Utah Trails

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.

Welcome to Hell's Revenge, the world's most famous slickrock trail. Slickrock is petrified sand. The slickrock moniker dates back to when horse-drawn wagons would try to cross the seemingly easily traversed undulating sandstone. Metal horseshoes and steel-rimmed wagon wheels found no grip on the sandstone. Thus, it was called slickrock. Modern tires love the course sandstone. Moab's Hell's Revenge is considered a must-do for many wheelers. It's also in most folks' top 5 Jeep Badge of Honor Trails. When picturing Moab, the slickrock rollercoaster, fins, steep climbs, insane traction, and the two rubber tracks cresting over the hills off into the distance of Hell's Revenge is what comes to mind. If eavesdropping on conversations at any Moab watering hole, you'll hear names like Hell's Gate, The Hot Tubs, Car Wash, Micky's Hot Tub, The Escalator, and Tip Over Challenge mentioned reverently and constantly at the heart of any good Moab story. They are all on Hell's Revenge.

Offering stunning views of the surrounding canyons, rock formations, La Sal Mountains, and the desert landscape, Long Canyon is a picture-perfect trail for anyone visiting Moab and wanting to see big views. Along this steep drive, you'll encounter towering cliffs, expansive vistas, and unique geological features, including a one-of-a-kind rock tunnel you actually drive through. To get the most breathtaking experience, this trail is best done on a clear day, about an hour before sunset, to really highlight the scenery.

Easy and iconic, the Shafer Trail is a must-do when visiting Moab or the Canyonlands. The road was originally a cattle trail built by John Sog Shafer in 1917. Later, in the 1940s and 1950s, it was constructed into a useable road for trucks hauling uranium ore from the benches below. Long gone are the remnants of the old mining days, but the incredible and imposing rim walls still stand to remind you of how grand planet Earth really is.

Whenever you see the photo of an offroad-ready rig on a sandstone slab jutting out over a glorious-looking red valley, that's this trail. That is right, Top of the World is a famous trail! It is most famous for its challenge and iconic views, let alone being a Jeep Badge of Honor Trail. The inspirational view from the top is going to automatically increase your bucket list to include Onion Creek, which you will have a birdseye view of as you nest on the perch above. The challenging drive to the top, its 360° view, and the unique photo opportunity make Top of the World a story you will tell for years to come.

Potash Road is striking, with scenic natural, and unnatural personalities introducing themselves to you as you drive and explore the trail. Intricate canyons and hoodoos captivate you on the western end, followed by the Colorado River in the middle that begs you to pull a chair out and sit and stare at it all day. Then you reach the alien-post-apocalyptic landscape of the potash mines, asking yourself, "where on Earth am I, and what the heck is potash?" Combine all that with the stimulating Schafer Trail, and you have a great beginner's offroad adventure into Canyon Country.

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."

Elephant Hill, a remote Jeep Badge of Honor Trail, takes you deep into the interior of the otherworldly scenery within the Needles District in Canyonlands National Park. Many call it one of Utah's most technical 4WD routes, which may or may not be true depending on your driving skills. Without question, this trail has the most pristine scenery and solitude in the area that a remote four-wheel drive can offer. The route immerses you in thousands of colorful sandstone spires reaching up from the desert floor. Adding to this topographical wonderland, arches, washes, plateaus, and narrow slot canyons are scattered along the ever-changing trail. The park only gives out 24 day-use permits per day for Elephant Hill, so plan ahead.

Hurrah Pass is a scenic offroad trail located a short distance outside of downtown Moab, offering a quintessential red rock desert experience. The trail winds its way alongside dramatic canyon walls, sandstone formations, and wide-open desert vistas. It gradually ascends to the summit of its namesake Pass at about 4,800 feet, providing panoramic views of the Colorado River, the potash evaporation ponds, Kane Creek Canyon, and endless jagged cliffs and buttes Moab is widely known for. Hurrah Pass is popular for its blend of manageable terrain, rich desert scenery, and access to further backcountry routes like Chicken Corners, making it a favorite for those looking to explore the remote beauty surrounding Moab without extreme rock crawling.

Located outside Hurricane, Utah, Toquerville Falls, a cascading waterfall within a colorful desert landscape, makes you grateful to have an offroad vehicle. Toquerville Falls is accessible enough to bring the whole family for a weekend camping or just a quick day trip to escape the daily grind. The trail offers spectacular views of the mountains and La Verkin Creek, winding through the canyon below as you work your way to the waterfalls. Because of the snowmelt, the water flows pretty well in early spring, but it's also freezing. During the summer, it offers the chance to wade in the lower pool and enjoy the fresh mountain runoff. The route has numerous side trails where you can choose a campsite along the canyon's edge and relax under a blanket of stars.

Steel Bender is one of the more popular hard trails in the entire Moab area. Extremely close to town and easy to access, this trail offers an entire Moab experience in just over 9.5 miles. With towering Canyon walls, water crossings, sand dunes, slickrock fins, epic views, and ledges requiring the famous "Moab Bump", Steel Bender is non-stop fun and perfect for any adventure seeker or Jeep Badge of Honor trail hunter.

A short distance north of downtown Moab, Metal Masher features steep ascents and descents, off-camber sections, and numerous ledges up to 48 inches tall. The trail is peppered with large boulders, narrow ledges, and tight squeezes. All demand precision driving. A popular trail not only for its technical rock crawling challenges but also for its breathtaking scenic views from atop Arth's Rim, it's no surprise Metal Masher is recognized as a Jeep Badge of Honor trail.

Located about an hour southeast of Salt Lake City in the majestic Wasatch Mountain range, Mary Ellen Gulch offers a lot of adventure for any outdoor enthusiast. From the bottom, you immediately experience the amazing scenery in the Wasatch National Forest and work your way up the old mining road past abandoned gold and silver mines of the late 1800s. Look hard enough, and you might find iron pyrite or fool's gold lying around. If you are more extreme, there have been rumors that you can get lucky panning the mountain streams. There is a story of a Jeeper who panned in one of these canyons and found just enough gold to pay for the expenses of his journey up. Who knows what you may find! As you finish the trail, enjoy the breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and overlook the Mineral Basin ski lift.

With a name like Devil's Racetrack, you expect a thrill ride or sense of danger. That's partially true for this iconic Utah trail. There are a couple of rock-crawling obstacles near the edge of a shear cliff but nothing like the trails in Moab. The endless panoramas of distant arches and rock spires along the entire route keep you occupied between the rocky challenges. The trail's most iconic section is along The Razorback, a rocky stretch that tilts the driver off-camber while traversing a narrow spine high above the canyons below. The northern portion of the route crosses grassy meadows with the Twin Priest's rock spire as a backdrop.