Utah Off-Road Trails

Cedar Mountain Road, surrounding its namesake mountain range, is an easy but occasionally bumpy dirt road that makes nearly a complete loop back to I80. The majority of this trail is packed with dirt and gravel, but a few spots and stretches are prone to small flash floods that come out of the hills, causing random rutting and bumps. Dispersed camping is found in a few select locations on both sides of the mountains, with more camping options located up Hastings Pass.

Nine Mile Wash zigzags for almost six miles across this barren desert landscape. When the wash is dry, 99.9% of the time, it's a mix of soft sand and very rocky sections. One minute you're cruising in the wide-open wash; the next, you're trying to decide where to climb a 3-foot vertical ledge. There are multiple optional ledges to play on in the wash. The clustered cottonwoods offer a reprieve from the glaring sun while proving that something can survive in this rugged environment. Camping is nonexistent on this trail.

This trail visits two spectacular overlooks on the rim of Poverty Gulch, looking down into Parunweap Canyon toward Poverty Flats, the White Cliffs, and Zion National Park. The road is mostly easy sand in tight trees but is more challenging in snow.

Most of the route is on SITLA land, where camping is technically prohibited but not signed. However, the main (north) overlook is on BLM land where camping is allowed. The viewpoint would make an amazing campsite as long as it's not windy.

Warner Valley Overlook is an out-and-back spur trail off of East Rim that travels to an incredible cliffside viewpoint high above Warner Valley. This 1.5-mile-long trail treks across rough and rocky terrain and travels over several slickrock ledges around one foot tall. The trail is fairly wide the entire time, but there are two sections along the route where the trail narrows to 1.5 vehicles wide and traverses next to a steep exposed drop. These two sections could cause a little anxiety for drivers or passengers uncomfortable with narrow roads. The viewpoint at the end, where you can see for miles across the Arizona Strip, is well worth the trip. The viewpoint is next to the Queens Court trail, which could be used as an exit route down to Warner Valley. However, drivers would need to traverse two of the most difficult obstacles along Queens Court. Most vehicles will turn around and return the way they came to East Rim. Overall, this trail is suitable for any high clearance 4x4 vehicle. Vehicles on smaller tires or close to stock height should anticipate undercarriage scrappage.

About Sand Mountain

Sand Mountain is an extremely unique parcel of public land. Designated as an Open OHV Area, riders are free to make their own trails. Due to this, many of the long-established named trail routes have several variations that can take easier or more challenging routes through the intended trail. The GPX track for this trail helps you navigate the area, but various lines, bypasses, and additional obstacles may exist along the way. Riders are encouraged to stay on existing trails and not unnecessarily drive over or destroy vegetation.

Fees

Riding on Sand Mountain is entirely free. However, there are multiple entry/exit points for the area, including "the tunnel," which connects Sand Hollow State Park to the open OHV area. Any entry into the boundaries of Sand Hollow State Park requires a Utah State Park Pass.

Requirements

When operating on Sand Mountain, users must attach an orange or red safety flag to the vehicle, rising at least 8 feet off the ground.

Winding its way up from the Ashley Valley and the city of Vernal, Taylor Mountain is a beautiful and lush, maintained forest road with endless opportunities to explore. As you begin the uphill journey, be sure to look back at the beautiful and prominent Red Mountain behind you before getting lost in the endless aspen and pine trees that the Ashley National Forest offers. Camping is abundant both directly along the trail and down the many spurs. All sites along Taylor Mountain are dispersed, with the exception of Kaler Hollow Campground, located at the north end of the trail. Dispersed sites range in size from personal to large enough for multiple RV's and trailers, usually located in a grassy clearing at the edge of the forest. The campground is improved and free, with designated sites that offer tables and fire rings.

Providing excellent views of the Behind the Rocks Wilderness Study area, this road is an alternate route to Tukuhnikivatz Arch. You can also use it to bypass the Guardian on Behind the Rocks Trail. Comprised of dirt and protruding rock, it is a very rough drive. While being rough, there are no notable obstacles. Camping is prohibited.

Split into two sections, 22 Ferron is the Manti-La Sal National Forest access road along the eastern slope of the mountain range. The 22 trail is used to easily crossover between the two small towns, Ferron and Mayfield. The Ferron side begins in the desert at Millsite Reservoir, a wonderful place to camp or swim in the summer. After passing the reservoir, the trail winds through a canyon with the Ferron Creek flowing below before quickly climbing into the forest.

The road is a maintained gravel road but can be bumpy with washboards. There are narrow sections and blind turns, so caution should be used; large campers are often on the road. The entire route can be completed in high clearance 2WD vehicles in dry conditions. The trail is closed during the winter months. A winter gate is at the halfway point up on the mountain.

Plan for extra stops along the way. There are numerous scenic overlooks, lakes, and hiking to distract you from your destination. You'll enjoy flowing creeks and waterfalls along the trail all summer. Fishing in the area lakes is very popular. Camping is abundant along the route. You can choose from free primitive sites in the trees or camp on the edge of a lake at one of the two campgrounds.

Deep within the San Rafael Swell, the Salt Wash joins the San Rafael River at a scenic remote canyon overlook. This moderate 4x4 trail travels 7.5 miles to a spectacular overlook of this river junction. The rocky and dirt two-track crosses over desert meadows and along the edge of the Little Grand Canyon. The trail requires high clearance and 4x4 for the numerous rocky ledges and soft sand found along the route. Camping is limited to a few campsites along the edge of the cliffs at the end. It's worth the drive if you desire a private camping experience with breathtaking views.

In the far northern region of the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area, Jurassic Flats is a unique, rambling journey across a varied and rugged landscape with a unique beauty and wealth of natural history. Buried under various layers of sediment lies millions of years of bones and other organic surprises. Before traveling to this remote trail, the nearby Jurassic National Monument is an excellent place to begin your journey. Combining the route with Humbug Mountain creates a scenic loop around this colorful landscape.

The trail is ideal for stock to slightly modified vehicles. The trail has a few sections in rocky washes, with the big boulders cleared out of the way, but things can always change. Low-range 4x4, high-clearance, and durable offroad-type tires are required. The western portion is wide-open prairies along old fences, while the eastern portion is in the rocky canyons. Camping can be found near the western trailhead in the boulders along the Humbug Mountain trail.

Gandy Road is also known as Snake Valley Road, depending on whether you are traveling within Juab or Millard County. This route offers a 60-mile gravel access road running along the Utah/Nevada border from Highway 50 north up to the Weis Highway. As it's a local traffic county road, camping is not located immediately off the road, but lesser-used Bureau of Land Management roads that spur off may have camping areas available.

At the southern end of Gandy Road, you are within eyesight of the Border Inn, which has a gas station, EV charge station, and small general store.

East Fenceline is both a sandy and rocky connector road along the eastern fenceline, as the name suggests. It is a straight-through trail connecting Lakeside and Sand Dune Way, used primarliy for accessing numerous trails on the east side of Sand Mountain, including The Fallen and Razzle Dazzle. The northeast end of the track is also considered the start of the Bzzackwards trail and starts as an easy, sandy trail with a lot of whoop-de-doos. As the trail turns west, it becomes more moderate and transitions to sections of chunky slickrock that will keep your speeds a bit lower and often test belly clearance. The westernmost stretch of trail between Sand Dune Way and The Fallen offers a few slickrock descents and transitions back into easy soft sand. This trail is suitable for any aired down, high clearance 4WD vehicle.

About Sand Mountain

Sand Mountain is an extremely unique parcel of public land. Designated as an Open OHV Area, riders are free to make their own trails. Due to this, many of the long-established named trail routes have several variations that can take easier or more challenging routes through the intended trail. The GPX track for this trail helps you navigate the area, but various lines, bypasses, and additional obstacles may exist along the way. Riders are encouraged to stay on existing trails and not unnecessarily drive over or destroy vegetation.

Fees

Riding on Sand Mountain is entirely free. However, there are multiple entry/exit points for the area, including "the tunnel," which connects Sand Hollow State Park to the open OHV area. Any entry into the boundaries of Sand Hollow State Park requires a Utah State Park Pass.

Requirements

When operating on Sand Mountain, users must attach an orange or red safety flag to the vehicle, rising at least 8 feet off the ground.

If peace and serenity are your thing, then look no further than Smoky Hollow. This trail acts as an alternate route through the mountains surrounding Smoky Mountain, the well-known feature of this area. Along the trail, you may encounter occasional washouts, as this trail does travel in a wash, but there is nothing a stock 2WD high clearance vehicle can't handle. Aside from the washouts, occasional patches of sand, possible sticky mud, and a steep climb at the end are also offered along this journey. Camping is surprisingly limited and only offered at the intersection with Tibbet Canyon (in the form of an open pullout) or at the northern end intersecting with Smoky Mountain Road. All sites are dispersed with no amenities.

This easy and scenic trail leads to Inchworm Arch, an interesting natural arch in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Even though it has been regularly used for decades, the last few miles of this route were technically closed by the original Grand Staircase management plan but were reopened by the new management plan adopted in 2020. The BLM has since re-routed part of the trail and installed directional signs marking it as an authorized motorized route.

To get to the start of the trail, take the Nephi Pasture Road, starting at a small staging area off Johnson Canyon Road. This easy dirt road winds up into the hills above Johnson Canyon and gradually gets rougher as you go along. The Inchworm Arch trail proper begins with a right turn onto a sandy double-track in Snake Canyon. There are a couple of intersections where you must turn to stay on the trail, with signs directing you to Inchworm Arch.

At the final intersection, you turn right to go to Inchworm Arch. Going straight continues on K3345, which is not technically legal under the GSENM travel plan but is not blocked or signed as closed and appears to be regularly driven. From this intersection, the trail winds through juniper forest until ending at a parking area at the rim of a small canyon. You can walk a few hundred yards down a social trail from this parking area to several different viewpoints of Inchworm Arch itself. You can proceed out either the way you came or else follow other roads in the trail network deeper into the monument.

Camping is allowed in the area, though no established campsites are along this trail. All backcountry camping in Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument requires a permit.

Across its nearly 20-mile stretch, Moody Creek Road offers quite a few experiences. Beginning as a well-used dirt road within the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, the landscape is quintessential southern Utah, with towering red rock plateaus in most directions. As the trail works its way south, you will snake between the bases of Colt and Horse Pasture Mesas, where the trail narrows using a wash area to travel the canyons. You may notice a signage shift as you cross from the national monument over to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area lands. The first 14 miles of trail are traversable by high-clearance 2WD vehicles in dry conditions. Should you choose to push on, the final 3 miles of the trail make a bump in difficulty as conditions quickly shift to that of a true 'Jeep trail' with large ruts, rocky ledges, and steep climbs. The bumpy trek finally ends atop Four Mile Bench at the base of very colorful purple hills with stunning views of the surrounding rock formations.

Dispersed campsites are mostly limited to one just before the Silver Falls spur, a couple nested along the base of Colt Mesa (after the gate and coral), and one more along the final 3-mile stretch towards the purple hills.

If you plan to overnight camp within Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument, be sure to obtain a Backcountry Permit at the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center or in most of the trail register boxes at hiking trailheads. Backcountry Permits for overnight stays are free and assist the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) with tracking public land use and can also assist with emergency response efforts. Day use does not require a backcountry permit, but please sign the trail register.