Topic: Moab Trip September 4th - 12th 2015

[LittleSteve]

Cant you find some trails in Idaho on the way? To break the monotany of driving and such.... I dont mean difficult

[SqWADoosh [OP]]

We won't be leaving until mid day on the 4th. We will be getting into camp at dusk or dark. There will be plenty of trail time the week in moab.

[blackdiamond]

Cant you find some trails in Idaho on the way? To break the monotany of driving and such.... I dont mean difficult

The fee to get to Hells Revenge and Fins &Things is $5 per day per vehicle or $10 for a week. Their may be a fee for Elephant Hill because it is in a National Park but I don't know for sure.

I wouldn't run all of Fins & Things before hitting Hells Revenge or you could end up tight for time and you don't want to rush Hells Revenge, it is too much fun.

[SqWADoosh [OP]]

The fee to get to Hells Revenge and Fins &Things is $5 per day per vehicle or $10 for a week. Their may be a fee for Elephant Hill because it is in a National Park but I don't know for sure.

I wouldn't run all of Fins & Things before hitting Hells Revenge or you could end up tight for time and you don't want to rush Hells Revenge, it is too much fun.

Maybe I'll switch that order around and only do Finns & Things if we finish Hell's Revenge early enough. I was just advised to start with Finns because it is the perfect trail to get acclimated to slick rock.

[SqWADoosh [OP]]

Thanks for the reply about the day use fees!

[helipilot77]

Cant you find some trails in Idaho on the way? To break the monotany of driving and such.... I dont mean difficult

I have a place in mind if we have time.

[SqWADoosh [OP]]

I have a place in mind if we have time.

Hey BD I was trying to tell helipilot at the meeting about how Elephant Hill is 1/2 wheeling and 1/2 amazing views/attractions. I did a piss poor job of it. Maybe you can share how you feel about it and why you recommend it?

[blackdiamond]

Admittedly, Elephant Hill has sentimental impact for me because as a kid we ran the trail several times a year, but the Needles District of Canyonlands is a must see if you are visiting Moab and the trail is fun while not being the most challenging. The drive west into the park from highway 191 is amazingly beautiful and you should be doing it in the early morning when the sun takes the views over the top. The hike in Chestler Park is very cool and fun. There are super tall rock canyons that are narrow enough that skinny people have to squeeze sideways to get through.

[blackdiamond]

The closest trail to the Moab Rim is Cliff Hanger which is a great combo trail, but the initial drop into the canyon is getting more difficult and there is a huge ledge that you pretty much have to fall off. Just make sure you don't drop down something that you are not sure you can climb back out of.

The other option is the Moab Rim in the morning and then visiting Arches National Park in the afternoon.

I noticed that 2015 Easter Jeep Safari videos are showing up on youtube for some up to date info.

[jangelfire]

The closest trail to the Moab Rim is Cliff Hanger which is a great combo trail, but the initial drop into the canyon is getting more difficult and there is a huge ledge that you pretty much have to fall off. Just make sure you don't drop down something that you are not sure you can climb back out of.

The other option is the Moab Rim in the morning and then visiting Arches National Park in the afternoon.

I noticed that 2015 Easter Jeep Safari videos are showing up on youtube for some up to date info.

Pritchett is in between the rim and cliff hanger.i love pritchett! Badass trail!

[blackdiamond]

Pritchett is in between the rim and cliff hanger.i love pritchett! Badass trail!

Pritchett Canyon isn't something that I'd recommend to fill the rest of the day.  It's been a while since I ran it, but it was an all day adventure and I'm sure it's worse now and I don't think every rig on this trip will be fully built (i.e. two lockers and low gears).  I would probably only run it again if I knew there were winch anchors on every major obstacle because it was pushing my limit last time.

***Break***

I just watched a youtube video of the 2015 Jeep Safari (the week after we were there) running the Pickle trail and they made it look a lot more difficult than it seemed to me.  I need to rent a built Jeep and find out for myself if the shorter wheelbase makes things that much more difficult or if that many Jeep drivers stink at driving.  It goes appear that each rig didn't really get much of a chance to play around before the strap was put on.  Very few of them took a line as far right as we did.

Fins & Things is a great introduction to the slick rock, but I wouldn't spend my time there if the plan was to do Hell's Revenge the same day.  You should be able to easily drive the main route on Hells Revenge without any issues.  Hells Gate would be something that I'd give careful consideration to doing before jumping in since you'll be new to the slick rock, especially if you don't get the opportunity to see someone else do it.  It's very doable, but you can get into a scary situation pretty easy too.  The Escalator is also one to avoid unless you have someone that knows the line and you're willing to risk some damage.  It really looks much easier than it is.  I stood my 85 up in there and knocked out the passenger tail light.  I have not tried the 4Runner in there as it was closed one year and I think raining another.  The line is way way way right up the first super steep climb to get setup to straddle the hole.  I've seen way to many people get crossed up in there to make it worth damaging my truck so it's likely on my list of spots to avoid.  The hot tubs can be interesting and I've never managed to drive out of Mickey's without a little people power on a strap.  Tip-over Challenge made me work a little bit with a rear locker and limited-slip front.  It crosses you up as you traverse it limiting traction on the front axle.  Very doable, but not easy without two lockers.  Just make sure to watch for double paint marks on several of the decants that make sure you're lined up with the wall you are about to drop off of.  Great trail!  My only issue with running it so early in the week is that you won't be as comfortable on the rocks as you should be later in the weeks so you may not get to try as much as you otherwise might.

[jangelfire]

The fee to get to Hells Revenge and Fins &Things is $5 per day per vehicle or $10 for a week. Their may be a fee for Elephant Hill because it is in a National Park but I don't know for sure.

I wouldn't run all of Fins & Things before hitting Hells Revenge or you could end up tight for time and you don't want to rush Hells Revenge, it is too much fun.

It is fun! Heres my buddy last saturday in the hot tub after we winched him back over.hes getting good at rolling his rig!

[SqWADoosh [OP]]

Yeah Pritchett will not be happening with this group as BD said these are all daily drivers which half of them will only be running a rear locker and we will also have an IFS tacoma with only 33s and a mild lift. I don't think it would be smart to try and tackle the toughest trail in Moab on our first trip there anyways...

[jangelfire]

Seems like your group has more brains than mine! Also sounds like a fun trip!

[blackdiamond]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9Cla35vOl0

Here is the Cliff Hanger video from the Safari this year.  It appears that one of the Jeeps was getting pretty much towed out without the back end doing any work.  The first section is probably the most difficult and the big ledge that they drop down is about the only safe way to get down.  I think you can climb out a different way but it gets really off camber trying to go down any other way.  One of the few places that I have hit my skid plate hard making me happy that I have the skid plate that I do which was a Marlin product and now only sold by TG.

 

https://www.trail-gear.com/TG/Crossmember_Kit__1979-1983/i_0_0_3208/_120004-1-KIT.aspx#.VTCNp7rN7dk

I have yet to see a design that I though provided more protection.

[SqWADoosh [OP]]

We had a BBQ/Meeting about the moab trip and made some decisions on the trip. We weighed the pros/cons of staying in the condo we reserved or the group campsite at the Big Bend Campground. Everyone going on the trip cast their vote and camping won out. So I have cancelled the condo reservation and we are officially going to be staying at the BLM campground instead. I think this will be a lot more fun for everyone as it sits right on the bank of the Colorado river, we can have camp fires, etc. etc. We also discussed my proposed trail itinerary and I got buy in from everyone on that as well. The other major pro of going with this campground is that it is a group campground that is suited for 15-20 people. As it stands now we only have 7 confirmed however we have about that many people on the fence as well. This will allow any last minute folks to join the party now without having to float the major expense of their share of the condo. The condo also would have been too small for much more than 8 people. We will have to find a place to purchase showers as the BLM campground is dry camping. We also will have the challenge of keeping our food from spoiling, etc. This shouldn't be any major task that we can't overcome however and I'm confident we will have a great time. Below are pictures of the campground.







This trip is still very much open to anyone from Marlin joining and if you are interested please post below or shoot me a PM!

[blackdiamond]

Looking at the BLM map it appears that Big Bend Campground is a long way out of Moab, but in reality it's under 10 miles and the KOA that we always stay at is about 5 miles south so it's not really that big of a difference all things considered.

Just out of curiosity, was the Goose Island Campgroup booked?  It's 6 miles closer to town and the trails.

I think the group site will give you the flexibility you need while also being reserved.  The location should be fairly protected so you won't have the dust storms that I would expect at Ken's Lake.

[SqWADoosh [OP]]

Looking at the BLM map it appears that Big Bend Campground is a long way out of Moab, but in reality it's under 10 miles and the KOA that we always stay at is about 5 miles south so it's not really that big of a difference all things considered.

Just out of curiosity, was the Goose Island Campgroup booked?  It's 6 miles closer to town and the trails.

I think the group site will give you the flexibility you need while also being reserved.  The location should be fairly protected so you won't have the dust storms that I would expect at Ken's Lake.

Goose Island looked like nothing more than a patch of dirt. Big bend has trees and greenery that appealed to me. Also it states on the Goose Island description that there is only 5 parking spots.

*EDIT* Just realized I was thinking of Lone Mesa with the whole "patch of dirt". It was the only 5 parking spots that threw me off of Goose though.

[liveoak]

J

[blackdiamond]

Just a note on elephant hill. This is a full day trail because of the traveling distance mostly but it is worth it. Not difficult wheeling but breathtaking scenery around every corner. Hells revenge is like a way better fins and things to me so i would remove fins from the list as there are better options.
Anytime i bring someone to moab for the first time i always run hells first. That trail pretty much defines moab and will get everyone excited for more.

Thanks for the perspective of Elephant Hill. It is truly a beautiful trip.

I also pretty much agree with you on Hells Revenge. My only reservation is without any prior Moab experience and nobody with prior experience in the group you need to be pretty conservative on the trail. As an example, Hells Gate isn't really hard if you know the line but it can get you in a bad spot pretty easily as well.

[jangelfire]

Heres a pic from hells gate 2 weeks ago

[SqWADoosh [OP]]

Heres a pic from hells gate 2 weeks ago

What went wrong?

[jangelfire]

Open front dif and too much skinny pedal

[blackdiamond]

Open front dif and too much skinny pedal

How far up were you?

[helipilot77]

Jangle, your stereo knows what needs to be done.

[SqWADoosh [OP]]

Jangle, your stereo knows what needs to be done.

Something tells me he put that song on while waiting for help. 

[jangelfire]

Something tells me he put that song on while waiting for help. 

no honestly i didnt even notice the song until i got home and was looking at pics.

[jangelfire]

How far up were you?

rite at the very top

[jangelfire]

You guys should stay at King Springs campground.thats where we always camp.its rite on the river and across the road at the start of pritchett canyon, they have showers for i think $10.you wont have a problem getting a spot and its close to some good night wheeling also

[liveoak]

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