Top of the World

Rating: 6

Rating is based on our trip in 2016, and at that time I would rate it a 5-6. The Red Rock site rates it a 6. This is a fairly difficult trail with multiple ledges. We did this trail with our stock Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro. It doesn't have a lot of clearance, but has a rear locker and traction control. It was a struggle to get the 4Runner through a few of the ledges and not have body damage. We stacked many rocks and even spent 45 minutes getting it down just one series of ledges. It was doable with our Cherokee that has 31" tires and no lockers, but it require a few attempts to get up some of the larger ledges.

Although not necessary, I would recommend 33" tires and one locking differential. I personally would not do this again with a stock 4Runner.

Location

This is located northeast of Moab, UT near Dewey Bridge. 

Trailhead

The turn-off starts at Dewey Bridge that crosses the Colorado river. This is located 30 miles northeast on highway 128, measured from the intersection of highway 128 and highway 191. GPS coordinates are 38.810887, -109.305087.

Description

This was a fun trail with some amazing views of the area. It is an "out and back" type trial. Any obstacle you have to go over, remember that you will have to go back through the obstacle on the way back (except for the loop at the end). 

The trail starts off easy on a graded, well maintained road. A few areas can be bumpy and have washboards, but the drive is still fun and the views are great. Once you reach the turn off (there is a sign marking the direction to Top of the World), the road starts to get more exciting and slowly gets harder and harder. 

The coordinates of this turn off are 38.770193, -109.249229. Rose Garden Hill is to the left/straight, but Top of the World goes right. As I said above, there is a sign marking the turn.

The trail continues to worsen until you reach the end viewpoint. The end is a small loop, and in 2016 the hardest areas were on this loop. Most people take a right turn when they get to the loop and travel it counter clockwise.

The end view point is definitely worth the trip. According to my topographical map, the top of the cliff is about 7,000 ft elevation. The view overlooks the Onion Creek road, which is at 5,000 ft of elevation. If you look to the right from the viewpoint you can also see Fisher Tower.

In closing, once you leave the county road the condition of the road worsens. The road is slow due to the number of loose climbs and ledges, expect this to take most of the day. The day we did the trail we had 3 vehicles and it took us about 8 hours off-road to complete the trail.

Download the GPS file here! This KML is originally downloaded from the Red Rock 4Wheelers site.

Poison Spider Mesa

Rating: 6
The difficulty of this trail is higher than many of the other trails on this blog, however I had no difficulties in my Jeep Cherokee with 33" tires and no lockers. This trail has multiple obstacles that make this a fun trail, even for the experienced driver, but not difficult enough to cause frequent breakdowns or body damage. I would rate this as an easy 6.

Location
Moab, UT

Trailhead
This is an out-and-back type of trail. The GPS coordinates of the trailhead are 38.533407, -109.607578.

The trailhead is easy to find. It is on the Potash Road, UT-279. The trailhead is located 5.9 miles south down UT-279 (Potash Road) measured from  the intersection of US-191 and UT-279. The trailhead is marked with a sign for Dinosaur Track and Poison Spider Trail.


Description
This is an enjoyable, popular trail in Moab. Expect to see many vehicles during the trip through Poison Spider. The first section is about 5.5 miles long. This section will be traveled in both directions. After this section you follow a 4 mile loop and then return down the original section.

The trail is a combination of dirt, ledges, sand, and slickrock which makes this a varied trail in the types of obstacles that you see.

There are two named obstacles that I am aware of. One of them is called "The Waterfall." This used to be a fairly easy obstacle, but weather and travel have worn away the sand causing this to be harder than when I was a kid. There are multiple lines, and if you stay high and to the right it isn't difficult.

There is another obstacle that makes for great pictures. I grew up calling this obstacle "The Wedge," but I have heard it referred to as "The Wedgie" and the Red Rock 4 Wheelers page calls it the "V-Notch." This is a "V" shaped notch or crack that you straddle to get across. I have seen where a vehicle didn't go high enough on the driver's side and the tire slipped into the wedge and hit the side body panel on the slick rock. If you go slow and make sure you keep the vehicle fairly level you shouldn't have any problems. Some people opt on dropping a rear tire into the wedge at the very end to pose for a picture with a front tire in the air.

There are many other ledges, slick rock climbs, and loose climbs that keep this trail interesting. The number of unnamed obstacles is part of what makes this trail enjoyable and popular.

The scenery is also spectacular. One of the highlights is an overlook at Little Arch. this is an arch at the top of the cliff overlooking the Colorado River. It is a short hike of about 100 yards from the parking area. If you are daring (or an idiot like my Mom would say), you can even walk across the arch.

Download the GPS file here! This kml file is from the Red Rock 4 Wheeler's website.

Secret Spire

Rating: 3
This is an easy trail with only a few ledges. 4-wheel drive is required. Lower clearance vehicles may have some issues.

Location
Moab, UT

Trailhead
This trail starts and ends in the same location, but is mainly a large loop with only a small amount of back-tracking. The trail begins at GPS coordinates of the turn-off are 38.628856, -109.801753. This is to the right when travelling on highway 313 towards Canyonlands. This is 8.5 miles from the intersection between highways 313 and 191.

Description
This is a gentle, easy trail. Not much in the way of technical obstacles, but there are a few ledges and loose areas that require 4-wheel drive and some clearance.

The trail is essentially a large loop and ends at the Secret Spire. This is an interesting geologic feature of a spire that rises out of the slick rock base. This is a great location for lunch.

The trail is varied between gravel dirt roads, rocky sections, and slick rock sections.

There is an optional spur to Dellenbaugh Tunnel. This is a natural tunnel that goes beneath a slick rock ridge. This tunnel is about 100 feet long and tall enough that you can walk through it. We did not need flashlights to go through the tunnel since it is straight and both ends opened up to allow enough light.

Download the GPS file here!

This is a decent representation of the most difficult section of the trail, and the ledge doesn't even extend the whole way across.