The M~U~D Trip Report: 1000 Miles of Utah Dirt

I was telling the wife last night while reading this."honey read through this thread and you'll have a real good idea of what we'll be doing, looks mellow enough!" ...............opened thread this morning -___- "Mellow... Ha!"

 

That looks like a new bypass/SXS route on rosegarden you guys took. Don't recall that.

When are you fixing frank so we can try to go up it?

 

Yea TOTW has gotten rough over the years. To be expected i guess because of such high use. Very popular trail. But i ran it again last week and it was even rougher than when i was there last Oct!! couldn't believe it. Then 3 big highly modified UTVs came bombing down it as fast as they could..made sense why it's so tore up.

haha!! yea sorry!

Just avoid that one spot about you'll be totally fine! Very easy to by pass. We would have had we know Which in all reality we should have. But should how we both missed it..

YOu can still run TOTW. then come down it and head BACK to Dewey bridge. Few miles down the highway to Onion Creek Road. Just take that to Thompson Canyon and you'll be good. Onion creek is super easy, but also super pretty. You won't be missing anything.

Yea it looked pretty new when we were there. Honestly, nothing else could take it but small rigs. We BARELY made it.

YES! I totally want to try going up it. IM sure i could with 35s and lockers. Hopefully soon! Saving for the diff for wheeling season now that im not pouring maintenance money into Igor.

 

Your story telling brought me back, got to relive that entire section. Great Stuff!

I really like the added photographs in chapter 3. It was not too much to load either.

 

Yea i did too.. Idk why i went on the lighter side the other two..

Won't anymore though!

I was smiling and laughing the whole night i was writing and asking devin oh remember this! hahahaha good times. On through Day 6 of 15 for me too haha

 

Definitely good times.

 

Honestly i was thinking about it last night..i think this was the best trip ive been on possibly. It was so long and so isolated...and had so much of everything. Was really cool.

 

I agree. It was a very good combination of trails and scenery. It helps a lot that there is so much packed closed together in that area to minimize the highway travel once we started the Kokopelli until we finished the Maze.

 

Yea that is an excellent point. I mean..shit we didn't even air up for 6 days or something?? haha that is awesome in itself!

 

These threads are awesome Monte! Please keep them coming for as along as you are out wheeling and taking pictures. I click into one of these "travel logs" at least once or twice a month just to get myself in the mood for some trips coming up this year, and also help pass time at work. lol. Its also cool to see how close you and Mike are when out and about in the middle of nowhere. You can tell the "brotherhood" is there. super cool!

 

Thanks man! I love hearing from people that enjoy it!

Will probably always do these for as long as i can.

After 7 years on the trail, we are pretty well acquainted with each other!!

LOL

GTFO!

 

@bski22

 

Subbing

 

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Awesome write up Monte, cant wait for the next installment!! Man, the one thing I miss about the west is the badass wheeling thats available for trips like this.

 

Thanks man!

Yea there is so much to do out here. The amount of ground we cover in this trip alone is mind boggling considering how much is STILL left to see in just Utah. Pretty nuts.

I love it West is Best

 

Page 5 for new post..

 

The M~U~D Trip Report: 1000 Miles of Utah Dirt​

Chapter 4: Sleepless in The Needles
​

The night was terrible.


Turns out our spot had been near the top of Hurrah Pass, the Colorado and Potash mine lay down below us straight out from our camp. Not that we knew that until we crawled out of our tents. Which wasn't until 10:30am or better.


IMG_1783 by mike digirat, on Flickr

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Wind had slap our tents around all night as well as an unexpected plummet of temperature down to 28-30 degrees Fahrenheit meant we didn't get much sleep. But the sun crested the Butte behind us telling us to get the hell out of bed and hit the dirt. We had a long ways to go after all.


M~D~U.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


While we were packing, two UTVs and a dirt bike drove bye going in the same direction we were headed to Lockhart basin. We hit the dirt to go to the trail head. Several of our friends had done this trail and some say its hard, others say its a walk in a park.


Time to find out ourselves!


The drive to the trail head was very scenic and smooth road.


M~D~U-2.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-3.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-4.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-8.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


The trail comes very close to the mighty Colorado River. The river we would be chasing for the next few days.


M~D~U-5.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-7.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr



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The sun was out, skies were clear, it was going to be a great day.


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And then Bam. We were in the canyon crawling over the rocks.


IMG_1800 by mike digirat, on Flickr


We had caught back up to to the UTVs by now though, right at the steep hill climb. Surprisingly, they had stopped and got out to look at the hill climb to pick lines I guess. We thought this a bit strange for UTVs, but waited patiently. After a few minutes they climbed back into the machines and of course had not problems going up save one that got stuck on a tall rock well before the hill itself.


IMG_1802 by mike digirat, on Flickr

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M~D~U-9.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


With the UTVs clear. It was my turn to climb up the rocky hill.


IMG_1807 by mike digirat, on Flickr


I gotta say. I. Was. STOKED.


My normal rig Frankenstein is on the verge of full beast mode. Making many of the trails I do with my long time friends very simple and boring. I hadn't had to think about picking a real line up something in 3 years.


Now...things were different.


I was back behind the wheel of a mostly stock tacoma on just 33s with only sliders for armor and no lockers to help me out.


I was 18 years old again. Excited, anxious, and even a little nervous.


The line choice MATTERED again.


IMG_1809 by mike digirat, on Flickr


I set off and got stuck in a spot for a brief moment at the base of the hill.


IMG_1810 by mike digirat, on Flickr

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Simple line adjustment and I crawled all the way to the top with no issues.


IMG_1816 by mike digirat, on Flickr


The UTVers and bikers had waited around to watch us get up and cheered as I crested the top.


“WOOOO!!!!”


“YYEAAAHH!!”


I got out with a giant smile on my face


“Thats what its all about!” I said


Mike made his way back to his rig. And set off.


“He'll walk up this, he has lockers” I mentioned to our fellow on lookers.


M~D~U-10.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-11.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


Mike was crawling up no problem, but then made an odd line choice.


M~D~U-12.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-13.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


He got stopped by the protruding rock as his drive side wheel feel into the dug out area between the two tall rocks. I help back him up and turn into the right rock and he came up with zero problems.


Our on lookers gave another cheer, then left us in the dust. We wouldn't see them again for hours.


M~D~U-14.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-15.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


We were now back ontop of part of a butte and looking down on the river again. The drive mellowed back out a lot at this point and we trucked a lot taking in the awesome landscape this trail presents.


M~D~U-16.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

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M~D~U-17.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

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We were now in The Needles District. Or at least close to them. There were plenty of “Needles” around! I love of the one on the right seems to have a human skull face mounted on the top..


M~D~U-18.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-19.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


The power of errison is strong here and very prevalent. Sometimes you think you'll just see something fall over..


IMG_1821 by mike digirat, on Flickr


It was at this point that we hit the next steep section. Which was nothing really, but I still had to reset my line to get good traction and in the process. Our first casualty happened.


IMG_1822 by mike digirat, on Flickr

IMG_1824 by mike digirat, on Flickr

M~D~U-20.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


Poor guy..RIP Mudflap...a moment of silence for the decease......








And onward we go!


M~D~U-21.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


we really were enjoying the views on this trail. It just rides along the edge of a butte in and out of all the nooks and crannies.


M~D~U-22.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

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M~D~U-23.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


Having had a late start and no breakfast, we pulled off to eat lunch taking in the wonderful view before moving on some more.


M~D~U-24.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

IMG_1826 by mike digirat, on Flickr


We then came up over a small hill that crested the small rise and fall to turn us south. The Colorado was once again far down below, carving away.


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M~D~U-28.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

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We would now be head gernerally south the rest of the time as this road comes out on Highway 211 where we would then head to Canyon Lands.


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After this point, there are a few fun little spots, but nothing very hard. Something with high clearance only stuff, but we didn't think the trail was very hard all in all. But is was VERY fun to drive and my god the views..


M~D~U-30.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-31.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

IMG_1845x by mike digirat, on Flickr

M~D~U-32.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

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M~D~U-33.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


We stopped a lot to get out and capture the vast landscapes.


M~D~U-34.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

IMG_1856 by mike digirat, on Flickr

M~D~U-35.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

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M~D~U-36.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


The road opens up a lot at this point making travel much faster all around and you begin to pull away from the butte.


IMG_1852 by mike digirat, on Flickr

M~D~U-37.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

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M~D~U-38.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


We were driving a long at a good clip, when Devin point out what she thought was Birds...


Well she wasn't wrong.


M~D~U-39.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-40.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


Two large Osprey Vertical Take Off planes thumped by at a good clip. Not sure what they were up too but I'd guess some sort of desert training exercise.


M~D~U-41.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


Im sure it was cool whatever it was.


We continued onward now with the sun starting to hang low. Mike started to worry about camp. The days were mighty short this late in the year. So we put the hammer down hoping to get closer to the highway and find a nice spot to camp.


The lighting though made for some awesome photos.


M~D~U-42.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-43.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


We actually caught our UTV friends by this time. They had aquired a few more motor bike folks who I guess had started from the other end. They were doing a high school reunion of sorts! Hadn't seen each other ins 7 years or something the guy said. Pretty cool!


We also passed a stock 4runner on small tires with no armor what so ever. A fairly elderly guy was driving and his wife looked insanely stressed.


“think we will be okay in this thing? To find a camp spot anyways?” he asked me.


“hmmm idk man. Few pretty big ledges As long as you aren't in love with those running boards you should be fine! Plenty of camp spots just a few miles in.” I replied.


The Wife had a nervous look and was staring at the man, no doubt going to try and make him turn around once we had left.


I hope he didn't! Haha but I hope he didn't hurt or break anything either.


We came off the butte and hit soft smooth road and really put the pedal to the metal. But suddenly, camp sites were no were to be found..


And then bam, we were back amoung the people. There were everywhere and every camp site was full. We drove and drove and drove not happy with the one or two sites left that were right on the road side.


Then the road ended..the highway was right there.


“Crap, well, hopefully one of those sites is still open” I radioed.


Mike turned around instantly and snagged the bigger of the two that was left. Sadly, it was right on the main road..


M~D~U-44.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


But better than nothing and we made the most of it enjoying the sunset and making dinner.

M~D~U-45.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

IMG_1860 by mike digirat, on Flickr

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We were tired from the poor sleep the night before and had really hoped for a good nights rest.


It didn't seem like we would get it.


A couple of young kids started up their 4 wheelers and started tearing up and down the main road..Mike finally got fed up with it and waited for them to drive by again to wave them down to ask them to slow down.


Thankfully, they did. But they kept at it for a while longer.


Nosies from the other campsites ensured we would not sleep well for a while into the night. But people did quiet down after it got later and soon everyone was asleep soundly...






''RRREEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”


I jumped in my sleeping bag.


“wtf is that!” I said to Devin.


We poked out of the tent, the moon light up the area around us. Someone had pulled off the road right across from us and were setting up a very late camp with some sort of pop up..thingy. All I know was it was well past 1am, it was loud, their dog was loud, they were loud, I was tired, we were tired, and it was freezing cold again.


Ugh.


Another rough night for us.


No sleeping in this time either. Traffic picked up on the road very early as people set about to their own adventures.


Oh well.


We got out of bed and packed up to go get our permit to Elephant Hill Trail.


M~D~U-112.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


We decided to stop at the Needles Outpost to get fuel before entering the park. Kinda of a cool stop anyways.


M~D~U.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


The gas pumps look original from the 60s or something. In fact, you just fill the truck up then go inside and tell them how much you pumped for them to charge you!


M~D~U-2.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-3.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr


I had a nice chat with the lady at the desk who had living in Wyoming for many years. She told me that they had been getting lots of rain storms this fall and it had been making everything quite green.


We headed off to into the park paying our fee and went to the Backcountry office to get our permit before setting off to the trail head. We also got confirmation that Beef Basin and Bobby's Hole were open.


Now we were really in Needles territory.


M~D~U-4.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

M~D~U-5.jpg by Monte Nickles Photos, on Flickr

IMG_1865 by mike digirat, on Flickr


And again, we could look behind us and see the butte we had just traversed the day before as well as the La Sal mountains we had crossed in the distance..


IMG_1867 by mike digirat, on Flickr