Day After Moab Off-Roadeo Recommendations

[Dantastic]

My wife and I will be heading to the Off-Roadeo in Moab mid March. We are planning on spending the week in Moab, and we are beyond excited, as this'll be our first trip without kids in 6 years. We will be renting a (yes I know) Jeep from Twisted Jeeps the day after the Off-Roadeo to do some self exploration. We are looking for some recommendations on trails to hit in Moab (if you only had one day of self exploration).

A little background so you know my experience level, I picked up my OBX SAS Bronco in June of 2023. It was and is my first offroad vehicle. The first week I picked it up, I was off-roading with it that weekend (temporary tags and all). Since then, I've been a handful of times with groups and alone. I am not too proud to admit/accept when I need and should take a bypass (and do so accordingly). My experience, however, is limited to the midwest (Missouri) which is largely a different kind of off-roading than what I'll see in Moab (tightly wooded and rocky vs open and boulder-y). I am by no means an expert and admit I am still wet behind the ears, so I do not want to bite off more than I can chew .. BUT I do want to have a thrilling ride that'll challenge myself and help me apply the things I learned at the off-roadeo.

We really want to do Hells Revenge but if you wouldn't recommend it, we can always look into a sunset UTV tour on one of the other days we are there. We will be exploring alone without a guide (unless anyone local or near there wants to join us ). I've also heard good things about Chicken Corners.

TLDR ;

Looking for trail recommendations for a full day of Off-Roading in Moab Utah with a rented (well equipped) Jeep Rubicon. As an example: Chicken Corners in the morning, Fins and Things midday, and Hells Revenge for the afternoon/evening (no idea if that is realistic ... just using it as an example). Thank you all for your time and input. We really appreciate it!

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[PepperBronco]

If you are going the day after your off-roadeo, I would highly recommend asking the off-roadeo guides for trail suggestions. They are highly knowledgeable about the area and will be able to give you some great recommendations!

If you don't want to wheel alone, talk to some of the other off-roadeo participants as well, they might be in similar situations with their own bronco or rented vehicles. A lot of people at the Moab Off-Roadeo including myself went wheeling either the day before or day after.

I have done Chicken Corners, it's a super scenic trail! However, it is very easy and in your rented jeep you may not even need to put it in 4WD. I haven't done the others yet but Moab is such a special place, it is hard to go wrong with any trail. Have fun!

 

[Perturbedmax]

Last year I did Fins n things in my 23 WT with about as much 4x4 experience as you, it was amazing. Scary steep but not at all a problem, one section by the campground I couldn’t make but the rest was terrifying but easy. It’s steep! Hells revenge was more challenging but doable stock as well if you are ok with dragging the underside a bit. The last 1 1/2 miles through the rocks kinda blew chunks though, I’ll skip that next time. Views were great but not as spectacular and really rough, that’s where I touched down the most. I went solo, having sliders was helpful but the camera was a lifesaver.

 

[Brian_B]

Ask the guide is great advice - they will know current conditions, and that plays a lot into it.
When we were there in November, our guide recommended Gemini Bridges. We were a bit tight on time, we ended up heading back down into AZ and doing Whitmore Point over the Grand Canyon since that was a bucket list item and we were in the (very) general vicinity. Not a challenging trail at all, quite long but the view at the end was nice.

 

[Dantastic]

l but the camera was a lifesaver.

Yeah, I have become far too reliant on the trail cams and will be nervous without them on my rented rig.

Fortunately the Jeeps from Twisted seem to be pretty well equipped:

Twisted customized fleet of 2015 - 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicons come standard with the following upgraded equipment ...

35" OR 37" TIRES
17" WHEELS FROM DISCOUNT TIRE
RANCHO LIFTS
RANCHO BUMPERS
RANCHO ROCK SLIDERS
RANCHO SKID PLATES
TOM WOODS CUSTOM DRIVESHAFTS
UPGRADED EXHAUST
SOFT TOPS
JW SPEAKER HEADLIGHTS

I've grown accustomed to some dragging here in Missouri, but I know it'll be quite different in MO. The first big upgrade I made to my rig was a Fuel Tank skid, Transmission Skid, Transfer Case Skid, and exchanging my boards for rock slides.

 

[duel007]

Depends on how crazy you want to get - I did Onion Creek which was easy but super scenic, and then went and played in the open dune areas a bit. Good opportunity for baja mode on the way to the dunes too.

 

[EMBronco]

I was in Moab in November and did Tower Arch and Fins n Things in the same day. Tower Arch is a good mix of easy/moderate, with a few spots that are more difficult. There are a couple of neat arches to stop and hike to, which is something I like to do. The trail is inside Arches National Park, so there are other things to do and see on your way to and from the trail if you choose.

There are a ton of reviews and videos of Fins n Things out there, so I won't go to much into the description of the trail. The weekend I was there it was really busy with motorcycles. Tons of them buzzing by us on the trail.

Fins n Things and Hells Revenge are both really close to town and very popular, so that's something you'll want to take into consideration. You might have a lot of company on the trail.

 

[EMBronco]

One more thing. If you don't have it, you might want to pick up a copy of this book. It has a good description of trails around Moab.

 

[the poacher]

In your rented jeep, and how it is outfitted, you will have no issue with doing Fins & Things as well as Hell's revenge. Both trails will provide you with a good challenge, but not overly so. If you have doubts, follow someone who is experienced and they will show you the lines to take.
These two trails will provide you with a great all round experience, good views, good challenges and a full day of awesome fun.
Enjoy it...

 

[Tdub0527]

I did Hell’s revenge in a side by side guided tour when I was in Moab for the Off Roadeo. As a newbie off-roader I was wide eyed and white knuckled…it was like something I could never have imagined. I personally would’ve been scared shitless if I was in a rented jeep and didn’t have a guide. I am a bit more risk averse so take my assessment for what it’s worth. I’d recommend doing Moab in a side by side. They are much more forgiving than a jeep or Bronco and you can go infinitely faster.

A trail that is super tame but in a national park with spectacular view is the Shafer trail: https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/experience-the-shafer-trail.htm

Good luck have fun! Moab was incredible!

 

[Felix808]

You will want to hit Aches & Canyonlands for sure. As suggested ask your guides & see if there are others that are intending to do exploring as well & join up with them.

Personally, I would not do Hells alone as a first timer as there are 1 or 2 spots that are counter intuitive and can get you into some trouble if you don't really know the trail. $.02

Enjoy your time out there

 

[Dantastic]

You will want to hit Aches & Canyonlands for sure. As suggested ask your guides & see if there are others that are intending to do exploring as well & join up with them.

Personally, I would not do Hells alone as a first timer as there are 1 or 2 spots that are counter intuitive and can get you into some trouble if you don't really know the trail. $.02

Enjoy your time out there

We are planning on doing some hiking inside Canoyonlands and Arches one of the other days we are in Moab. Based on comments above, I am leaning towards Chickens Corners in the AM and then Fins and Things in the afternoon. We'll do a you drive UTV tour of Hells Revenge.

 

[Felix808]

We are planning on doing some hiking inside Canoyonlands and Arches one of the other days we are in Moab. Based on comments above, I am leaning towards Chickens Corners in the AM and then Fins and Things in the afternoon. We'll do a you drive UTV tour of Hells Revenge.

A guided tour is the way to do Hells unless you are with someone that knows the trail. It's not bad, but like I said there are a couple spots that are counter intuitive and can bite you.
Enjoy

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