Moab fun in January.

[The_Dude]

My wife and I drove to Moab last weekend to go do some exploring with some new found friends that had recently moved into town. They are into Overlanding and are great people with some very fun and exuberant little boys. We started out trying to make up Top of the World but the snow made conditions very slick and forward momentum became a myth.

We decided to call it in the name of safety and time and reconvened at Dewey Bridge for some lunch.

After lunch we headed up to the Fisher Towers for some sight seeing. They are such magnificent structures.

After the Fisher Towers we drove up Onion Creek and checked the area out. It was muddy towards the top so we didn't press our luck.

We called it a day after that and had dinner at Pasta Jays.

The next morning we met up and headed up Hurrah Pass and connected it with Chicken Corners and Lockheart Basin. This made for a 60 mile day and a very long one at that. We aired down to 15 psi and set off.

We then tackled Lockheart Basin. 37 miles. Very technical terrain to begin with and then smoothed out after what seemed like forever! We got lost to begin with and spent an hour trying to find our way. Once we had our bearings we set off.

We tackled this tight area in a canyon and came out with a bit of damage. I dented my exhaust and caught my front bumper on an exposed rock that stopped me dead in my tracks. My buddy, Kelly, bowed his CBI skid plate and dented his exhaust as well. We should have been a little more picky on line choice.

This spot was super tricky and loose.

After this section the technical aspect of the trail was much more mild. A few spots here and there. We were losing light and trying to make good time with out breaking the rigs.
Amazing scenery though!!!!!

Surprise technical spots littered the rest of the trail.

Ended the trail with little light and drove out.

Started the trail at noon roughly and got back into Moab at 8:30 and back to Grand Junction at 10:30.

It was a great time that only primed our desire for more this year!


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[mph]

Looks like a great time. Plus, you got to see the desert in snow Good times!

 

[corleykj]

Thanks for sharing your adventure! Smart move being flexible and changing your route after you realized safety and time were becoming a concern. I think it is better to have a safe and fun adventure compared to an adventure that starts the year off rough. Can't wait to join you sometime.

 

[Stick Figure]

friends in Moab ... must be nice! lol I bet you find yourself visiting them fairly often!

 

[The_Dude]

friends in Moab ... must be nice! lol I bet you find yourself visiting them fairly often!

Oh we both live in the the Grand Junction/Fruita area. So much area to explore!


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[SmoothLC]

Looks like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing.

 

[CCPAJeeper]

Thanks for sharing. Great pics and great trails.

 

[unkamonkey]

It looks like a great trip. Lot's easier to get there from your side of the state vs my many hour drives to get there, even if I have been doing them for over 30 years.
Top of Onion Creek would have gotten you into the Rose Garden IIRC. This wouldn't be the time of year to attempt it. Lockhart Basin can be a long boring drive but it has a few fun places that challenge you. We drove it the other way from Indian Creek so we went down that bad section on the North end. We still turned it into a 15 hour round trip from having to guide the F350 crew cab long bed through a few places. Then the cloud burst on the way out of Moab. Great fun in a '61 Jeep with minimal canvas on it. You clean the inside of the windshield as much as the front. I recognized some of those rocks in the North section of Lockhart. My friend did a belly flop on one in his CJ7 and despite the lockers and Terra Low his son had to winch him off of it.
Top of the World isn't to hard in the warm times of the year unless you are trying it after the EJS trips have torn it up.
About a mile East of Dewey bridge is another road that is much like Top of the World. I have never found a name for it but it is where they ran the power lines to Moab and you end up at about a same overlook looking down at Hittle Bottom campground.

Your turn to tell us about your places out there.