Cliff

Hey guys, I have been very busy the past month or so. So busy I haven't had much time to spend on here for posting or anything else. My relatives from CT were out here for a week so we took them wheelin all over and then my buddy from CT came out for 12 days. Also in between I ran 4 days of Easter Jeep Safari. Plus I ended up running 3 days with some others. It will take me a while to find the time to type up all the TRs but I figure I will link them all to here and keep adding when I get the chance. Anyway here is the list from the past weeks. I ended up doing quite a few twice but I wanted to run some of them ahead of time so I would know what I was in for during EJS.

Poison Spider Mesa - 3/21/09
Chicken Corners - 3/26/09
White Rim/Shafer Trail - 3/27/09
Hidden Canyon Overlook + Bartlett Overlook - 3/29/09
Tower Arch with group - 3/30/09
Fins & Things with group - 3/30/09
Hells Revenge with group - 4/2/09
Poison Spider Mesa with group - 4/3/09
Porcupine Rim for EJS - 4/5/09
Poison Spider Again for EJS - 4/7/09
Hells Revenge for EJS - 4/8/09
Fins & Things for EJS - 4/11/09
Elephant Hill - 4/13/09 - 4/14/09 with camping in between. Half one day and half the other.

Cliff

Anyway on to #1... The first trail on the list was Poison Spider Mesa. At first I was wondering how I would do on this one since it was my first 5 rating. Now that I have done it 3 times I think I know every rock on the trail lol but back then I wasn't sure. We started off fairly early on a sunny Saturday. The trail starts off with a bunch of rocky switchbacks with broken rock ledges. These along with many other obstacles on this trail look way harder then they are. Don't get me wrong if you end up in the wrong spot you could get yourself in trouble pretty easy but if you take the right line there not bad at all. I managed all the obstacles on this trail without much trouble.

Making my way up the switchbacks with another group of rigs








Near the top looking back down the switchbacks


After you negotiate the switchbacks and get on top of the mesa you come to the first optional obstacle on the right called the Chute. It’s pretty easy and I find it more fun going up but I ran it downhill to start.




After that you continue on a ways to a larger optional ledge on the left. I skipped this one due to my small lift. A few weeks later a guy I was running with would stuff the rear rental jeep bumper on this one. Also Jevon would christen his front and rear bumper on it as well. On this day this guy tried it in a Farabee’s jeep and scraped the front bumper. I think I am going to name this one the Farabee’s Beater lol




We continued on across an easier section to the next named Obstacle, Pre Launch Pad. This one is steep but fairly easy. If you go all the way to the right you can manage a small wheel stand. This trail lived up to its reputation of being one of the busiest trails in the area. There was always someone else there to watch hit the obstacles before you went.


Being my first time I stayed to the left


Right after Pre Launch you come to the first named mandatory obstacle on the trail the Waterfall. This one is also fairly easy. One thing I really like about this trail is it can vary greatly as far as difficulty depending on the different lines you pick. On the waterfall if you go right at the start and then to the left toward the top it is very easy. It can get quite a bit harder if you do the opposite.








After the Waterfall there are a series of fairly difficult unnamed obstacles. Some have easier lines than others.

Cliff

This being the harder line....


You see everything on this trail... Jeeps, quads, mountain bikes etc


You climb pretty high in a very short time




Also you get awesome views into Behind The Rocks throughout the entire trail.


The next named obstacle is The Wedgy... its easy if you straddle it but I would want to slip off. A spotter is very helpful here along with many other places on this trail if you are running it for the first time.






You can also get a large wheel stand if you hit the end a certain way.

A few others giving it a try.




A fun optional ledge a little ways beyond The Wedgy




After a few other unnamed ledges you reach the actual top of the mesa and a bumpy annoying section called Tie Rod Flats. It’s not hard at all just very bumpy. After that is a section called High Speed Mesa. It’s very flat like a regular graded road but is fun to drive with banked corners in places.

A view from the top






Some Jeeps out at an optional side view


You pass the grave of Mary Jane Francis who was supposingly bitten and died of a poisonous spider bite many many years ago giving the mesa its name. You are supposed to stop and offer her a trinket for good luck on the trail but we figured she had enough and continued on lol After high speed mesa you hit a fun section with a few choices. There are 3 different downhill ledges to choose from or a bypass. Again I find these more fun going up but not wanting to do the bypass I went down one of the easier ones. There were some sweet Jeeps there trying the hardest one. There is definitely a risk of rolling sideways or backwards if you stab the gas on this one.



After a fun sand bowl you start the loop portion of this trail. This section reminds me a lot of Fins & Things. There is a lot of slick rock driving with some fun steep ascents and descents.

Some Jeeps heading out on Golden Spike

Cliff

Slickrock is always fun!






A steep little optional climb that messes with your head since it sits on top of a slickrock dome




We continued on to a cool spot called Little Arch. From here you can look across at the Moab Rim Trail and down at the Colorado River and the town.


Moab Rim parking lot via Little Arch




Moab Rim Trail






Where is Waldo?


We continued on the slick rock to the high point on the trail near a large tub in the rock. We stopped here for lunch and enjoyed the 360 view down on the mesa.










From here the trail gets a bit easier with a few fun optional climbs

Cliff

There are 2 optional dead end overlooks you can go to according to Well's book. I have looked for the second one but have yet to find it anywhere. The first one takes about 15 min one way and is definitely worth the view.










A zoomed in shot from the view point looking into Arches and the Windows


There is a bike trail called the Portal Trail that starts just to the left of that slickrock dome on the second to last pic. The trail goes along the cliff edge with a 300 foot drop on the left side. There is a sign at the start of the trail that reads Dismount Now! 3 people have died here.... you wouldn't have to tell me to dismount After enjoying the view for a while we continued around the easy half of the loop that had some fun sandy sections and back to the start. From here you go back the way you came down the trail to the start.

Going back up those fun ledges




And back down the other one near the Wedgy


This is such a great pic spot


Coming back down the Waterfall and the ledges above it














We retraced our tracks back down and did the Chute uphill just for fun


And one more parting shot coming back down the switchbacks


All in all this is definitely on the top 3 list of my favorite trails so far! It has it all great variety, fun lines and mind blowing scenery. I would highly recommend this one to anyone who is new to the Moab area or just hast run it yet.

Skreed

Looks like great wheeling... It is my dream to visit this part of the country.

Moparboy01

totally jealous, would love to do that someday awesome pictures

zr2toxj

Very nice! I'm jealous too. Thanks for taking the time to share this with us. Gotta go look at Part 2.

JakeWI

nice pics

tcountry

Nice pics. About how long does it take to run the trail?

mobilecherokee4

wow that looks like so much fun, i live in alabama so imnever gonna get to go out there, but that looks awesome!!!!!

Cliff

Well it usually takes me 6+ hours but that's taking my time. I am sure you could do it faster with a more modded rig with a bigger lift. Poison Spider + Golden Spike + Gold Bar is a popular combo for more modded rigs so you get the idea that it can be done quite a bit faster. But who wants to rush!