Moab next week, for a day or so.... (1 Viewer)

[CBdeJ]

Heading through Moab on our way to the Grand Canyon. The night before we arrive in Moab we're camping at Dead Horse Point then driving into town. It goes without saying that we'd like to see Arches National Park. The question I have is this, how passable is the 4x4 road entrance to the park on the Westside that runs through Willow Flats. My 100 series isn't lifted and will be loaded with four people and camping gear (RRT, etc). The reason I ask, my offroad experience does not include any rock crawling. Truck has decent A/T tyres but I don't have a winch on this truck and I haven't invested in a compressor yet. I do have years of (and some high speed) driving on gravel and unmaintained roads -- we lived in Southern and Eastern Africa for years so I'm comfortable on double track and unmaintained roads. I just don't want to get in over my head for the sake of avoiding some crowds and seeing some more of the country-side.

If you had one day what would you see? What would the insider info be?

Thanks so much in advance.
Cheers,
Chris

 

[Jason hansen]

The road you are talking about is sandy but I don’t think you will have a problem getting back there. There is a gate at the back entrance by balance rock. I seem to remember the park saying that the back entrance is closed, but I could be wrong.

 

[CBdeJ]

Definitely open, drove it yesterday. Only one marginally sandy river bed section. The rest wasn’t bad. Sections have been “ground down” mechanically (confirmed visually and by a local) to improve the approach. This is easily seen at the dinosaur walk section of the trail. Drove the whole distance in hi4 unlocked and had no issues didn’t scrape at all.