time of summer.....