This trail meanders below the scenic western rim of Canyon Rims Recreation Area and is bordered on the west by Canyonlands National Park. Starkly beautiful, rugged, and very remote. Don’t go alone. Take lots of water and extra gas. Get an early start from Moab if you expect to return the same day. A fun weekend trip if you add Lockhart Canyon, trail #67. Lots of great dispersed camping and a BLM fee campground on the south end. A fun trail for ATVs and UTVs the first 8.2 miles. After that, for the next 1.3 miles, ATVs and UTVs are prohibited in Canyonlands National Park. You can also ride to the park boundary if you come in from the south end.
435-259-2100, 435-259-4711BLM Moab Field Office, 82 E. Dogwood, Needles Visitor Center
Check the Weather05/07/2023
Submitted by Konrad
We got most of it done on the first day. We were on the trail by 8 AM, and camped about 12 miles from the end, getting to our campsite by mid-afternoon.
The first mile really is challenging, and slow. It’s pretty relentless, and we had to stop many times to walk the lines first, and then it was just generally slow going. The most challenging bit is the last narrow, steep climb. It’s basically a collection of loose rocks and boulders around some very fixed large rocks and boulders. On the upside, you don’t really have to choose your line: there is only one line. You just have to figure out how to get up. The 2 door Rubicon had made it up without too much fuss, although lockers were involved, and it was a 4-inch lift running 35’s. The 4 Door Rubicon with a trailer was a different matter. The loose boulders just didn’t provide enough traction to haul both the Jeep and the ~3,000 lb trailer up there, despite the 3 inch lift, 37’s, and all the lockers. Without the trailer it would have made it up without much ado. It was an easy winch out though, and didn’t cost us too much extra time.
The rest of the trail is pretty relentless up to about 21 miles in. Lots of steep ledges to get up and down, and it’s pretty slow going in between these spots. I honestly can’t see any stock 4×4 getting through there without assistance.
Awesome trail though. I’m reluctant to recommend it highly, because a lot of the appeal is that it’s not as popular as other trails in the greater Moab area, and there’s very little traffic. We loved it all though.
Oh, and take extra fuel. I would probably have made it back to Moab with the 392 on a single tank of gas, but it would have been tight. If you’re running it South to North, I would highly recommend taking enough gas to get you back if you get to that narrow steep bit and decide you’re not going to be able to get down there.
10/26/2020
Submitted by Michael
Just completed the trail from the Canyonlands side into Moab. It had snowed the night before but is almost all melted now. Road/trail conditions are good. The side closest to Moab was a bit technical and a lot of fun. The rest of the trail offers some great views. We did this trail because Elephant Hill was closed due to snow.
