I want to plan a trip to the Alpine loop or Moab for Sept 2019, time to brainstorm...

jorgelrod

jorgelrod

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I want to start this thread as I've seen a few videos of people out in Youtube hitting Moab and the Colorado trails (Black Bear, Imogene, Poughkepsie Gulch, etc) and talking as to how September is a great time in terms of the weather to do a lot of these trails. I'm as some would consider a noob in cross country drives. So what I want to get out of the discussion on this thread is what things should I look into planning this trip, how to break the trip in stages, what to choose depending on how much time I can get of work? How much should I consider allocating for gas/lodging/food? How much of for an unexpected issue should I have. What spares should be essential and which would be nice to have?

This thread is pretty up to date on where I am vehicle wise...
https://wayalife.com/showthread.php/13815-Jorge-s-Spartan-Build-Thread

I considered myself quite experienced in mud and loose terrains but I'm starting to gather experience on rocks. I'm by no means a noob, but I'm not Eddie either and that's ok. At this point this is as I said a brainstorm, I might start sharing this idea with my Jeep club to see who would love to join me in the cross country trek and wheel these, as well as using this thread as kind of a springboard to make connection with some of the local guys who might be willing to hit some of these trails with me.

All input is welcome and I say thanks in advance for the help you guys might provide.

Points Presented

Allow for 3 day travel in either direction to account for rest, unexpected delays, maybe some sightseeing

Account filling up your tank before every trail run
 
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Subscribed. We are making the same trip in mid July 2019. I would love to go in September but we still have a teenager in high school.
I’m from North Alabama and the last time we done a Moab trip we were gone 15 days. But we went to the Grand Canyon for a couple of days and done a lot of extra stops on Route 66 and other places.
I’m planning on 12-13 days this next trip.


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Wow that would be awesome to be able to spend that amount of time out on the trails. I was just thinking about this last night and was thinking I could do it in 6-7 days. Coming from Atlanta to possibly hit the rubicon trail


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I'm down in Jacksonville, I've started to do the math and it's 1 day driving 16 hours and a second ten hour drive at 75mph to reach either one. I am looking at the late aug / early Sept time frame to avoid driving all the way over there to find big bear or imogene closed due to snow. I'd love to be able to take more than a week, but I moved to Florida for work and my son still lives with his mother in Puerto Rico so I try to keep some days in the year to visit him in the winter as he stays with me during the summer.
 
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Well figure you won't maintain the 75 for the whole drive there and I'm guessing that estimate is off maps or something like it .. allow 3 days both ways .. stops for gas , a break from driving here an there , food stops, road work .. .. or any type unforeseen issue

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Now depending on how much time your gonna be local In each area and what trails ya plan to do plan for no less than a tank of gas a day ( some will be less others a bit more) but allow for a bit of sight seeing on the less days ..

If ya got a arb fridge and a cooler ya can get a couple ice packs to use the cooler as a fridge and keep the arb set low to act as a freezer ( did this while on my road trip of 3 months )

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Also, you’re going to want to stretch your legs on a few days. 3 consecutive days in the jeep starts to take a toll. Recommend some hikes in Arches/ Canyonlands and/or Ouray.


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jorgelrod said:
I'm down in Jacksonville, I've started to do the math and it's 1 day driving 16 hours and a second ten hour drive at 75mph to reach either one. I am looking at the late aug / early Sept time frame to avoid driving all the way over there to find big bear or imogene closed due to snow. I'd love to be able to take more than a week, but I moved to Florida for work and my son still lives with his mother in Puerto Rico so I try to keep some days in the year to visit him in the winter as he stays with me during the summer.
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It’s going to tough to get that trip done in a week. I’m planning on driving to Moab from Northeast Alabama in 2.5 days. Google says 24 hour drive for me non stop. 1640 miles. So I’m planning on a couple of 600 mile days and whatever the last day.
But you drive further each day or nonstop have someone to help drive.


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Red Knight15 said:
It’s going to tough to get that trip done in a week. I’m planning on driving to Moab from Northeast Alabama in 2.5 days. Google says 24 hour drive for me non stop. 1640 miles. So I’m planning on a couple of 600 mile days and whatever the last day.
But you drive further each day or nonstop have someone to help drive.


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I'd say 2 days will do I've done Tyler TX to/from moab in a day straight but I was pushing when I did it( just a tick over 20 hrs ) .. this last time out I took my time stopped for puppy breaks a bit more an pictures as well so was alot more relaxed an was a 2 day thing ...

but that would depend if ya wanted to push or relax ..

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I have been to the EJS in Moab the last three years starting in Nashville. Never took less than a week getting there. This year it took 10 days. With a Jeep you can find a lot of stuff to do “on the way”. Do you really want to drive 75mph in a Jeep on the interstate when there is another world to experience on the back roads?


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Also headed to telluride / ouray the middle of August 2019. Can wait. Installing pro grips next week for black bear pads.


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Overland_stormtrooper said:
I'd say 2 days will do I've done Tyler TX to/from moab in a day straight but I was pushing when I did it( just a tick over 20 hrs ) .. this last time out I took my time stopped for puppy breaks a bit more an pictures as well so was alot more relaxed an was a 2 day thing ...

but that would depend if ya wanted to push or relax ..

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I’m planning on taking 2.5 days to get there and 5-6 to get back taking the scenic route.



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Red Knight15 said:
I’m planning on taking 2.5 days to get there and 5-6 to get back taking the scenic route.



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Dont blame ya one bit .. odd as it may seem I only used a interstate twice the whole 3 months I was out .. once crossing to the Oregon coast then again from west Texas back to Tyler.. rest of it was state routes and backroads .. an well worth every mile .. and while 50 is billed as the loneliest road I found 60 going across New Mexico was even moreso

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Nothing better than planning an awesome trip. They hardly ever go as planned. There is way more to see and do than you expect. I travel a lot for fun. There is nothing worse than missing something so incredibly cool because you have scheduled yourself so tight that you afford the time to see it.

For example if you go to Mt. Rushmore and get there during the middle of the day but can't come back for the sunset ceremony. They have an awesome sunset ceremony that if you are there, you should not miss it. I missed it the first time and it took me years and years to get back. This year I was traveling out west and one of the goals was to see the sunset at the Horseshoe Bend of the Grand Canyon. I was driving like 90+ mph from Vegas to Horseshoe Bend and made it by mere minutes. The sun was just starting to set as I made the hike from the parking lot out to the edge of the canyon. I was lucky that I was able to wheel right into a parking spot. If I would have not ran out there I would have missed it.

Moral of the story is sometime we go places and it is a once in a life time deal, Give yourself the time to enjoy it as somethings are not to be missed. I am subscribing to this thread also. Tune up your google fu.
 
All of these are good points, this is why maybe Colorado and Moab on the same trip might and stopping on other places might be hard. I can see taking Friday off and start driving Friday-Sun and Wheeling Colorado + sightseeing, this would be Mon-Thu and starting the trip back Fri-Sun with a bit more leeway for sightseeing on the way and taking Monday off as well to recuperate. That would most likely mean Moab would end up being another trip. As I stated before, This would be an awesome two week trip if it weren't for the fact that I also take time during the year to spend with my kid either while he's here for the summer or during the winter if we go see him instead of flying him up here.

I will try to start putting the best recommendations and data on the first post so that it doesn't become necessary to scour the entire thread up for bits and pieces.
 
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