Making trip to Moab UT, looking for trail suggestions along the way!

Mattman347 · Jan 26, 2020

Me and Abigail will be headed to Moab UT, we should be getting there around June 1st. I am planing on taking I40 from Nashville all the way there. We have been told there are some great trails in New Mexico! Looks like we will be headed north out of Albuquerque NM on 550. Just trying to get an idea if it is worth stopping and hitting some trails in that area! We will have the 40' gooseneck with the camper on it and 2 rigs, one real capable one and another for leisure trails. We will be spending a week or so in Moab then probably heading back through Colorado to see the sights. Any input from you all on this trip?

Mattman347 · Jan 26, 2020

extremetownie · Jan 26, 2020

Go to BFE as soon as you can. I regret not going there on day1.

Mattman347 · Jan 26, 2020

extremetownie said:
Go to BFE as soon as you can. I regret not going there on day1.

We are for sure going there this time!!

tkinze · Jan 26, 2020

Last I heard it was closed, has been for close to 2 years. It was awesome!!! I know not along the way but 21 Rd near Grand Junction is great.

AreaBFE - Moab Tours, UTV Rentals and Off Road Adventure Park

Let your wild side loose at Area BFE! We are the premier of road adventure tour & side by side rental destination in Moab, Utah. Limitless fun and adrenaline rushes with trails & rock crawling at our off-road park. Special/private events, races, and even filming available.

www.areabfe.com

TBItoy · Jan 26, 2020

tkinze said:
Last I heard it was closed, has been for close to 2 years. It was awesome!!! I know not along the way but 21 Rd near Grand Junction is great.

AreaBFE - Moab Tours, UTV Rentals and Off Road Adventure Park

Let your wild side loose at Area BFE! We are the premier of road adventure tour & side by side rental destination in Moab, Utah. Limitless fun and adrenaline rushes with trails & rock crawling at our off-road park. Special/private events, races, and even filming available.

www.areabfe.com

Ive heard of 21 Rd for years, I was looking at that on google maps and it looks like the trail is wheeling up the drainage ditch/gully beside the actual "21 Rd". Pretty cool

Mattman347 · Jan 26, 2020

tkinze said:
Last I heard it was closed, has been for close to 2 years. It was awesome!!! I know not along the way but 21 Rd near Grand Junction is great.

AreaBFE - Moab Tours, UTV Rentals and Off Road Adventure Park

Let your wild side loose at Area BFE! We are the premier of road adventure tour & side by side rental destination in Moab, Utah. Limitless fun and adrenaline rushes with trails & rock crawling at our off-road park. Special/private events, races, and even filming available.

www.areabfe.com

Luckily I have local guy there with a key to the gate so that wont be an issue this time!

Mattman347 · Jan 26, 2020

Looks like Choke Cherry Canyon is a good place to go, planing that as one of the stops on the way out.

Markrobinson · Jan 26, 2020

What's the deal on street legal vehicles now? I went 11 or so years ago and anything that wasn't at least marginally legal was pulled over.
I'd love to go back but our rig isn't street able

Mattman347 · Jan 27, 2020

Markrobinson said:
What's the deal on street legal vehicles now? I went 11 or so years ago and anything that wasn't at least marginally legal was pulled over.
I'd love to go back but our rig isn't street able

Last time we went (2 years ago) I just got tags and then got insurance for the month. I put tail lights and everything else back in and never had an issue! So I guess I would call it marginally legal at that point lol

ridered3 · Jan 27, 2020

Mattman347 said:
Looks like Choke Cherry Canyon is a good place to go, planing that as one of the stops on the way out.

All I know about Choke Cherry Canyon is that Loren Healy and several other Ultra4 drivers love that area for technical, sticky rock crawling. The lines some of those guys try are insane.

Was going to say hit up Sand Hollow/Hurricane, Utah, but that's 5+ hours the wrong direction away.

ridered3 · Jan 27, 2020

Mattman347 said:
Last time we went (2 years ago) I just got tags and then got insurance for the month. I put tail lights and everything else back in and never had an issue! So I guess I would call it marginally legal at that point lol

The custom windshield is what put the Exploder over the top in the "Marginally legal" department.

Are y'all just going out since it's summer break or is there a Ford Ranger/Explorer meetup thing out there?

Mattman347 · Jan 27, 2020

ridered3 said:
The custom windshield is what put the Exploder over the top in the "Marginally legal" department.

Are y'all just going out since it's summer break or is there a Ford Ranger/Explorer meetup thing out there?

We are meeting some guys from the club I was in since I was 15. They are mostly bringing Bronco 2's with some Jee[s mixed in now. We are just meeting them in Moab for the week.

ridered3 · Jan 28, 2020

Mattman347 said:
We are meeting some guys from the club I was in since I was 15. They are mostly bringing Bronco 2's with some Jee[s mixed in now. We are just meeting them in Moab for the week.

Ah that's what I figured club wise once I saw the Ranger loaded on the trailer too.

jeeptj99 · Jan 28, 2020

Think you could fit a tj on the trailer?

tkinze · Jan 28, 2020

Tail lights, headlights, tags and insurance are highly recommended. Windshield is a good thing to have for the road portions too. Some trails are a ways out of town on black top (such Poison Spider Mesa) and getting back in town after dark is not unusual.

Comparing Sand Hollow to Moab is apples and oranges, they're 2 entirely difference things.

You go to Moab for the experience. The views are incredible and the overall experience is epic but aside from a small handful of trails it's not overly difficult and the lengthy stretches of blacktop are very hard on some rigs.

Sand Hollow is a little more like park riding but with some of the absolute best true rock crawling around. You base camp within spitting distance of the trails, run into Hurricane or St. George at night for dinner and have access to all the parts stores known to man.

If given the chance you have to do both

For reference, on the way back from PSM rolling down Hwy 191 about 2-3 miles north of Moab. Speed limit was 65 (i think) and we could only do about 35-40 tops

Sand Hollow

Mattman347 · Jan 28, 2020

tkinze said:
Tail lights, headlights, tags and insurance are highly recommended. Windshield is a good thing to have for the road portions too. Some trails are a ways out of town on black top (such Poison Spider Mesa) and getting back in town after dark is not unusual.

Comparing Sand Hollow to Moab is apples and oranges, they're 2 entirely difference things.

You go to Moab for the experience. The views are incredible and the overall experience is epic but aside from a small handful of trails it's not overly difficult and the lengthy stretches of blacktop are very hard on some rigs.

Sand Hollow is a little more like park riding but with some of the absolute best true rock crawling around. You base camp within spitting distance of the trails, run into Hurricane or St. George at night for dinner and have access to all the parts stores known to man.

If given the chance you have to do both

For reference, on the way back from PSM rolling down Hwy 191 about 2-3 miles north of Moab. Speed limit was 65 (i think) and we could only do about 35-40 tops

View attachment 116280

Sand Hollow

View attachment 116281

Looks pretty awesome for sure! Ill look into it, loos to be 6-7 hrs from Farmington NM (Where we are going to hang out for a couple days) but the traction there looks epic! lol

Bronco Mike · Jan 28, 2020

ridered3 said:
The custom windshield is what put the Exploder over the top in the "Marginally legal" department.

Are y'all just going out since it's summer break or is there a Ford Ranger/Explorer meetup thing out there?

where y'all located I'm about to start on a ranger myself . I got a 90 ranger and a wrecked 89 f350 gas burner single rear wheel I'm going to put together

Mattman347 · Jan 30, 2020

Bronco Mike said:
where y'all located I'm about to start on a ranger myself . I got a 90 ranger and a wrecked 89 f350 gas burner single rear wheel I'm going to put together

We are south of Nashville.

mightymouse · Feb 1, 2020

if you plan on coming back through colorado check out chinaman gulch (easier) and carnage canyon (way tougher). both are right next to each other and arent way off the beaten path. Another really good trail we did year before last was wheeler lake. If you plan on wheeling in colorado be sure to check out the snow and depth on the trails in higher elevations before you go. That **** can change quickly there. Another MT. blanca is great as are the trail in the independence system.