MOAB Trip - looking for input

[allanbr]

Heading to Moab March 21 - 28th with the wife and kids.  In the vein of not wheeling alone, I've booked a local guide for e couple days of wheeling and will spend the rest of the days biking and hiking.  Just figured I'd check to see if anyone that's been there might share any advice, stories, lessons learned, must see's or don't bothers' about the area as it'll be our first time there. 
Thanks.

[Spinalguy]

i have been there 6 times.
Spend a day in Arches National Park.
Short hikes to some amazing arches.

La Salles road loop, there is a spot that the sunsets are simply the best.

Moab Diner for breakfast. Heck, Moab Diner for dinner too.
If you want to do some canyoneering and/or Mountainbiking with a guide (male for either, his wife can do mountainbiking too), let me know and i will hook you up.

[w squared]

I've only been once (so far), but I will be back. Absolutely worth the drive.

Get the Charles Wells guide book and figure out what trails are the right ones for you, your rig, and your passengers.

http://www.allthingsjeep.com/jeep-guide-to-moab-utah-backroads-4-wheel-drive-trails.html?cmp=googleproducts&kw=jeep-guide-to-moab-utah-backroads-4-wheel-drive-trails&gclid=CI6Pk8Gf17wCFUYS7AodMgIAcg

When I was down there in September, a "solo" wheeler could have joined up with any one of a half-dozen groups simply by showing up at City Market between 8 AM and 10 AM.

[cLAY]

I've been down twice. As said the people there are friendly and often if you show up at the City Market(its the local grocery store) parking lot you can often hook up with other groups.

Next time you plan a trip down there announce it  in advance. You never know who might join you.


Mmmmmmm  Moab..............

[Vinman]

Get the Charles Wells guide book and figure out what trails are the right ones for you, your rig, and your passengers.

http://www.allthingsjeep.com/jeep-guide-to-moab-utah-backroads-4-wheel-drive-trails.html?cmp=googleproducts&kw=jeep-guide-to-moab-utah-backroads-4-wheel-drive-trails&gclid=CI6Pk8Gf17wCFUYS7AodMgIAcg

I have one of these books available, $20.00 if you want it.

[allanbr]

Thanks for the input fellas.  Will definitely check out the Moab Diner - We're not very good at planning / cooking meals (aka Lazy) so they might see plenty of our business.
I did grab the Charles Wells books a couple months ago and read it fairly religiously.  I wanted to do some relatively challenging trails and I'd heard that meeting up with groups in town and on trail heads is pretty easy, but as per the "Careful who you wheel with" forum topics, I decided that hiring someone (Dan Mick) that has a vested interest in getting me home safe each day was worthwhile insurance that I don' get in over my head.  Planning to do Poison Spider the first day and then Hells Revenge and Fins n Thins the second day, so I'll find out if I have the cahone's and skill enough to do Hells gate and Escalator or take the bypasses. I get the impression that the Charles Wells trail ratings lean on the conservative side when I compare them to other (anecdotal) trail reviews and ratings.  Is that a fair assumption based on any of your experience?

Thanks again guys.

[Vinman]

Thanks for the input fellas.  Will definitely check out the Moab Diner - We're not very good at planning / cooking meals (aka Lazy) so they might see plenty of our business.
I did grab the Charles Wells books a couple months ago and read it fairly religiously.  I wanted to do some relatively challenging trails and I'd heard that meeting up with groups in town and on trail heads is pretty easy, but as per the "Careful who you wheel with" forum topics, I decided that hiring someone (Dan Mick) that has a vested interest in getting me home safe each day was worthwhile insurance that I don' get in over my head.  Planning to do Poison Spider the first day and then Hells Revenge and Fins n Thins the second day, so I'll find out if I have the cahone's and skill enough to do Hells gate and Escalator or take the bypasses. I get the impression that the Charles Wells trail ratings lean on the conservative side when I compare them to other (anecdotal) trail reviews and ratings.  Is that a fair assumption based on any of your experience?

Thanks again guys.

That book definitely leans on the conservative side when it comes to difficulty rating. An example of that is on my most recent trip last September, one of the jeeps was a TJ with stock axles on 33" AT's and I believe the driver had only one prior wheeling trip ever. He made it through the Poison Spider/Golden Spike/Gold Bar Rim trail with no problems.
Now, according to that book, Golden Spike is the 3rd most difficult trail in the Moab area.

[dubbleJs]

Have a blast!! That place is awesome.

If you have time and people to wheel with try Kane Creek Canyon...we did it at night and it was wild. I would recommend it in the day, just be sure to check rain and river levels prior to running it as it can be prone to flash floods.

[andfre]

Is there ever group trips organized from Calgary to places like Moab?

[cuzican]

A few of us headed from Lethbridge in a few weeks for EJS.

[andfre]

A few of us headed from Lethbridge in a few weeks for EJS.

Oh hell ya, going to have to plan on that next year!