Fins and Things

4.9/5 (85 reviews)
Moab, Utah (Grand County)
Last Updated: 12/13/2022

Trail Information

Highlights

Desert
Iconic
Rock
Sand
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.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Direction of Travel The southern and northern sections of the trail are mostly one-way travel only, with the south section being strictly one-way only. Please remember to stay on the marked route and follow the one-way signs. The entrances and exits do change from time to time but are well-signed. Always follow the signage versus a GPX or app in the event of trail alignment changes. If you are uncertain about the direction of the trail on slickrock, follow the black tire marks and white paint. Vehicle Recommendations Bone-stock high-clearance SUV-type vehicles will struggle in spots, but the trail is doable. A small lift and larger tires will be helpful. Lockers aren't necessary, but they are helpful. Whichever you drive, air those tires down for traction and have a spotter. Road Surface and Obstacles Fins and Things is almost entirely on slickrock or sand. A few climbs are aggravated by a loose sand approach, with the sand being deep or shallow. Steep pitches up and down are the primary type of obstacle, with a few pitches reaching almost 40°. Many obstacles are blind, meaning you can't see the road from the driver's seat. Use a spotter or get and look before driving over a blind edge or turn. Location: Fins and Things is located within the Sand Flats Recreations Area and managed through a partnership between Grand County and the BLM. All 4X4s, ATVs, motorcycles, and bikes must remain on designated roads and trails. There are no open play areas within Sand Flats. Penalties for violations of trail use can include, among other things, forfeiture of vehicles. Please Stay on the trail! Remember, indiscriminate vehicle tracks represent the theft of beauty that you came here to see. Hours of Use The southern section, Waypoints 1-16, can only be run during daylight hours because portions of the trail travel through camp. Fee: Sand Flats offers a few different types of use passes. Enter in a private vehicle, and you can purchase a 1-day pass for $5.00 or a 7-day pass for $10.00. Sand Flats also charges a vehicle trailer fee of $5.00. An annual pass for $25.00 is available. The pass admits the cardholder and passengers in a single, private vehicle for day use through the last day of the month and year indicated on the pass.
Avoid when ice and or snow are present.

Trail Reviews

4.9/5 (85 reviews)
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 12/28/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

I did half the trail in light rain. My vehicle is a 2019 Jeep Compass “trailhawk”. There are marked trails for easier parts but we did the hard options, I don’t recommend this unless you have a good spotter and some idea of how to pick a good line. I don’t recommend this when wet. Overall good trail but it started snowing so we opted out where the trail crossed sand flat rd.
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 11/02/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

It was a fun easy trail with a few obstacles. I can see where a few obstacles where an inexperience off roader might be a little intimidated. We ran it in a modified Tacoma (33s, 3' lift, bumper, hitch skid, etc) with no issue. Its a perfect first trail if you're new to slick rock. Its also right next to hells revenge so it would be pretty easy to make a day out of both of these trails.
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 10/23/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Pretty Easy trail but lots of fun and its awesome because it's so close to town. Trail Traffic can get heavy with dirtbikes and side by sides but that makes it fun to me. Ran it in a Titan Swapped Nissan Xterra with a buddy who was in a JL on 35s with 2 in lift.
200
Open
Visited: 10/20/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

This is just about the south section because the wife didn't want to do the north this year. There are a couple of spots that are getting pretty gnarly; spots that I cleared in past years but bottomed out this year. Still a fun, epic trail, but it's more difficult than a 4 at this time.
Official Crew
2100
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 10/12/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

WHAT A BLAST! I ran this in my 21 Gladiator Rubicon with a 2 inch lift and aired down 35 inch tires. If you’re going to run this in a gladiator or something with a longer wheel base I highly recommend a hitch skid. We took most of the difficult lines and on a majority of them we rubbed our hitch. The obstacles are great because they slowly build your confidence if you’ve never done a trail this technical! Highly recommend!

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