I'm taking 10 days off in May and me and the wifey are headed to the promised land, Moab, Arches, Canyonlands, Monument Valley and Mesa Verde.

Questions, I've got a regular 07 H3, stock tires, non lockers. I'm wondering if anyone can lend some advise on what off road trails would be good for a stock H3.

I don't want to get it all banged up but I'm wanting to do some mild off road stuff, nothing crazy but not dirt roads either.

If any of you guys have been there and done that I'd love to get any tips or suggestions on what to do there, where the nicest vistas are, coolest trails, etc. I'd hate to get out there and some local tell me go here and end up in some slickrock canyon I can't climb out of or end up on Lion's Back.

Is there any place. trail that is a "Can't Miss?" in the area? Anything NOT TO DO?

I won't have a buddy joining me, just me and the wife like I said so I'm not looking to get way out and get into trouble.

I've done some poking around on the web about Moab, there's tons of trails some are posted as difficulty levels of 3, 4+, etc. Not really sure what those levels indicate, any help would be appreciated.

thanks in advance for any help. I'll take mucho pics when I get out there, can't wait to get some nice backdrops with the hummer in the foreground for my screensaver and maybe a picture or ten to hand on the wall in my study and shop.

thanks for any tips!

Raymond

 

if you're going by yourself, i wouldn't recommend any of the trails. there are some trails in Arches that you should be able to do, and if you break at least find your way back to help. they offer some challenges, it's not just dirt road. other than that, i wouldn't go out there on my own. just my 2 cents, take it or leave it. there's plenty of awesome scenery in the area that doesn't require going offroad.

 

First off, ya ain't gotta worry about Lion's Back, because access to the bottom has been closed off.. Someone's bought the land at the bottom and building a resort, so there's no longer access.. Ok.. There's access from the backside via Hell's Gate, but from what I hear you won't make it in a Stock base model without damaging it.. Ok.. Maybe you could, but I wouldn't recomend it..

Next.. Go to Amazon and get this book by Charles Wells


Stick to the trails labled easy and you'll be fine.. The EASY trails can generally be done by a 2wd SUV. As you build a little confidence, you migh venture onto a MODERATE trail or few...

Outside of Moab and further south there are two places I personally want to visit..

Yank out a good Rand McNally USA Atlas and flip over to Southern Utah.. Dead center of the state, near the bttom look for Boulder, UT.. There's a small road heading west out of Boulder and over to Hwy 276. This is the Burr Trail.. I could give you a short history of it, but it's easy enough for you to Google it and get a ton of info.

Just east of there you'll see Hwy 261 going south from the middle of nowhere down to Hwy 163 just north of Mexican Hat and the gateway to Monument Valley. You've going there anyway right..?? Along 261, you'll see a VERY short squiggily spot. This spot is called the Mokee Dugway.. Once again, Google it.. It's a MUST SEE..Try and wait for an unsespecting 18 wheeler to stumble across it if you have the time. I've got picutres of two makingthe descent, it was interesting.. At the bottom of the Dugway there's atrail that runs off to the east over to Hwy 163 called Valley of The Gods Road..

I've been past them on the motorcycle and actually considered running them on the bike.. On Burr Trail I was informed there had been a recent washout the the BLM hadn't had a chance to repair and that a large LOADED street bike would have a great deal of difficulty crossing if it could make it at all.. On Valley of the Gods, I was running behind schedule because I had to go WAY out of the way around Burr Trail.. So I missed it as well..

Back over towards Boulder, UT there's a road just south of town called Hell's Backbone that runs over to Escalante via backroads..Once again.. Yep.. Google it.. I know nothing about it, but it looks like a well maintained dirt road, when looking at it from Hwy 12. Just south on Hell's Backbone Road and along Hwy 12 there's a small campground called Calf Creek.. It's just a campground, no trails, but if you're camping along the way, it's a wonderful little Oasis in the middle of a large canyon area.. The first time I saw this place coming out of Escalante headed east, I thought that if any place on Earth looked like Hell, this was it.. That was ever before I discovered Hell's Backbone road that runs around the north end of the canyons.. Calf Creek is quite simply an Oasis in the middle of Hell.. At night it was so isolated and dark you could look up at the sky, and if you looked long and hard enough for shooting stars, you'd eventually realize those shooting stars that went from horizon to horizon are not shooting stars or airplanes, but satelites going by overhead about the atmosphere..
&n

 

Rob, I have ordered that very book from Amazon, plus another one for Colorado and one more for SE Utah.

I've toured SW Utah extensively, Bryce, Zion area etc. Just didn't have the time or the vehicle to enjoy the Moab area.

I'm concerned about getting way off by myself, I've heard from everyone the danger of that, one never knows what can happen in the back country and being alone isn't a good thing. Heck, I don't know if OnStar will work back in there, I'm sure my std. cell won't.

I will get the lastest Rand McNalley Atlas, I've been using GPS for the last few years and haven't even got a good Atlas anymore so I will have that plus some tools and food and water. I'm sure there are some "safe" backroads that aren't too hairy. I just want to experience some mild off roading while I'm out there. My wife is scared to death of getting out there and getting into trouble so I'm sure she'll act as my governor and reality checker.

Thanks for the tips Rob, I'll check those out when I get some time. I just got an email last night from Amazon stating my books have shipped so they should be at the house when I get back home. Hoping my K&N and Catback show up too!!!

Anyway, I'll be careful, no worries. With any luck I may can tag along with some others on some short day trips through so mild trails, otherwise we'll just cruise around and enjoy the majestic scenery that is our SW.

My wife adores the SW Indian culture, so I know she's going to want to spend half our free time in gift shops while I look longingly out the window waiting to get the Hummer out in its element.

Once again, thanks to the forum and if anyone else has been around trhe area and know any sweet spots that are a must see please advise.

It's going to be a long two month wait!

 

I tell you I love my GPS.. It's tops when it comes down to those small local roads that would NEVER fit in an Atlas.. One thing to keep in mind is that MOST of not all of the trails in the Backroads books are not going to show up on those maps.. I have found a few on Topo maps, but even then it's hit or miss..

We're going to hit some trails around Vail and Breckenridge from the CO book in July and will be alone on most of them I imagine. What I'll do is leave a detailed itenerary of what trails we'll be on and what days we'll be on them. That along with GPS Cordinates and contacts for area authorities.. If my contact back at home doesn't heard from us every 48 or so hours, they'll start making calls to the "authorites" and let them know what areas we "SHOULD" be in and that we have not reported in and that we could be in trouble.. The folks out in those areas are familiar enough with search and rescue, with the info provided, I have faith they'll have me located within an hour or less...

The South West Indian thing... Once past Monument Valley go down to Tuba City and take 264 east across the reservation. I don't know if these are on an atlas or not, but just east of Hotevilla there's a small settlement called Oraibi (actually it's Orayvi).. It is the oldest continuosly settled village in North America... This is home to the Hopi Tribe of Third Mesaand dates back to at least 1150.. The people that live there claim at least 10,000 years there though..

Some rules to keep in mind.. And not following these can and WILL get you arrested.. This is going to read like a walk through on a video game..First and foremost, DO NOT TAKE ANY PICTURESOR PICK UP ANYTHING. The picture thing is not so much anymore that they are still afraid that you'll be capturing their souls (even though they still use that excuse), butmostly stems from the fact that they area very poor people and the images of the people and villages have been exploited for profit in books and magazines for years and they never see any profit from it.. Do not drive into the village itself.. As you come off the highway onto the dirt road,park in front of the first Kiva (house).. This is actually a small store, Hamana So-o's Arts and Crafts, all made by local residents. You can go this far without permission from the village elders.. Go inside and talk with the lady that runs the place... I wish I could remember her name right now, I think it's Sandra.. I've got it wrote down at home.. Either way she will give you a first hand look at the history of the village and a first hand look at it for the past 50 years since she has lived there all her life.. She remembers when the entire valley below the village was a green pasture land... It's now desert... I hung around in there talking with her and her husband about the area, both of our past's, the year's corn cropand life in general..As I was getting ready to leave she invited me to walk around the village for a while if I liked.. From what I understand this is a pretty big honor, as the village was closed to outsiders quite a few years back, after someone stole several religous Kachina dolls and other objects from a Holy place on the hills below the village..

Other DO NOTS.. Do not enter any homes or house ruins, except the store, unless invited.. Do not go down the trail behind the village.. Do not run around going woo woo woo woo woo... Basically just be very respectful, treat them like you'd want to be treated if they were to come into your home and all will be good...

 

Pick up the Auto Club's "Indian Country" Map at one of the National Park bookstores. I covers the 4 Corners area in great detail. It is also nice to have all those states on one page.

Where are you from?


Most of the dirt roads shown on that map will be fine for you.
Watch out for rain turing some of the back roads to slippery clay.
There is plenty to see without rock crawling and banging up your truck.
Tons of Indian stuff to see you will have agreat time.

Maybe you can go through Durangoand Silverton which is wonderful high country

 

lol...

 

Driver,

You will find the Moab trail book super informative.
We have been to Moab twicein 2006and are going again in less than a month.
As stated above, it would be wise not to do anything past the easy trails if you are by yourself. Even then take plenty of water to drink. We have gone with fair size groups both times. Spent a week there each time.

If you go back in the future with others, make sure you have the rocker protection and the underbody protection. The first two trips we had the base model and have now traded that in on an Adventure.





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We stayed at the bottom and took pictures [:@]

August 2006


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West... Is NEOCON on this board..?? He could givesome VERY good ideas on the best trials that would be great for am unmodded Base H3.. I was wondering if Porcupine Rim would be accessable easily..?? Talk baout a view... I've got a shot that Alec on HXC took there as my desktop...

http://www.xaltitudevideo.com/