LOCAL TRAILS
Here are just a handful of our favorite trails in Moab.
Moab is home to some of the greatest off-road trails in the world! With unique terrain and stunning vistas, it really is a true slice of heaven on earth.
We've assembled a list of some of our favorite local trails. Each trail features a "Moab Scale" difficulty rating, which we've explained in detail below.
"Moab Scale" Trail Difficulty Ratings
1. Dirt road maintained for high clearance 2WD and 4WD use in adverse conditions.
2. Dirt road with infrequent or light maintenance after rain or snow, high clearance light duty 4WD required.
3. Dirt road with frequent use, but seldom maintained. Dirt, sand and slick rock surfaces. 4WD is required due to ruts or wash erosion and maybe small rock ledges no bigger than 12″.
4. Loose rock, dirt, and some slick rock surfaces. Erosion, washes, gulches, and rock ledges no higher than 12 inches. 4WD is required with good driving skills. Beginners can manage the trail with ease. A locker can be used, but not required.
5. Road surfaces are rutted, rocky, and sandy, with steps not exceeding 14 inches, with considerable slick rock surfaces. Good vehicle approach and departure angles are helpful. Locker use is required. Off-road driving experience will be needed.
6. The roads are difficult. Rock ledges can exceed 24 inches. Lockers are required. Must have off-road driving skills. Not for beginners.
7. The trail consists of rock, boulders, sand, and slick rock with rock ledges exceeding 24 inches. Steep climbs and drops. Lockers are required; winching may be necessary. Vehicle mechanical or body damage can occur. Rollover possibilities exist. Must have off-road driving skills. Not for beginners.
A guide is required for these trails.
We do not allow any trails above this rating system.
Difficulty Level: 2
CHICKEN CORNERS
The trail name dates from the olden days when it was a pack trail and only the least "chicken" passed Chicken Corners. Today, travel is easier. The actual Chicken Corners is a hiking trail, but it remains as scenic as ever. The trail follows the Colorado River downstream, squirms through lower Kane Springs Canyon, climbs and then descends the "Cane Creek Anticline" (spelling of the name is in dispute) via Hurrah Pass, and rejoins the river, a few hundred feet above it this time. The end of the vehicle trail is directly across the river from Dead Horse Point. More info can be found here.
Length: 21 miles
Difficulty Level: 2
LA SAL PASS
This trail is offered to let people escape the heat that summer brings to the area. It begins on the floor of Spanish Valley out in the Pack Creek area and climbs up to a flower-filled meadow in the shadow of Mt Peale, one of La Sal Mountain's high peaks. For those used to mountain trails, it will be old hat, but the views of the Moab area are still worth the trip. Those who haven't experienced mountain four-wheeling switchback-filled climbs will probably be amazed as the road clings to the mountainside. The vegetation changes continually along the way, starting with the pinion and juniper zone up unto the dark timber forest, tossing in a few aspen stands, and finally, the flower-filled meadows near the timberline. The return trip depends on the leader, so mileage is difficult to list exactly; start with a full tank of fuel, and you'll be ready for anything! More info can be found here.
Length: 36 miles (minimum)
Difficulty Level: 4
DOME PLATEAU
Dome Plateau is a large highland area north of the Colorado River and east of Arches National Park. To reach the region from Moab, one must travel more than 28 miles of highway to enter from the Dewey Bridge area on Utah 128. The southern highlands are forested with pinyon and juniper and are cut by canyons. The nearby Poison Strip and Yellowcat areas are the locales of many old vanadium and uranium mines. More info can be found here.
Length: 98 total, 30 off-highway
Difficulty Level: 4
FINS AND THINGS
"Fins" are the Navajo Sandstone slick rock formations northeast of Moab, and the "Things" are what remains as the fins erode. The fins started as wind-blown sand dunes some 200 million years ago; they got cemented into sandstone, and they are now going full circle back to sand blowing in the wind. There are a few sudden and steep climbs on and off the slick rock that can be difficult for vehicles with long overhangs. Any tire tread will do on the Slick rock, but the clearance added by tall tires is always an advantage, while an aggressive tread helps in the sand. More info can be found here.
Length: 25 total, 13 off-highway
Difficulty Level: 6
FLAT IRON MESA
Flat Iron Mesa is south of Moab and is bounded by Kane Springs Canyon on the north, Hatch Wash Canyon on the west, West Coyote Canyon on the south, and Highway 191 on the east. A main road has a BLM sign, but our trail leaves the highway earlier, and it quickly gets 4WD status on numerous old trails that reach fine canyon overlooks and provide some interesting four-wheeling. There are multiple obstacles that provide the rating number; some have bypasses, and some don't. More info can be found here.
Length: 55 total, 17 off-highway
Difficulty Level: 6
HELL'S REVENGE
Our premier slick rock trail lies northeast of town between the Sand Flats Road and the river. There are long stretches of slick rock where the 4WD trail has been marked. The most difficult obstacles are out of the stock-vehicle class, but those can be bypassed. There are steep climbs and descents and some edges that are not for the faint of heart. The steep slopes, however, are not technically difficult because of the excellent traction on sandstone. More info can be found here.
Length: 16 miles, 12 off-highway
Difficulty Level: 6
POISON SPIDER MESA
Poison Spider Mesa forms one of the cliff features that is part of the Moab landscape northwest of town. The mesa is bordered on the east by Moab Valley and on the south by the Colorado River. Access is via Scenic Byway 279. The trail climbs to the rim via the sloping rock layers. The first few miles of trail must be retraced, but most of the travel time will be spent on a loop that reaches the rim. It has become one of our most popular trails because it has great scenery and because the jeeping is just challenging enough to be fun without quite being a vehicle buster. More info can be found here.
Length: 37 total, 16 off-highway
Difficulty Level: 4
SEVEN MILE RIM
The Sevenmile Rim trail leaves Highway 191 just north of Highway 313, about 11 miles north of town. It passes the old Cotter uranium mine and switches back to reach the cliff rim above the mine and Highway 191. The intense mining activity left a maze of core-drilling roads on the mesa top, and the trail seeks the most interesting of these. At the southern end of the rim, it turns west to parallel UT 313. Along the way, the Uranium Arch is visited. The trail joins other roads in the vicinity of Merrimac Butte and Monitor Butte before tucking up near Big Mesa. It passes near Determination Towers before using Tusher Pass to dip into Tusher Wash and the interesting environs beyond. More info can be found here.
Length: 50 miles, 21 off-highway
Are you ready to enjoy Moab the Twisted Jeeps Way?