Going to Moab....What are Best Trails for Raptor on Family Vacation?

[WillieFlo]

Guys and Girls,
The family is going with me when I go to the Raptor Assault at FoMoto School in UT. On the way, we're going to stop for a day in Moab, and want to do some trails to see the sites and scenery. What trails do you all suggest for a good family experience in the Raptor? Going to leave my Polaris RTLR 900 at home, here in Houston.

Not going to put my daily driver through the toughest parts, but definitely want to see more than someone in a Prius can get to in Moab.....

 

[waveslayer]

Guys and Girls,
The family is going with me when I go to the Raptor Assault at FoMoto School in UT. On the way, we're going to stop for a day in Moab, and want to do some trails to see the sites and scenery. What trails do you all suggest for a good family experience in the Raptor? Going to leave my Polaris RTLR 900 at home, here in Houston.

Not going to put my daily driver through the toughest parts, but definitely want to see more than someone in a Prius can get to in Moab.....

You will want to PM jzweedyk on the forum here. He runs Moab a lot and started a thread with all of his pics and trails. He mostly runs his RZR though. Ground clearance will be the biggest issue.

My wife thinks I only have 3 guns

 

[Lasercat]

This is a pretty cool little route that will get you some absolutely spectacular scenery without being overly rough for the family.

You'll travel all along the river until you get to the potash ponds (which are super cool - flip the map to satellite view and zoom in on them!) and then climb to some massive cliffs overlooking the river valley, and finally an awesome switchback up to the road. Google says 2h13m, but you'll be stopping to take pictures a lot, and there are plenty of cool spots for a lunch break. You probably won't see many other people out on that road.

Once you get up to the highway, it's worth taking a detour to Dead Horse Point, though that spot is a bit more touristy.

https://goo.gl/maps/nax8sP1HbrzBHddH7

Pictures really don't do it justice, but here are a couple from my last trip out there.

 

[roostinyfz]

There are plenty of trails for your raptor in Moab and it is awesome. I would recommend the South loop of Fins and Things, and Hells Revenge. They are iconic moab trails, right next to each other and could knock both out in just 2-3 hours.

 

[jaz13]

It requires reservations for camping, but the White Rim Trail is a world famous 100-mile trail that is easy for the Raptor. You can also do the early part of the trail that starts at Canyonlands NP and take the fork that returns you to the river if you don't want to camp.

Gemini Bridges is also a relatively simple off-road trail and the bridges are cool to see.

Hurrah Pass is another good one. Continue all the way to the other side and there is one of the most amazing frisbee golf courses in the world.

The above are more like rough roads and pretty good for all driving ability levels and don't require a lot of passenger courage.

If you want a more hardcore experience, check out Fins n Things and Hell's Revenge. Both have a high pucker factor and you will scrape your hitch and exhaust pipes a little. You'll also definitely want a spotter to help.

 

[jzweedyk]

Only a day? There is so much to see. Normally I would suggest going to Arches National Park first, but if you want to do a trail I would agree with the above, with a slight change. Go to Potash (paved road) and continue. After the Potash plant about a mile, you will see on the left a parking lot with a bathroom. It also has a boat launch (Colorado River) at the other end of the lot. You can air down there. Continue on and do the "Shafer Trail" up to the Park. Dead Horse Point is a state park and worth the drive, you will look down on what you just did. Get the Well's Moab 4x4 Book which describes all the trails around Moab. Then after leaving Dead Horse Point go down Long Canyon. There are some challenges, but the Raptor can do them easily, and I have done it in the Raptor. You end up at Jug Handle Arch, which is just a little ways from Potash. From there you can go back to Moab. If you still have time, run through Arches National Park.

 

[WillieFlo]

All, thanks so much for this VALUABLE info!
Arches NP is definitely one of our stops the day before or after the trails at Moab! Also going to visit the
DB's at DieselSellerz while we're in Utah. My son, daughter, and I watch the show all the time. They have no idea about that stop...

The family is used to rockcrawling and mudding in the XP900, so they aren't worried about the bumps; but since we'll be on a "driving the sites" vacation for a week and a half, don't want to tear up my daily driver and not be able to make it back home to Houston. May require another trip to Moab pulling the RTLR(RZR) from Houston next time......so stoked!

Wife suggested we do this trip, since I'll be up at Raptor Assault already, and it'll be my 50th B-day in June.

THANKS AGAIN!!!

 

[Cliffster]

This is a pretty cool little route that will get you some absolutely spectacular scenery without being overly rough for the family.

You'll travel all along the river until you get to the potash ponds (which are super cool - flip the map to satellite view and zoom in on them!) and then climb to some massive cliffs overlooking the river valley, and finally an awesome switchback up to the road. Google says 2h13m, but you'll be stopping to take pictures a lot, and there are plenty of cool spots for a lunch break. You probably won't see many other people out on that road.

Once you get up to the highway, it's worth taking a detour to Dead Horse Point, though that spot is a bit more touristy.

https://goo.gl/maps/nax8sP1HbrzBHddH7

Pictures really don't do it justice, but here are a couple from my last trip out there.

 

[Cliffster]

This is a great day trip for a Raptor.I was there last week.

 

[Boost_it638]

Any suggestion on a good app to use for trail maps?