Poison Spider Mesa

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4.9/5 (40 reviews)
Moab, Utah (Grand County)
Last Updated: 04/09/2023
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Trail Information

Highlights

Altitude Category Icon Altitude
Desert Category Icon Desert
Iconic Category Icon Iconic
Overland Category Icon Overland
Rock Category Icon Rock
Sand Category Icon Sand
Scenic Category Icon Scenic

Moab is one of the premier off-road and four-wheel drive destinations. Comprised of many of the most well-known trails in all United States, it has trail types that suit all drivers wheeling desires and is often called an off-roader's paradise. Amongst these trails, Poison Spider is one of the most popular and challenging trails in the area. You get amazing wheeling, and you can also take in the inspiring Little Arch with a view of the Colorado River behind it. The bold will continue to Golden Spike, Where Eagles Dare, and finish on Gold Bar Rim. Very few complete what is known as "The Trifecta."

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Poison Spider Mesa is a lollipop-shaped loop that also connects to the Golden Spike trail. The trail is comprised of slickrock, sand, and dirt, with plenty of waterfalls, ledges, and hill climbs. Even though most obstacles have a bypass, several are still mandatory. Expect 6-foot tall waterfalls, steeper than 30-degree inclines, and plenty of drops you drag bumpers on. Poison Spider Mesa is recommended for experienced drivers in a modified vehicle with a lift, larger tires, and traction aid devices like lockers. However, if you don't mind undercarriage scraping, this trail can be run in a stock Jeep with an experienced driver and careful line placement.

Note: The .gpx track available here is of the hardest lines possible on the trail. Stop at each obstacle and pick your route. When in doubt, follow the white tracks painted on the road surface.

Trail Reviews

4.9/5 (41)
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 10/18/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

I ram this trail last week and it was spectacular as always. I only ran all of poison spider and enjoyed all of the views and challenges. The trail description and rating are spot on in my opinion. For me it was a lot easier this time as I finally had lockers, I have run it before without lockers. You still scrape and hit things with only 33” tires but it makes it fun.
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2350
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 10/07/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

I personally would bump up the trail difficulty to a 6+. There is a trail near where I live that is rated a 5 and that's mainly for a 2 foot tall step. This trail is definitely more than that. Either way, great trail. I wanted to see how far I could get a Pathfinder with a front locker and 32" tires up the trail and we managed to get half way up the S-turn waterfall before calling it quits. If I had a little more height and 33's I would have tried it. I will be back!
Trail Review: Poison Spider Mesa - Jason
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600
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 10/03/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

The trail is moderate to difficult and a lot of fun. It's a great warm-up trail before continuing on the trifecta. The difficulty is pretty spot on. JKUR with 35's had no issues.
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 09/16/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Ran this trail on a Saturday morning and it was surprisingly quiet; only saw 4 other groups. We did it as an out & back but I wish we had more time to just connect it to the others in the Trifecta instead of returning through the same obstacles, but that's just personal preference. I will say that going down the harder obstacles of Poison Spider is a whole new experience from going up them. Expect off-camber that I would call moderate. Enjoyable trail! Get out and do the 2 minute hike down to Little Arch - it's cool.
Trail Review: Poison Spider Mesa - Tyler Bowers
Trail Review: Poison Spider Mesa - Tyler Bowers
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400
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 07/11/2023

Several of the bypasses were non existent. Not sure if they washed out or have been roped off. There was one for sure that had been fenced off and looked recent. Due to the lack of bypasses this made the trail much more difficult. Good trail overall, but having a smaller rig and no bypasses made things a bit more difficult.

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