Arches National Park (1 Viewer)

[Em cee]

Headed out in a few days in the 200. Will be solo with my family and going for some light hiking and mild wheeling.

Again, not into ‘rock crawling’ or exposing ourselves to undue risk in too remote an area, just looking for decent sight seeing.

Didn’t get a chance to grab the Charles Wells book. Are there beginner trails in Moab that don’t involve intense approach and departure angles?

Maybe fins and things and chicken corners? I guess several trails have the bypass option?

the 200 has an emu lift and 33’s. Fr and rr arb with stock running boards.

appreciate any insight!

 

[Dan Higgins]

Onion Creek is fun. If you are going to Arches try the back way in via the Salt Valley Rd. Also maybe the 4WD Road that runs from near Balanced Rock west towards the highway. But in both cases check with the visitor center on road conditions. Salt Valley Rd can be sandy and you need to go over a couple of dry washes that may not be dry IiRC.

 

[liv2bike]

We were in Moab New Years week. There was a good amount of snow on the trails. That’ll be your issue. Access may be pretty limited depending on how much more snow they’ve received.

 

[cmck]

Consider hiring a professional guide like Dan Mick’s to guide you thru some trails. This builds in a safety factor of both, picking a trail with the right conditions that day and gives you two trucks and a experienced spotter.

I used this approach in 2016 and it was money well spent. The conditions were dry and we did hells revenge, which I would not do solo. I’m a fairly experienced wheeler back East in a 100 series.

 

[raoulduke101]

Try Willow Flats Rd. to access Arches NP. I've done it in a bone stock 200 no problem. Be prepared for crowds if you're there on a weekend, though, especially at the more popular features such as Delicate Arch and Devils Garden.

Consider Potash Road into Canyonlands National Park, and then a portion of the White Rim Trail (Shaffer Trail switchbacks, the way a lot of folks access White Rim, is probably closed due to snow). Your Two-Hundy should have no problem on that road.

Snow and mud are going to be your biggest problem this time of year. I know they recently got quite a bit of snow there. Hopefully it will dry out by the time you get there.

 

[Dan Higgins]

Try Willow Flats Rd. to access Arches NP. I've done it in a bone stock 200 no problem. Be prepared for crowds if you're there on a weekend, though, especially at the more popular features such as Delicate Arch and Devils Garden.

Consider Potash Road into Canyonlands National Park, and then a portion of the White Rim Trail (Shaffer Trail switchbacks, the way a lot of folks access White Rim, is probably closed due to snow). Your Two-Hundy should have no problem on that road.

Snow and mud are going to be your biggest problem this time of year. I know they recently got quite a bit of snow there. Hopefully it will dry out by the time you get there.

I agree with Potash and Willow Flats. (Willow Flats was the one I couldn't remember the name of that travels from east to west out of Arches beginning near the Balanced Rock.

BUT, @raoulduke101 is spot on. It is very likely there will be mud if not snow issues this time of year. They don't get a lot of snow but it can take a long time to melt in shaded areas (and with all of the rock formations and canyons there are lots of shaded areas). And the mud around that part of Utah is very bad news when it is only slightly wet. I wouldn't try anything without checking with the National Park offices (Canyonlands is probably closed) or other local authorities.

Here are a couple pics from last February in Arches.

 

[raoulduke101]

Here is a link to road conditions in Canyonlands NP: Canyonlands NP Current Road Conditions

Most of them are reported as being impassible due to snow and mud.

 

[Armed in Utah]

Although I'm 2 hrs from Moab.....temps warmed up here as well as there.......

Snow's melting......expect mud......

The Swell ? Careful where ya go mud can be real bad in the remote less traveled areas

 

[stonepa]

Here is a link to road conditions in Canyonlands NP: Canyonlands NP Current Road Conditions

Most of them are reported as being impassible due to snow and mud.

Yeah - from many years of personal experience, if they are not dry they quickly become impassable in any wheeled vehicle.

 

[Gappy]

the 200 has an emu lift and 33’s. Fr and rr arb with stock running boards.

It sounds like you are just a set of rock sliders away from a great set up.

 

[KenB]

Ask at the visitors center down town too. When I stopped in last March an owner of a Jeep rental company was working a shift. He had a bunch of information about what was open and closed. He made a few suggestions for arches and trails that weren't in the trail books, but were passable. Many common trails that I had planned to run were closed due to ice and snow. One place we went was to Gemini bridge. Place was empty except for one family looking around. They were wearing clothes from my high school. Turned out they lived about 10 miles from me back in Minnesota.

 

[Em cee]

thanks for all the great feedback guys!

We are headed down from park city tomorrow morning. Will report back!

 

[Armed in Utah]

Have fun & keep the shiney side up......

Ray's Tavern in Green River has good burgers.....

They just need to update & remodel a bit........

watch all the idiots on Hwy 6 !