Category: Camp

Fins ‘N Things Off Road Trail, Moab, Utah

Thanks to Mountain Dad’s Christmas gift of a Polaris RZR, our Mountain family is now an off road family. On our recent trip to Moab, Utah we got to explore the great outdoors in a faster, cooler way than ever before.
Our first trail was Fins ‘N Things, a sandstone trail with some tough steeps sections and fun sandy ones too. The trail is well marked with white dashes and tire tracks, and although some places can get tricky, overall it was a great time had by all.
Detailed descriptions of this trail and many others in the area can be found in the book Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails by Charles A Wells. It’s a must have for off roading here, with detailed maps, color photos and trail descriptions.
On this adventure Mountain Dad was driving, and my brother-in-law Jonathan, AKA off-roading expert, was leading the way in his own UTV. The tots were buckled and helmeted in back, and I was gripping my “oh no!”  handle most of the time.

One benefit of off roading is access to remote areas. There’s no way my tots could hike or bike into this wilderness area, and the views were breathtaking. Although next time I may suggest Big E NOT slide down the hill since his pants and underwear came back with half dollar sized holes in them.

Fins ‘N Things was a great trail and well worth seeing.

Trail Info:
Level: Difficult
Distance: 9.4 miles, 2-3 hours in a UTV, longer in a jeep or other 4-Wheel Drive vehicle
Tips: Always go UTVing with others. Remote locations can make for dangerous situations.

 

Gemini Bridges and Bull Canyon, Moab, Utah

As I’ve stated in earlier posts, Mountain Dad’s early Christmas gift was this Polaris RZR 4 1000. I’ve never been a big off road vehicle kind of gal, so I was surprised with how much fun I had riding and driving this! I’m no stranger to the outdoors, but taking the RZR out on the trails opened my eyes to how vast the outdoors really is.

Near Moab, Utah are untold acres of BLM land, full of amazing rock formations, ATV trails, biking and hiking opportunities. Thanks to the book Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails by Charles A. Wells, I am now much more familiar with some of the off road areas near Moab, Utah. Wow, there’s a lot.
Gemini Bridges is about eight miles along a 4-Wheel drive trail starting at a parking area on Highway 191, just 1.3 miles away from Highway 313. The twists and turns of the back country roads offer amazing scenery and we combined our trip to Gemini Bridges with a trip down Bull Canyon to experience the rock walls up close.
It was an amazing trip and inspired me with every turn. I can’t wait to try it out in warmer weather.
Trail Info: Gemini Bridges and Bull Canyon
Length: 7.8 miles to Gemini Bridges, additional 4 miles through Bull Canyon
Time: 2-3 hours
Tips: Get the book for detailed maps, GPS coordinates and directions.

 

Sand Flats Recreation Area, Moab, Utah

As an early Christmas present, Mountain Dad got a Polaris RZR 4 1000. I was skeptical of its usefulness, having never been ATVing or off roading before. But both Mountain Dad and I were amazed at how much fun it is to drive! It’s an awesome mix between a sit on top ATV (all terrain vehicle) and a full sized Jeep – with seating in back for the tots.
Since we got the machine at the beginning of the coldest season of the year, we planned to try it out first in a warm, fun climate. We chose Moab, Utah because with Red Rocks everywhere, it had to be warm, right?
Wrong. The high temperature during our three day trip was a whopping forty five degrees. I was lucky that I grabbed my winter coat at the last minute and that last year’s gloves were still in the pockets.

 

 
The first trail we tried out with the RZR was in Sand Flats Recreation Area, the same area of the famed Slickrock Bike Trail. My sister and brother-in-law came along with their kids which was great. Not only did Big E and little g have playmates, but my brother-in-law Jonathan has more than fifteen years experience off-roading in Moab. 
Per his suggestion, we tried out the Fins and Things 4×4 trail off of Sand Flats Road and had a total blast. While the tots were more interested in climbing on Diving Board Rock, Mountain Dad and I climbed rocks of our own.
 

 
The RZR was really fun and I can’t wait to try it out in a little bit warmer weather.
Trail Info:
Location: Sand Flats Recreation Area – less than five minutes from downtown Moab
Difficulty: Intermediate. Some spots had steep, rocky sections
Time: 1.5 hours

 

Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort, Jolley Gulch

For Mountain Dad’s birthday, the whole family went on vacation at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort. While we were there for a family reunion in August, Mountain Dad fell in love with the off roading Utility Vehicle we rented and thanks to that, decided to buy a UTV of our own (it arrives next week).
So when a blogging opportunity for Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort came up, we jumped at the chance to visit again. Mountain Dad was eager to get more off road time, and I was eager to enjoy the fall before it got too cold in the mountains.
The great part about off roading is the access to wilderness that would be difficult to reach otherwise. Mountain Dad and I took the tots to Jolley Gulch in Zion National Park, a thirty minute UTV ride from our cabin suite at Zion Ponderosa Ranch Resort. To hike to this beautiful overlook with two small tots would’ve been very difficult, but in the UTV we could ride out together, walk a few hundred feet and take in the view without too much trouble.

 

 

Back at our cabin, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and looked forward to exploring Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks in the following days.