Temple Mine

Fun and mild/moderately technical trail. Does require high clearance and 4 hi. I didn’t need 4 lo. The end of the trial was the most technical part but very doable. Was in the area Monday thru Friday. Had the place to ourselves Monday thru Wednesday. Then the fifth wheels, dirt bikes, and razors started showing up more and more as it got closer to the weekend. Fairly crowded when we left on Friday. Definitely go on week days. Too crowded on the weekends for me. Overall an incredible area with jaw dropping views. Really fun hiking in the area as well.

We ran this trail over the weekend and it is still a great beginner trail for someone getting into the sport. There are no discernable tough spots or washouts to contend with, the BLM must have come in and fixed any potentially dangerous spots. Beautiful views and amazing history. This trail will require 4 low, but any stock vehicle will have no issues.

Ran the trail last weekend to see what was going on with the wash out. I found the spot people were talking about near the end of the trail. But with that said the trail wasn't bad and I was easily able to keep driving through. Could have been its already worn down on the sides making it less of camber. I believe we might have got up to about 15 degrees or so. Thus plenty of safety net. Yes the trail does have the rocks in it like Paul's photos below but my JLU with wider rims and wheels on it had no issues just driving around it in 2wd. You can see in the photos below and was able to see with my own eyes that Paul filled in the erosion with the rocks so "Thank you". This should slow it down for a while till someone can come fill this in. I did check out the two alternate routes heading out. The one near the mine and the southern one that rides the ridge. Both are very cool but I think I like the southern one more. Just watch out for the turn at the top. Both are in the same difficulty range of this trail so no need to be stressed. There is really cool old house off the one he highlighted on the page below. Very cool area.

This was my first time running this trail. Running North Temple Wash first set the tone, and I expected more, but this trail was a lot of fun and would recommend others to check out. After reading about the washout between Waypoints 10 and 11, we opted to head west from Waypoint 10 to get back to Temple Mountain Road.

Great trail! This was my second time running this one. It seemed a little less rough this time vs two years ago. The area changes drastically depending on the clouds, so this time was a bit different in the color grades exhibited in the rocks. Its a beautiful and interesting trail and I would recommend it to anyone!

Another absolute favorite in the area. A bit of challenge and a ton of epic scenery. The mining history is super fascinating as well. I love this part of Utah!!

Beautiful trail. Absolute must-do if you are looking for some history in this part of the Swell. I did notice the review of the washout, however, this trail was easily completed in my TJ, as well as a JL in our group without issue. This is one of those trails that can change drastically with any given storm, unfortunately.

I wish i would have read Paul's review below me, because I did not do this trail this day. The trail is quite unpassable in the section he circled and I have pictures. If you have a vehicle you are comfortable taking very off camber you could do it, provided the dust doesn't make you slide right off the shelf. He gives an alternate route to take, which I see, but it didn't look very official to me and I believe in staying the trail. I was attempting to run the trail in reverse.

The shelf section has a bad washout in it between WP10 and 11. It's hard to tell in the picture, but it's very tippy, very slippery (gravel on top of hard pack), and extremely narrow. There is a go-around. The shelf is currently doable, but just barely and it's high risk. We filled a lot of the washout in with rocks and boulders after almost loosing one of the vehicles in our group (ok, fine, it was me). Locals who helped us move rocks said it happened in the last couple weeks. It's pretty heavily off-camber and very slippery due to all the gravel and sand that has sluffed over the trail. I got crossed up in it pretty good and it took a few hours to safely get the truck recovered and get the hole filled in. We brought a bunch of rocks/boulders from around that area and winched some larger ones into place to fill the washout. If you're running this trail, be ready for this section and be careful. There is a possible go-around (see attached image). We did improve this washed-out corner, but it's not pretty and would need some professional effort to make it safer. Just be aware and be safe. OTHERWISE, this trail is pretty fun with good views and several good challenges. Some of the small drainage crossings around the mine ruins are washing out as well and are really deep. Got some good wheel lifts while going through them diagonally.

What a cool trail, I can't wait to go back and check out more of the area.

Temple Mine offers mild and fun offroading with great views and interesting things to explore. Around the old mining areas, you can't help but wonder what the area was like the hay day of mining. Now it looks almost dystopian with a beautiful backdrop. Totally worth exploring and if you are into old mining remnants, this trail is for you.

Absolutely incredible trail! Not too hard, not too easy...just right for my 2015 tacoma with a 3" lift and 33's. The scenery is mind blowing (as a lot of the swell is). If you like abandoned mines and epic scenery, I would give this trail a serious consideration!