Jeep - Offroading, Travel Blog

Jeeping Moab: Our Pre‑Event Scouting Ahead of BOF Week

Before the Escapees Jeepers BOF event in May 2025, we explored Moab’s trails, overlooks, and hidden gems. From the La Sal Mountains to Tenmile Canyon and the new Lostworld Trail, the scenery was unforgettable. Rubi tackled climbs, ledges, and muddy stretches as we prepared for a week of adventure with fellow Jeepers.

Even as a still photograph, you can see the power of the snow storm in the La Sals mountains at sunset. Not a bad view from our campsite down in the Spanish Valley south of Moab.
Another differential cover bites the dust, second one this year to date! These super cheap, but readily available from local repair shops, are really getting annoying. Another rock grabbed the bottom and bent the seal open. Jason was able to hammer it mostly closed again, but Rubi continues to bleed a drop of fluid every couple of minutes.

Hole N” the Rock

Just south of Moab sits Hole N” The Rock, a quirky roadside stop with a big story. In the 1940s, Albert Christensen spent 12 years carving a 5,000-square-foot home directly into the sandstone cliff. Fourteen rooms, a chimney drilled through solid rock, and even a stone bathtub. After Albert’s passing in 1957, Gladys kept the dream alive, opening it to visitors. Today, the preserved home, sculptures, and shops make it a fun Moab-area stop where we picked up some souvenirs to take back to Wisconsin. Unfortunately, we passed on the short tour because for some reason they did not think about ADA accessibility in building the house back in the 1940’s!

The seats on this Jeep seem a little uncomfortable! Only in Moab can you find a Jeep made of license plates and scrap parts parked under a giant rock that’s also a tourist stop. There are several shops to explore, a garden filled with art sculptures, and plenty of visual puns to check out. No purchase is necessary to stop in, though there’s a small fee if you want to tour the house built into the rock.

La Sal Mountains

The La Sal Mountains are the prominent feature southeast of Moab. This tree-covered range reaches over 12,000 feet on some of the peaks which means you can head up their trails to cooler temperatures, scenic overlooks, and snow that’s visible from Moab.

Rubi is proudly displaying her Mount Hood emblem, parked in front of the snowcapped Tukuhnikivatz standing tall over Moab.

Our day into the La Sal Mountains started with cool morning air and winding climbs along Pack Creek Road. Rubi handled the switchbacks and steep grades without hesitation as we gained elevation quickly. We stopped at several overlooks, taking in sweeping views of Moab, Spanish Valley, and the distant red cliffs. Lunch at an old mine site near La Sal Pass was peaceful, far from cell signals and very hot, nestled back out of the cool wind. Snow still lingered at the higher elevations above us, and spring melt made some stretches muddy, but the views made it one of our favorite easy trails.

We kicked things off with a peaceful lunch at the old mine site near La Sal Pass. Sunshine, cheese and crackers, and a quiet area with no cell signal!
On the way back down Pack Creek Road, from the Tukuhnikivatz mountain area, we stopped for this overlook above Moab in the 2021 fire zone.
Back in July 2021, the Pack Creek fire was ablaze above Moab when we were here. As always with wildfires, nature begins to bounce back almost immediately, however it leaves an indelible mark on the area for generations to come.
From high up on Pack Creek Road, we looked out across Spanish Valley toward the dramatic cliffs of the Behind the Rocks area. From the ground in Moab, they rise like forbidding statues over the valley floor. Moab is are the speckles on the valley floor to the right.

Lostworld Trail Jeep Badge of Honor

We did some pre-scouting of this trail, we were planning to be trail leaders for the larger group that would be descending on Moab in a couple of weeks. The new Lostworld Trail offers a remote, scenic route into the high ground above Tenmile Canyon, with views that rival any in the Moab area. The trail is moderately technical, with several narrow ledges and rock shelves, but nothing extreme for a well-equipped Jeep. Access begins from the parking area on Spring Canyon Point Road up near the airport north of town. This lot also serves as a jumping-off point for the rim trails overlooking Tenmile Canyon, which we will see from our lunch spot later. The first 30 minutes are spent making your way to the poorly marked trailhead, in fact we did this trail twice and both times missed the turn!

Barb was all smiles while taking in the view over Tenmile Canyon. This spot made a perfect lunch pause after crawling our way to the edge from the nearby end of the Lostworld Trail.
Rubi is holding the line at the edge of Tenmile Canyon. Sometimes the road just stops and the view takes over. We were keeping our eye on the clouds building and knew we needed to be back before the rains hit again.

Many of the trails lead you to another trail and then to another trail. On our way back to the airport area we came across “The Spire” which is just a few minutes off a bigger connector trail in the area.

It doesn’t look like much from a distance, but when you get closer, this thing is huge standing over fifty feet above you. “The Spire” is just one of many balanced rock formations like this all over the Moab area.

Poison Spider Mesa Jeep Badge of Honor

We connected up with other Jeepers Tim and Tina to ride the Poison Spider Mesa Trail with them. The first time for them and our second time out on the trail. Getting up out of the valley and up on top the mesa has some challenging climbs over slick rock waterfalls. Once up there, most of the obstacles are smaller and easy to navigate. The final payout on views was taking the “alternate” route at the overlook with fantastic views of Moab.

Rubi and her red trail buddy held steady just inches from the edge at the “upper overlook” on the Poison Spider Mesa Trail. Just before entering the main parking area for the Portal Overlook, hang a right and crawl up to a smaller, more secluded spot.

Escapees Jeepers BOF

We arrived early in the area because we would be meeting up with other “birds of a feather” (BOF) in the Escapees Jeepers BOF event that would be here in a couple of weeks. We had already scouted the La Sal Mountains and the Lostworld as options, but we also were scouting dry-camping locations for the group making their way toward us. The week prior to their arrival had rain almost every day, which when this fine red dust gets wet becomes extremely sticky mud. Fortunately, the daily rains would come to a stop and the desert sand dried out quickly.

Spring in Moab brings lots of rain, which will dry up pretty fast once the sun comes out again. However, up in the airport area this is proof that even desert trails can throw a muddy surprise your way. The kind of clay that clings tight and completely disables your traction on even the best mud tread of tires.

What’s next? A week of vacation with the Escapees Jeepers BOF!

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