Moab Jeep Trip

October 14-15

Even in Moab, UT 5:30 am is early and dark but that’s what’s needed if you’re going to be on the road at 7:00 (almost daylight) so as to make 83 miles to your stopping point for the night. We’re talking about 169 miles door to door in two days over some roads that no self-respecting horse drawn wagon would be caught dead.

The trip is actually the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park. It’s roughly 112 miles long plus our route carried us over the Potash Scenic Byway and then up Shafer Trail for a second time. Shafer Trail was first developed as a horse trail around 1917 by a cattle rancher then in 1952 it was “improved” so it could be used to haul uranium ore from mines near Potash and the Colorado River to the top of the mesa. We thought it was pretty awesome until we hit some of the other sections of the trail and then we decided to rename Shafer Trail the “Interstate”.

“We” consists of Neil Koch and John Richman from Sisters, OR, Duncan Wall, Tee’s friend from childhood who still lives in Beaufort, SC and me. Sandy (Neil’s wife), Barbara (John’s wife) and Tee held down the fort in the comfort of the RV’s back in Moab.

You can check out all of the pictures at our Picasa Web Album. While awesome they in no way can convey the feelings one experiences while actually there. Our transportation was two Jeep Rubicons—air conditioning and satellite radio. We really felt confident in their ability to safely transport us over what is considered a moderately difficult back country trail which definitely requires high-clearance, 4-wheel-drive vehicles.

Permits are required for all overnight trips along the White Rim and usually are filled early. We lucked out and a cancellation allowed us to overnight at Candlestick, one of the sites almost halfway thru our trip. The National Park Service maintains 20 indivual campsites in 10 camping areas. Each campsite has a composting toilet which is well maintained. The toilet is the only thing provided and everything else must be packed in and out.

After climbing Shafer Trail the first time, a short distance later we turned down Horsethief Road to actually begin the 112 mile trip. The road was so named because it follows a portion of the same route used by a group of horse rustlers who were operating in eastern Utah around 1890. The road is relatively flat for the first 13 miles and then you descend 850 feet in 1.5 miles down switchbacks to reach the Green River. During this portion of the trip, we saw some people who obviously were not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier—they were base jumping from the mesa to the valley. They jump in this area because it’s not actually within the boundaries of the park. The NPS doesn’t allow such activities.

It’s difficult to know when to stop taking pictures because around every corner is another breathtaking picture of Mother Nature. In some of the pictures you will see that occasionally we’re only 2-3 feet from the edge of a long fall. The other bit that we found somewhat unnerving was climbing steep sections of the road and once you reach the top you have no idea whether the road goes straight ahead or turns. It sometimes helps to remember that we’re probably only doing 2-3 mph. There were occasions, however, when we stopped to let someone walk ahead just to make sure. We let Neil and John lead figuring that we would have time to stop if they went over the edge.

The other somewhat unnerving consideration is meeting another vehicle since traffic moves both ways but the road is single lane (or less). Our first day we only met one vehicle but the second day we met a number of vehicles and bicyclists. Fortunately none were in locations where it is impossible to meet—including bicyclists.

We had a full moon on our overnight and a beautiful sunset. No fires allowed and a sunrise departure made for an early evening following cocktails and dinner complete with wine and dessert. I was first to arise and had a pleasant surprise for everyone—my Heater Buddy had the potty all nice and toasty for morning rituals.

The second day was another day of breathtaking 4-wheeling and scenery and one final climb up Shafer Trail. Back to Moab to clean the jeeps, refuel them and prepare for our morning departure. Interesting note—one jeep required $49.84 in fuel and the other required $49.80.

Summary—a great trip and recommended for all but the faint hearted.