Moab

After an adrenaline-charged day of tackling Moab's more demanding offroad trails, Arth's Pasture serves as the perfect cooldown. While less technical, this trail doesn't compromise on the natural spectacle; it offers consistent, picturesque views toward the La Sal Mountains, making it a favorite spot for photo ops. As you reach the trail's end, the vista reveals the Manti-La Sal National Forest Mountain range and its surrounding wilderness. Although initially an exit route for the more intense Metal Masher, Arth's Pasture holds its own as a standalone out-and-back journey. For those looking to extend their adventure, this trail pairs excellently with nearby routes like Gemini Bridges, Four Arches Canyon, and Bull Canyon, making it an essential part of a full day of scenic yet manageable wheeling.

The iconic Hell Roaring Rim (HRR) route has become popular. Known as a family-friendly trail with spectacular views of the desert, this portion of HRR challenges even the most seasoned wheelers. Rocky ledges are overly abundant along this slow, bumpy traverse. You create the iconic HRR route and an all-day scenic adventure by connecting with the Mineral Point and Mineral Point Return via Hell Roaring trails. You'll wind through a diverse and well-preserved desert landscape with a hike to Tibbetts Arch and endless views of the canyons and distant mountains.

Traveling through the wide, highlands of its namesake, Trail Canyon takes users across the top of the Highlands before quickly dropping down into a rugged and dense tree-lined drained. In either direction, this section of the iconic Dome Plateau Loop adds a little difficulty when you plan to visit the Dome Plateau Overlook. This route also offers access to several lesser-known overlooks of the canyon and the Colorado River.

Are you looking for an oasis in the desert? How about welcoming shade and a flowing creek in the middle of Utah's red desert? Dripping Springs is the start of a riparian beltway stretching to the banks of the Green River. The dense trees and vegetation thriving within Ten Mile Canyon are a hiker and bird watcher's paradise. In the winter, look for predator birds nesting within the nooks of the cliff walls. The shade under the cottonwood trees in the summer is a welcome reprieve. Gold-colored fall leaves create a vibrant contrast to the surrounding rock formations. When combined with other nearby trails, Duma Point Road adds a unique cooling break to an otherwise hot day in the high desert.

Take a leisurely scenic tour along one of the lesser-known trails in the region. Bartlett Flat is an excellent alternative to the more congested trails within the area. The trail easily travels below a towering red cliff before zigzagging through the scattered rock formations that dot the valley. You'll roll through long stretches of bright red sand and across long, solid rock slabs. For the cautious traveler or less experienced rock crawler, connecting this with Bartlett Overlook is a fun day and an ideal way to experience Moab without all the risks of challenging obstacles.

With birdseye views 1,200 feet above the Colorado River, Pole Canyon Rim is an amazingly scenic in-and-out trail that leads to several overlooks. Beginning and ending on Entrada Bluffs, the trail starts as a fairly easy dirt and slickrock track passing Mule Shoe and Pole Canyon, with several campsites overlooking this canyon. As you continue south, the road becomes rockier and rougher, encountering small ledges less than 10 inches. A few miles in, the trail intersects with Powerpole Rim, where you can continue along the moderate and rough route or take a much harder Powerpole route to the rim overlooks. Eventually, the trail turns sharply and heads northwest, forking one more time. The southernmost fork leads to a rim-side overlook high above the Colorado River, and the northmost fork leads to a plateau overlook with 360-degree views. This northwest stretch of trail is quite narrow as it weaves through thick brush, and pinstriping is likely. There is plenty of opportunity to camp at the end of both fingers and amazing views in all directions.

This trail is suitable for any high clearance 4x4 or AWD vehicle. Low-range will likely not be used during your travels, but airing down is highly encouraged to ease in comfort of the ride.

Part of an Easter Jeep Safari route, Secret Spire is a short, scenic drive across sandy two-track and slickrock on the mesa between Hellroaring and Spring Canyons. It rolls over small sandstone ledges that flex suspension and lightly test traction while staying beginner and stock-friendly. What it lacks in difficulty, it makes up for in scenery and geology, with flowing Navajo sandstone, sculpted hoodoos, and the namesake mushroom-shaped spire perched on a smooth dome at the halfway point.

Four-wheeling on the moon. That's how traversing this rugged, but oddly serene Utah desert trail feels. The different layers of colored dirt create a kaleidoscope of colors. The ground is virtually void of plant life, yet the landscape is alive with color. Dee Pass transports you over numerous colorful and rocky hills with unique panoramas. The La Sal Mountains create a perfect backdrop as you weave through the maze of balance rocks and narrow ledges. Dee Pass is not your typical Moab trail but part of the Easter Jeep Safari Crystal Geyser route.

Situated on the way to Canyonlands Island in the Sky District and Deadhorse State Park, this offroad trail is hidden amidst the paved and improved tourist areas directly off Highway 313. Named after the famous Merrimac and Monitor Civil War-era ironclads, it makes for a quick side trip when wheeling other trails in the Moab area. While not the most amazing trail, it takes you to a more up-close and personal view of Merrimac and Monitor Buttes and gives you a good bird's-eye view down into Seven Mile Canyon. It is perfect for the person looking to get used to driving offroad before tackling the more challenging trails in the area.

Dark Canyon Lake Road is a beautiful and leisurely cruise through dense forest and towering mountain peaks over 12,000 feet. The trail connects Two-Mile Road and Geyser Pass on a 12.8-mile gravel and hard-packed dirt road winding through a scenic pass. During winter months, Geyser Pass Road can be closed, and Dark Canyon Lake Road may be impassable. Along the way, a high clearance trail leads down to Dark Canyon Lake, a must-stop. There is a turn-around parking area for a few vehicles at the lake. Most of the shoreline is private, but there is a small area to get your toes wet and enjoy a mountain lake view. Camping is relatively abundant along the route. There are numerous primitive campsites on the 4x4 side trails, or you can camp at one of the organized campgrounds in the area.

While Highlands Road may not be a "destination trail," you'll likely have to use this easy trail to visit the popular Dome Plateau Overlook. Winding across the Highlands of the Dome Plateau, the road travels past colorful sandstone cliffs and sprawling meadows with distant views of the La Sal Mountains. Numerous 4x4 trails branch off this county road, leading to overlooks, log cabins, and other hidden gems.

Part of the Dome Plateau Loop, Squaw Park is a leisurely scenic tour across tall grass meadows and towering sandstone cliffs with multiple caves to explore. Cave Spring is a unique natural feature where a natural spring drips out of the cave walls, creating a colorful oasis within the cliff wall. You'll want to plan extra time to hike up into the caves to see how far they go!

Barney's Overlook is a spur trail off the northeast portion of the Poison Spider loop that takes you to an epic campsite behind Pig Rock with an incredible bird's eye view of the downtown Moab Valley. The road to the two viewpoints along the cliff edge starts as a sandy trail but quickly transitions to a rough, slow, and rocky track across many small, jagged, slickrock ledges. Camping at the end is exposed to the wind depending on direction, but the ground is level. A few soft sandy spots will make for a great floor bottom for a tent.

This trail is suitable for any high clearance 4x4.

Take a beautiful journey out to one of Moab's most breathtaking overlooks. 10 Mile Point starts as a maintained graded dirt road but ends on the rim, 400 feet above the Green River. The further you travel on this trail, the rougher it gets. There are several very bumpy sections, and towards the end, there is mild "rock crawling." You will need high clearance and possibly 4x4 for the soft sand or if you become high centered on a rock. This area is remote and not very busy; go over-prepared—plenty of free camping along this route.

One of the many options on Fins and Things, this alternate track ramps up the excitement with a tricky descent down a razor-edge fin. Suitable for experienced drivers with capable vehicles and should not be attempted in slippery conditions.

From Potash Road, Pyramid Butte travels to the edge of the Colorado River, where you can see across to Chicken Corners. The road is primarily soft dirt and would be difficult in wet weather due to mud. A few patches of rocky soil are filled with goofball to baseball-sized rocks. Interestingly, patches of prickly pear cacti and sand dunes are built up against its namesake, Pyramid Butte. No camping is permitted.