Jeep Arch Trail

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
April, 13, 2016

Our hiking season in Moab was kicked off with a hike to Jeep Arch.  To reach the trailhead, head north on Hwy 191 and make a left turn on to Utah 279 (Potash Road).  Drive about 10 miles and the parking for the hike is across the street from Gold Bar Campground. 

 Culvert Canyon is so named because you have to walk through a long, tunnel-like culvert under a railroad track to venture into the canyon.

Once inside the canyon the sign for Jeep Arch Trail is just a short distance on the left.





A narrow, steep gravel path takes you to the rim.  

Once on the rim, we paused several times to look for cairns that mark the way.



We had views of Culvert Canyon and in the right, top quadrant of the photo below you can see the railroad track we walked under, Utah 279 and the campground. 

 From there the trail narrowed...

and then went up.

 



And there it was...Jeep Arch.

 Another short climb and we were there.






























Joe looks so small compared to this magnificent piece of natural art.

Sitting under the arch, and looking left was our lunch view...








 ...but looking right was quite a sight too.





















We had to crab walk some of the tall ledges we had climbed up to get back to the narrow trail in the picture below.

Joe and I liked this hike a lot.  It's about 4.5 to 5 miles full of scenic vistas.  Elevation gains come in spurts that get the heart pumping and in-between offers lots of time for pictures.  



A perfect day and two happy hikers!

Until next time, happy days...

and happy trails!

A Little Revenge with MonaLiza and Steve

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
April 11, 2016

I have done many posts on the Hell's Revenge 4-Wheel Drive Trail, but today's adventure was made extra special by having MonaLiza and Steve (lowestravels.com) join us.  I will never forget the first time Joe and I drove Pearl there and all the adventures we have had  since on this awesome, iconic Moab trail.  We joined our friends Dee, Mike and Melina  and the Havasu 4-Wheelers.  Dee and Mike both had buggies while the rest of us had an assortment of jeeps.

Mike leads the way...

 Our first stop of the day was the River Overlook.  Of course the Colorado River and Hwy 128 are not all you can see.  The large vistas sweep full circle from the river to Arches NP to the La Sal Mountains to Moab Rim (the cliffs that overlook Moab).

Steve and MonaLiza take in the view.

   
The first obstacle of the day was Hell's Gate.  MonaLiza and Steve enjoyed a nice climb up the Gate with Dee.  Dee's buggy Wild Thing is at the back of the line.

about half way up...

Wahoo!

We all gathered around The Hot Tub for lunch with a view after that.

Before we left, the buggies took a dip in The Hot Tub.
Going in...

coming out.

Near the end of this 6.5 mile trail is Escalator.  Pictures don't quite show the difficulty of this two in one obstacle,

 but Steve's reaction does show the thrill of the ride!

What a great day we had.  A huge thank you to Dee and Mike.  

Until next time, happy days...

  happy trails !

When we got home, the sun was setting behind Poison Spider Mesa.  

I went inside to let the pups out.  Jack has to stay in a crate which we call his man cave. When he ran out I noticed he had his baby standing up in the back of the crate covered with his blankie.  Since that day, we have found it that way twice.  

 How sweet is that?