Offroad, overland, and rock crawling opportunities are abundant in the Moab, Utah area, with 100s of open roads and trails that range from easy to extreme. The area spans over 103,000 square miles and includes lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, The Manti-La Sal National Forest, Utah State Trust Land, Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, and the Sand Flats Recreation Area.
While the most well-known trails, such as Hell’s Revenge, Fins and Things, Poison Spyder, The White Rim Trail, and the Rimrocker, are typically the main attractions, the area is home to plenty of hidden gems worth exploring.
While visiting and riding the trails, enjoy Arches and Canyonlands National Parks to round out your trip. Plan accordingly because Arches now has a timed entry system from April through November, where you need a permit to enter. It is also important to know that summers can have extreme heat with monsoons, and even though it is a high-plain desert, it can snow in the winter months.
Dispersed camping is limited and only available in designated areas. Each Trails Offroad trail guide lists the various camping opportunities, including BLM’s designated campsites. BLM also manages several campgrounds with vault toilets and picnic tables. Within Moab, you can find various lodging and dining opportunities and repair and maintenance services for your vehicle.
Browse the trail guides below to find what best suits you.
Are you looking for a trail close to Moab that provides an iconic Moab experience and is a Jeep Badge of Honor Trail? Then start the motor and head to Sand Flats Recreation Area for Fins and Things! This particular trail packs a tremendous amount of fun and grand views of the La Sal Mountains in the background while driving on the mysterious-looking "Fins and Things." "Fins" are the Navajo Sandstone slickrock formations northeast of Moab, and the "things" are what remain as the fins erode. The fins started as wind-blown dunes over 200 million years ago that got cemented into sandstone, and they are now going full circle back to sand blowing in the wind. The term "slickrock" emerged when early western settlers crossed this sandstone in wagons with wood wheels on steel rims. Those steel rims definitely didn't have the traction we have today with rubber tires. As a matter of fact, they found it rather "slick." Imagine facing down a 40-degree slope on wood and steel wheels! Fins and Things is the penultimate trail for proving just how grippy slickrock really is. You'll probably have a pretty tight grip on your seat cushion as well.
Welcome to Hell's Revenge, the world's most famous slickrock trail. Slickrock is petrified sand. The slickrock moniker dates back to when horse-drawn wagons would try to cross the seemingly easily traversed undulating sandstone. Metal horseshoes and steel-rimmed wagon wheels found no grip on the sandstone. Thus, it was called slickrock. Modern tires love the course sandstone. Moab's Hell's Revenge is considered a must-do for many wheelers. It's also in most folks' top 5 Jeep Badge of Honor Trails. When picturing Moab, the slickrock rollercoaster, fins, steep climbs, insane traction, and the two rubber tracks cresting over the hills off into the distance of Hell's Revenge is what comes to mind. If eavesdropping on conversations at any Moab watering hole, you'll hear names like Hell's Gate, The Hot Tubs, Car Wash, Micky's Hot Tub, The Escalator, and Tip Over Challenge mentioned reverently and constantly at the heart of any good Moab story. They are all on Hell's Revenge.
Whenever you see the photo of an offroad-ready rig on a sandstone slab jutting out over a glorious-looking red valley, that's this trail. That is right, Top of the World is a famous trail! It is most famous for its challenge and iconic views, let alone being a Jeep Badge of Honor Trail. The inspirational view from the top is going to automatically increase your bucket list to include Onion Creek, which you will have a birdseye view of as you nest on the perch above. The challenging drive to the top, its 360° view, and the unique photo opportunity make Top of the World a story you will tell for years to come.
D1700 is a short, straight-through spur road off Long Canyon that leads past a gas well and back to Long Canyon. The road is an easy, hardpacked two-track offering great views of the La Sal Mountains. Camping is not allowed for the first half mile along the western end, but no pre-established campsites exist along the remainder of the road. This trail is suitable for any vehicle with decent ground clearance.
The Upper Porcupine Rim trail is an extremely scenic forest road that is also part of the Kokopelli Trail. It connects Sand Flats Road and the La Sal Loop Road, following the upper portion of Porcupine Rim with spectacular views of the La Sal Mountains and Castle Valley. It is best driven east to west, so the views along the rim are on the driver's side. It is also heavily used by bikes to access the Upper Porcupine Singletrack (UPS) trail, which is part of the Whole Enchilada bike trail.
The hardest part of the road is near the beginning, where it climbs steeply up to the rim from the intersection with Sand Flats Road. This section is heavily rutted dirt interspersed with short sections of slickrock, which would likely be impassable in wet conditions as it looks like it can get extremely muddy. Once on top of the mesa, the trail levels out and becomes smoother, passing through a wide-open flat meadow, which would be great for camping. About halfway into the trail, it reaches the rim of the mesa at an overlook with amazing views of Castle Valley to the west and Green Mountain and Mount Waas to the east. From here, the road follows along the rim for about a mile and a half before turning inland and intersecting the La Sal Loop Road next to the Jimmy Keen trailhead.
Though there are no obvious established campsites along this road, dispersed camping is allowed per the MVUM, and the meadow just before reaching the rim would make for a gorgeous location for camping. There are also multiple established campsites along Sand Flats Road near the beginning of this trail.
Adobe Mesa is a lesser-known but highly scenic trail in the highlands above Moab. It is located on the mesa that separates Castle Valley from Professor Valley and is particularly known for the majestic overlook of Castleton Tower from the western end of the mesa. The trail starts from the La Sal Loop Road in the Manti-La Sal National Forest and crosses onto BLM land once out on the mesa. It initially winds through a valley with a section of off-camber shelf road before coming out onto the flat mesa. Near the end of the mesa, it splits into two branches that each go to a different overlook on the rim. The western branch leads to an overlook of Castleton Tower and is the more difficult of the two branches. The northern branch is the easiest of the two and leads to another overlook of Professor Valley on the rim, where you will also find an excellent campsite. While this overlook isn't quite as spectacular as the western overlook, it is still worth checking out. The entire mesa is open to dispersed camping, and several campsites can be found both near the beginning and ends of the trail.
Adobe Mesa's overall difficulty is moderate. The road surface changes from rutted dirt near the beginning to a mixture of sand and slickrock ledges further out. The western branch is the most difficult, with a series of rock ledges that will challenge stock vehicles.
D1091B is a short jumper road between Big Draw Trail and Mineral Bottom Road. It is a lightly used two-track with sections of sand and rough and bumpy slickrock striations. Due to light vehicle usage, route finding can be difficult along the slickrock. No pre-established campsites exist along this trail. This trail is suitable for any high clearance vehicle and airing down is highly recommended due to the brought terrain.
D1091 is an easy, straight-through two-track trail that starts and ends along Mineral Bottom Road. The road is primarily sand with sections of protruding slickrock. Expansive views of the La Sal Mountains, Buck Mesa, and beyond can be seen all along the trail as you trek across Horsetheif Point. On the western end of the trail, you will quickly pass a slickrock campsite good for vehicle camping and then come to a hard, 180-degree turn before reaching Horsetheif Spring. The spring is located on private property and provides no turn-around point, so please adhere to signage and ensure you take the 180-degree turn. The trail then becomes lightly used as it travels through grass and sagebrush and bumps its way back to the eastern side, ending just after a second large, slickrock campsite good for any camp setup and groups. The ground is level and provides ample parking. This trail is suitable for any high clearance vehicle.
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