Tag: Moab

My Best Outdoor Moments of 2014

This year I snowboarded with Olympians, saw the eighth wonder of the world and fulfilled my lifelong wish of seeing a bear in the wild. Our mountain family has done numerous camp outs, hikes, bikerides and other adventures. We’re looking forward to our next adventurer joining our family in March of next year but before we say goodbye to 2014 I wanted to look back at a few of my favorite things. What were your best outdoor moments of the year?

Last winter I loved hitting the slopes with Team Utah Snowboarding and Sundance Resort. Meeting the amazing athletes on the adaptive snowboarding team, as well as the hard core racers on Team Utah’s Boardercross crew inspired me to compete in my first ever banked slalom snowboarding race. It’s great to try new things!

Motherhood had some emotional ups and downs this year as Big E started kindergarten and I found out I was expecting again. Surprise!

Our favorite vacations this year were seeing the jaw dropping wall of dinosaur fossils at Dinosaur National Park, RZRing in Moab, Beach camping in Carpinteria and a couples’ trip to the great state of Alaska. There’s nothing like taking the tots to wild spaces to enjoy all the variety the world has to offer.

As 2014 comes to a close it’s nice to look back and realize that I have spent my time in a way that is important to me. With my family. In the outdoors.

What were your best outdoor moments of the year?

Uranium Arch, Sevenmile Rim 4×4 trail, Moab, Utah

Sandstone arches are not that rare of a sight in Moab, Utah with Arches National Park just up the road, but I still feel like I’ve found some great outdoor secret when I get to explore one. On this trail to Uranium Arch, located outside Arches National Park, we combined off road adventure with a little sightseeing with great results.

My heart was pounding on some of the steep and rocky sections of 7-mile Rim trail (that’s a cliff behind us after all), but thanks to Mountain Dad’s ability to exude an aura of expertise, I felt completely safe. Maybe because I see him researching trails, tips and UTV guides for hours at home, I trust that he knows what he’s doing. If I didn’t, I would’ve been stranded on the trail, because parts of this trail are gnarly.

Seven mile Rim is a specific trail maintained by the Bureau of Land Management. However several 4×4 trails intersect around here and as much as I appreciated Charles A. Wells’ book Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails I think the map on the BLM website was essential to finding this arch.

The kids loved exploring and climbing under the rock, as well as having a sandy picnic at its base. I loved being away from the rocky ledge it took to get there. 

Uranium Arch, Seven Mile Rim Trail Info:
Getting there: Head north from Moab on Highway 191 for 12 miles. Soon after Highway 313, park in a wide gravel area on the left. Head north on Cotter Mine Road for about a mile then follow the road left and climb a steep hill. Watch for a heavy metal sign for 7-Mile Rim.

Difficulty: Difficult, especially the rocky sections and those near the ledges.

Time: Variable but plan at least three hours.

Tips: Print out the BLM map of this area before you go. Many trails cross over each other and they get confusing. Also, you can combine this trip with one to Tusher Tunnel for a full day adventure.

Tusher Tunnel 4×4 trail, Moab, Utah

One of the trails we explored in our Polaris RZR on our recent Moab trip was Tusher Tunnel, a jaw-droppingly cool cave through 100 feet of sandstone. The sandy 4×4 trail to get there takes only an hour or so, but the destination was amazing.

Tusher Tunnel reminded me of Lava Tubes in Hawaii – dark, cavernous tunnels through rock tall enough to walk through. The difference here was that the other side of this tunnel opened up to a beautiful desert vista with striated sandstone and juniper trees decorating the landscape.
Charles A. Wells’ book Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails gave detailed trail information, and I highly suggest anyone off-roading in the area pick up a copy. The five minute hike from the parking area to the tunnel was a little bit of a scramble, but the tunnel itself is flat and sandy. And dark and cool – and I’m not just talking about the temperature.
Tusher Tunnel Info:
Getting there: Take Highway 191 North from Moab about 14 miles. Turn left on Mill Canyon Road just after mile marker 141.
Difficulty: Easy, but sandy. The dirt bikes that came with us had some trouble on the sandy terrain.
Time: 1.5 hours
Tips: I wish I had brought a flashlight for better Tusher Tunnel exploration.

Fins ‘N Things Off Road Trail, Moab, Utah

Thanks to Mountain Dad’s Christmas gift of a Polaris RZR, our Mountain family is now an off road family. On our recent trip to Moab, Utah we got to explore the great outdoors in a faster, cooler way than ever before.
Our first trail was Fins ‘N Things, a sandstone trail with some tough steeps sections and fun sandy ones too. The trail is well marked with white dashes and tire tracks, and although some places can get tricky, overall it was a great time had by all.
Detailed descriptions of this trail and many others in the area can be found in the book Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails by Charles A Wells. It’s a must have for off roading here, with detailed maps, color photos and trail descriptions.
On this adventure Mountain Dad was driving, and my brother-in-law Jonathan, AKA off-roading expert, was leading the way in his own UTV. The tots were buckled and helmeted in back, and I was gripping my “oh no!”  handle most of the time.

One benefit of off roading is access to remote areas. There’s no way my tots could hike or bike into this wilderness area, and the views were breathtaking. Although next time I may suggest Big E NOT slide down the hill since his pants and underwear came back with half dollar sized holes in them.

Fins ‘N Things was a great trail and well worth seeing.

Trail Info:
Level: Difficult
Distance: 9.4 miles, 2-3 hours in a UTV, longer in a jeep or other 4-Wheel Drive vehicle
Tips: Always go UTVing with others. Remote locations can make for dangerous situations.