3rd Annual Moab Trip - Nov '16

I have been fortunate enough to have been able to make it down to Moab 3 years in a row now to do some wheeling. The last two years have been with my buddy Jake but due to his work schedule he was unable to make the trip with me this year. Just the wife and I this time!

The trip started on Friday, October 28th when we left our home in Bellingham, WA after work around 4 o'clock. We made it through the Seattle traffic and found a place to set up the roof top tent in Kennewick, WA. After a couple hours of restless sleep time we hit the road and bombed all the way to Fruita, CO. In case you were wondering, thats FIVE states in ONE day of driving!

We fueled up in Fruita and then camped out at the trailhead of the Kokopelli. Sunday morning we woke up and wasted no time finally getting started on our first trail, the famous Kokopelli trail.



Before long we came across the Cisco Wash. I had read about this being a tricky spot but I've never heard of anyone having any serious problems there. Well let me tell you, if it is muddy it is impossible to cross without some assistance of some sort. I knew just parked on top that if I drove down, I probably wouldn't be able to drive out the other side. Me being me, I said to hell with it and gave it a shot anyways. It didn't go so well.




With no large rocks or trees to set a winch anchor to I ended up using a trick I learned while mountaineering - deadmaning and anchor. So out came the shovel and high lift and I buried that high lift about 18 inches deep and winched off of it. The sucker never budged! I wish my wife had taken a couple more photos but here's what I've got. It was nice to know that this type of anchor works if you are in this type of pinch.





After the whole Cisco Wash winch out the rest of the trail was fairly uneventful all the way to the Top of the world. It's pretty cool how the scenery can change so quickly. Here we are as we were getting closer to the Dewey Bridge area:



We made it to the Top Of the World around 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon only to find a crowd of locals shooting a rifle and blasting music. Not the most relaxing time but eventually they left and we set up camp at the top. I never did get a picture of my truck on the overhang but oh well, I have one from a couple of years ago.

Let me give everyone a word of advice about camping at the top of the world - DON'T DO IT! What started out as a peaceful evening quickly turned into a terrifying wind storm as soon as we got into bed. We ended up folding up the tent in the middle of the night and toughing it out in the cab of my truck until the sun came up. Not exactly a romantic night on top of a mountain like I had envisioned. We did manage to see a beautiful sun set before with wind picked up though.

 

The next day we headed down from Top Of the World and decided that after that crappy night we just wanted to sit down in town and eat some nice breakfast and take a shower so we did exactly that, skipping the second half of Kokopelli. I regret this a little bit as I've heard that the part of the trail we skipped is the best part but I guess that's what next year is for.

After breakfast and a shower we headed out Kane Creek Road and up and over Hurrah Pass. I have never been out to Chicken Corners and we had the time so I figured we better take a look.



Here I am navigating the actual "Chicken Corner" nothing too exciting really but the view was great!



Once we got back from Chicken Corners we headed up Lockhart Canyon. This is where the fun part is! I had done this trail last year so I knew what to expect. I love crawling through that canyon! If only more of this long ass trail was like this.





Once out of that canyon you've got a couple hours of driving to make it to the Needles area. We ended up finding a sweet camp site just past The Great Divide in Lockhart Basin. I stole my mom's nice Nikon so here's my first night photo from camp that night. Photography is one thing I know nothing about. Look for the big dipper over top of my truck.



After some scrambled eggs the next morning we kept on driving until we finally made it out off the trail and out to the Needles district. We headed strait to the visitor center in Canyon lands and got a permit for Elephant hill. What a trail that one is! It's got some steep climbs and descents as well as some crazy tight switch backs.



That Dupont Narrows part is narrow as hell too! I somehow made it out without a scratch. Now I see why some call it the Hummer Filter. I don't see how anything bigger that a 2nd gen taco could make it through.



One of the neat parts of Elephant hill is a takes you to a parking lot where you only have to walk half a mile to see the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers. I have always wanted to see this so it was definitely a highlight for me.



We made it back out out off Elephant hill and headed to the Davis/Lavender canyon area to set up camp for the night. We lucked out and found a great spot without having to drive too far.



One more example of my playing with the cool camera:

 

I wanted to show my wife what the slickrock was all about so the next day we hit up Fins N things along with Hells Revenge. Both fun trails that are fairly easy to navigate.





I would love to see someone take on Mickey's hot tub in person and not on youtube.



I will say that the hardest part of Hell's Revenge (I didn't bother with the escalator or tip over challenge) was the exit once you get off the slick rock. Unfortunately we didn't get any photos but there were one or two parts of that road that were kind of challenging. I even got a tire in the air at one point. Fun stuff!

On Thursday morning I fought the urge to run Moab rim fearing I'd mess something up and be stranded by myself so we went and checked out the Arches. It had been 7 years since I was last there and my wife had never seen them so I'd say it was a trip worthing doing. Also it was nice to get out and hike rather than be behind the steering wheel all day.





Thursday night marked our last night in Moab. We headed out of town at 4:30 on Friday morning and made it back to our home in Bellingham just before 9:00PM. That was one hell of a trip!

 

Wonderful trip; thanks for sharing.

Hope you didn't leave any reminders of your visit to Moab, like TW members @TorconTRD and @rutacoma did.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/tw-member-vandalizing-totw.444358

 

Awesome documentation -- looks like a blast!

 

Haha nope!

 

Thanks! It was a much needed getaway.

 

Awesome trip! I can't wait to go this year.

 

Great report buddy! Man I'm missing Moab something fierce right now!

 

Nice write up. @Blackdawg

I too was recently there (10/16 thru 10/28) . In fact, the early part of our adventure was identical. Kokopeli starting in Loma to the Moab area, doing TOTW, Cottonwood Canyon and Rose Garden Hill before heading to Moab. Then Lockhart Basin to the Needles District, followed by Elephant Hill. From there our itinerary departed from yours as we followed UTBDR south to Valley of the Gods, then did the Hole in the Rock trail near Glen Canyon followed by 3 days in the Maze. 13 camp nights in a row.

No trip report yet but the picture thread is up and starting to be posted.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/m-d-u-photo-thread.458786/

 

Looks great, I want to go to MOAB when my truck is ready!

 

Sounds like an awesome trip! I wish I could take that much time off of work. Too funny how similar our routes were. I really wanted to do Hole in the Rock but we just didn't have enough time. Also Rose Garden Hill I was just too scared to do since I didn't have another rig with me. Was it as tough as they say it was? I figured I could probably make it down but didn't want to take any chances.

 

It is definitely worth the trip. There are plenty of stock friendly trails there too.

 

I can't wait for Rock Therapy this year! Hopefully I'll be running long travel or mid travel by then. I've never been... so excited!

 

Hole in the Rock had a few very challenging spots and was relentless. It just went on and on. We didn't get all the way to the end because the weather changed. Fortunately, the squalls missed us when we were on the trail but that evening it rained on us quite a bit with a great desert lightening show.

Rose Garden was a bit scary. We actually didn't realize what trail we were on at first. It is not marked when you come on it from above. For a bit we thought we had made a big mistake. That thing is very steep with very large boulders to navigate and one huge ledge that makes 1st gens look tiny. Afterwards, we realized we should have known as that section is mentioned in the Kokopelli write-ups but by the time we got to that ledge and realized our mistake but it was too late to turn around. I can't imaging being able to get through that trail from the normal direction, from below.

 

You're in for a treat. Pictures can only do so much. You'll be blown away by some of the scenery and the amount of trails Moab has to offer.

 

That sounds a little stressful. I'm definitely glad I bypassed rose garden hill then. I can only imagine the fit my wife would be giving me as we bounced off boulders down a super steep hill. I didn't want to freak her out on some of those tougher trails with hopes that she'd enjoy her time enough and want to come back next year. That's why I didn't do Moab rim on the last day. It sounds like my plan has paid off though. She definitely wants to go back.

 

Thanks for posting - I'm headed to Moab this weekend and your writeup & photos are getting me stoked for the trip. I've been biking and hiking there but this is my first time taking a truck. Looking at Hell's Revenge and the first half of Poison Spider Mesa.

 

Glad the write up helps. Those are some fun trails you have planned. Poison Spider Mesa and the whole trifecta is quite the trail, I did that one last year.

 

Are there 2wd friendly trails? I'm 4x4 but my friend is 2wd, it would just be more fun if we could all go as a group vs me driving them. I'm new to all of this, I went from a sports car to a tacoma for the utility purposes such as camping and hauling my dirtbike. I then stumbled upon tacomaworld and discovered this whole new world and it interested me. I've had my truck for about 4 months and it's all stock at for now. Been lurking tacomworld and realized I'd be more of an expedition guy vs desert racing, so i'd like to find some trails to take! TIA, sorry for long post haha