First time to Moab

TheGrendel

TheGrendel

Active Member
4 years after a freak winter storm shutdown the state of Texas and caused the cancellation of my planned trip to Moab, I am heading there at the end of April. We are specifically going after Easter Jeep Safari is over.

One of best friends is driving down from Bend, Oregon. He has a nicely built JLu, that I helped him build.

We won’t just be wheeling. We will do some hiking as well.

If you had 3 days of wheeling, what would be your can’t miss trails? I want to do Pritchett Canyon. But I think that might be slightly above his skill level and given that we both need to drive our rigs back home.

Thanks.
 
Moab is awesome. Pritchett is something that if you’re not all in, I’d be reluctant to try your first time. Poison Spider is also one that you might want to save for your second trip. Hells revenge is a must do, and almost all trails have bypass’s. You’ll have a blast.
 
Pritchett is doable for sure. If you start early & be patient you can do it. I've driven back and forth from Pa with Pritchett on the menu. It really does help if you have done trails of that caliber before but it's not the boogerman it's made out to be. A really good calm spotter is indispensable though. You may even be able to tag along with a group. Just don't do it without winches if it's just you 2. There are winch anchors on the harder stuff. Top of the World is iconic and the trail to get there isn't bad. Arguably the best photo op in Moab. Fins & things is a blast. Not hard but another iconic and fun trail.
 
Ddays said:
Pritchett is doable for sure. If you start early & be patient you can do it. I've driven back and forth from Pa with Pritchett on the menu. It really does help if you have done trails of that caliber before but it's not the boogerman it's made out to be. A really good calm spotter is indispensable though. You may even be able to tag along with a group. Just don't do it without winches if it's just you 2. There are winch anchors on the harder stuff. Top of the World is iconic and the trail to get there isn't bad. Arguably the best photo op in Moab. Fins & things is a blast. Not hard but another iconic and fun trail.
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I definitely have Top of the World to get the required photo op. Top of the World, Fins & Things, Hells Revenge, then maybe one of the good overlanding scenic trails. We have more days than 3. But, we are planning to do a little hiking who knows what else besides just wheeling.
 
TheGrendel said:
I definitely have Top of the World to get the required photo op. Top of the World, Fins & Things, Hells Revenge, then maybe one of the good overlanding scenic trails. We have more days than 3. But, we are planning to do a little hiking who knows what else besides just wheeling.
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I’m assuming you’ll do Delicate? We were there and it was about 200 degrees. Or 86 because there was snow at home.
Not sure but that’s also a must when hiking in Moab.
 
Pritchett is awesome, but that drive out back to the highway afterward takes forever. 🤣

Hell's Revenge and Where Eagles Dare are always on my must do list.
 
If this is your first trip to Moab and you're not traveling with an experienced trail leader, I would do these three trails in this order
Fins & Things
Hell's Revenge
Top Of The World

Fins & Things and Hell's Revenge are close to town and easy to find. There's an overlook on Hell's Revenge where you can see the Colorado River and Arches National Park on the other side. It gets crowded from the Sunset Tour bunch. Top of the World is a bit of a trip and not too hard to find the trailhead. Keep in mind there are two ways to do Top Of The World. First is up to the overlook and back. Second is to continue on from the overlook and make a loop. The second half is a bit rougher than the first.

Good scenic trails are Shaffer Road (easy enough a high clearance 2wd vehicle can make it) and Onion Creek (also easy enough to take in a high clearance 2wd but I'd advise against it. Onion Creek can lead you to areas where you'll need 4lo.) Schaffer switch backs up a cliff face and the view from the top is spectacular. On your way back to town, you'll have a chance to head out to Dead Horse Point. It's a great place to have a picnic. It's paved and you an entrance fee must be met. Again the view is spectacular, same as from the top of Schaffer but from a different angle.

Chicken Corners isn't difficult. A stock Wrangler can handle it. There are technical sections that should be navigated in 4lo. Chicken Corners is easily an all day trip.

Poison Spider is my favorite trail so far. The riff raff bump is technical and requires 4lo. I'm told the riff raff bump can be cleared in a stock Wrangler. Maybe. I think it would be a struggle with a good chance of body damage. I had no problems in my 2 door on 35s and broke a tail light showing off. Poison Spider leads to what some call the "Trifecta" which consists of Golden Spike, Golden Crack and Gold Bar Rim. The Launch Pad looks intimidating. If you stay focused and apply the right amount of speed, you'll be find. You won't need much as there is traction to spare.

Kane Creek is fun and has a couple of tight spots for 4 door Wranglers and Gladiators. I'd call it a medium trail until you reach Hamburger Hill. Big tires and good driving skills are needed to clear Hamburger Hill without a winch. If you don't want to tackle Hamburger Hill, you can turn around.

I've never been on Pritchet. Someday.
 
GP NOIR said:
If this is your first trip to Moab and you're not traveling with an experienced trail leader, I would do these three trails in this order
Fins & Things
Hell's Revenge
Top Of The World

Fins & Things and Hell's Revenge are close to town and easy to find. There's an overlook on Hell's Revenge where you can see the Colorado River and Arches National Park on the other side. It gets crowded from the Sunset Tour bunch. Top of the World is a bit of a trip and not too hard to find the trailhead. Keep in mind there are two ways to do Top Of The World. First is up to the overlook and back. Second is to continue on from the overlook and make a loop. The second half is a bit rougher than the first.

Good scenic trails are Shaffer Road (easy enough a high clearance 2wd vehicle can make it) and Onion Creek (also easy enough to take in a high clearance 2wd but I'd advise against it. Onion Creek can lead you to areas where you'll need 4lo.) Schaffer switch backs up a cliff face and the view from the top is spectacular. On your way back to town, you'll have a chance to head out to Dead Horse Point. It's a great place to have a picnic. It's paved and you an entrance fee must be met. Again the view is spectacular, same as from the top of Schaffer but from a different angle.

Chicken Corners isn't difficult. A stock Wrangler can handle it. There are technical sections that should be navigated in 4lo. Chicken Corners is easily an all day trip.

Poison Spider is my favorite trail so far. The riff raff bump is technical and requires 4lo. I'm told the riff raff bump can be cleared in a stock Wrangler. Maybe. I think it would be a struggle with a good chance of body damage. I had no problems in my 2 door on 35s and broke a tail light showing off. Poison Spider leads to what some call the "Trifecta" which consists of Golden Spike, Golden Crack and Gold Bar Rim. The Launch Pad looks intimidating. If you stay focused and apply the right amount of speed, you'll be find. You won't need much as there is traction to spare.

Kane Creek is fun and has a couple of tight spots for 4 door Wranglers and Gladiators. I'd call it a medium trail until you reach Hamburger Hill. Big tires and good driving skills are needed to clear Hamburger Hill without a winch. If you don't want to tackle Hamburger Hill, you can turn around.

I've never been on Pritchet. Someday.
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thanks for the write up.
 
I’m here now…. Hopefully you get better weather than we are, 30 mph winds & 50 degrees.

I really enjoyed the Poison Spider Mesa, Gold bar rim & golden spike trail combo last time I came. It was a long day but we took it pretty easy and had lots of photo/sightseeing breaks
 
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