Moody Creek Road

Across its nearly 20-mile stretch, Moody Creek Road offers quite a few experiences. Beginning as a well-used dirt road within the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, the landscape is quintessential southern Utah, with towering red rock plateaus in most directions. As the trail works its way south, you will snake between the bases of Colt and Horse Pasture Mesas, where the trail narrows using a wash area to travel the canyons. You may notice a signage shift as you cross from the national monument over to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area lands. The first 14 miles of trail are traversable by high-clearance 2WD vehicles in dry conditions. Should you choose to push on, the final 3 miles of the trail make a bump in difficulty as conditions quickly shift to that of a true 'Jeep trail' with large ruts, rocky ledges, and steep climbs. The bumpy trek finally ends atop Four Mile Bench at the base of very colorful purple hills with stunning views of the surrounding rock formations.

Dispersed campsites are mostly limited to one just before the Silver Falls spur, a couple nested along the base of Colt Mesa (after the gate and coral), and one more along the final 3-mile stretch towards the purple hills.

If you plan to overnight camp within Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument, be sure to obtain a Backcountry Permit at the Escalante Interagency Visitor Center or in most of the trail register boxes at hiking trailheads. Backcountry Permits for overnight stays are free and assist the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) with tracking public land use and can also assist with emergency response efforts. Day use does not require a backcountry permit, but please sign the trail register.