The Shafer Trail - Moab, Utah

Printable View

07-21-2009, 10:11 PM
Rollin'

The Shafer Trail - Moab, Utah

I had planned a motorcycle trip to North Carolina with my wife but things changed and I had to cancel that trip.
Instead we decided to take our nice comfortable Jeep Wrangler to Moab, Utah. Milwaukee to Moab would be about 1400 miles.
We would spend 3 nights in Moab and then head east to Georgetown, Colorado. We would stay 3 nights in Georgetown and then
head back to Milwaukee.
One of the places that I wanted to return to was Island in the Sky in Canyonlands National Park.
The easy way to go to Canyonlands is Hwy 313. Hwy 313 is a nice paved, scenic road but..........
the proper (road less traveled) way to go to Canyonlands in a Jeep is the Shafer Trail.
To get to the Shafer Trail you head north of Moab on Hwy 191 to Hwy 279 (Potash Road). Hwy 279 follows the Colorado River and
attractions along the road include dinosaur tracks, Indian petroglyphs and arches.
The Shafer Trail is one of Moab's easier trails but it is a narrow road with large rocks, steep climbs and areas of deep sand.
The first thing that I need to do is remove the doors and windows from my wifes Jeep so that we have a better view.
It was 102 degrees so I left the top up. I loved the look on peoples faces as I carried the doors into the motel room.
The starting point.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC050.jpg

The doors. Jeep parts in motel rooms is not uncommon in Moab.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC414.jpg

Hwy 279. The Potash Road. Twisting, winding and paved two-lane road.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC425.jpg

Indian petroglyphs.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC420.jpg

Jug Handle Arch.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC069.jpg

The road changes to dirt and now the fun starts.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC151.jpg

Nice view.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC438.jpg

Even better view with the doors off.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC440.jpg

Large rocks!

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC444.jpg

Help!!!

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...n53/MCN043.jpg

It's one of the easier trails but be careful. It's a long way down!

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC093.jpg

The Gooseneck.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC113.jpg

Entering Canyonlands. :)

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC118.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC120.jpg

Still climbing.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC126.jpg

The switchbacks were fun.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC129.jpg

Seatbelt on?

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC139.jpg

We made it to the top. Picture time.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC150.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...n53/MCN077.jpg

From this point we drove to the Grand View Point in Island in the Sky and then drove to Dead Horse Point State Park.
From Dead Horse Point we could see the Shafer Trail and where we drove by the goose neck.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC183.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC193.jpg

Time to head back to Moab. Dinner time!
Another great thing about Moab is there are alot of great places to eat. We were only going to be in Moab 3 days
this would not be enough time to eat it all the places that we wanted to.
We checked the Moab Menu Guide and decided that we would have dinner at the Sunset Grill.
The Sunset Grill has a great view and an interesting history.

The road to the Sunset Grill.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC477.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC478.jpg

Great view!

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC488.jpg

Mmmmmmmm food!

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC492.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC491.jpg

There is a reason it's called the Sunset Grill. After dinner we sat outside and waited for the sun to set...............

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC506.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC520.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC538.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC541.jpg

We did some other side trips in Moab and then headed to Grorgetown but that's another story.
07-21-2009, 11:29 PM
Mark Sedenquist

Glad to hear the Sunset Grill is still operating

Yeah, the view from the hilltop restaurant has long been a favorite of Megan and mine -- Lovely to know it's still going strong.

And I loved the field report from the Shafer Trail -- that looks so fun, I loved that you removed the doors and stuff -- Very cool!

Mark
07-22-2009, 12:45 AM
Utahtea

Next time you go, make the short detour to Musselman Arch. Take a left on the WhiteRim trail (pass the bathroom) for 3.1 miles and there is a sign then go back to the intersection and continue up the Shafer trail.

The other thing we like to do is return to the Potash Road via the Long Trail.

Utahtea
07-22-2009, 03:37 AM
Southwest Dave

Got me thinking !

Nice report Rollin and great pics, thanks !

Now I need to go and look to see if I have time to fit a jeep outing/rental into my itinerary when I am there later in the year ! :-)
07-22-2009, 07:15 AM
Rollin'

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist

Yeah, the view from the hilltop restaurant has long been a favorite of Megan and mine -- Lovely to know it's still going strong.

And I loved the field report from the Shafer Trail -- that looks so fun, I loved that you removed the doors and stuff -- Very cool!

Mark

Taking the doors off did add to the fun. You really could see so much more.
My wife didn't aways like when the edge was on her side.
07-22-2009, 07:25 AM
Rollin'

Quote:

Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Nice report Rollin and great pics, thanks !

Now I need to go and look to see if I have time to fit a jeep outing/rental into my itinerary when I am there later in the year ! :-)

Thanks Dave!
There are a lot of places in Moab that rent Jeeps and do tours.
Have you been to Moab before?
07-22-2009, 08:01 AM
glc

Rollin, would you attempt that drive in dry weather in a full size 2wd pickup (short bed short cab) without a lift kit?
07-22-2009, 09:07 AM
Southwest Dave

First time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rollin'

Thanks Dave!
There are a lot of places in Moab that rent Jeeps and do tours.
Have you been to Moab before?

Nope, it's my first time to Moab. I have been looking at the various rental company's but both the wife and DIL aren't too good with heights so I have yet to run the idea past them. If there aren't many shops to entertain them in Moab it could be a no go, if there are it could get very expensive Lol!

I had toyed with the idea before and decided not as we are on a tight time line, but seeing your pics and the fact I love a challenge has got me thinking !
07-22-2009, 07:25 PM
Rollin'

Quote:

Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Nope, it's my first time to Moab. I have been looking at the various rental company's but both the wife and DIL aren't too good with heights so I have yet to run the idea past them. If there aren't many shops to entertain them in Moab it could be a no go, if there are it could get very expensive Lol!

I had toyed with the idea before and decided not as we are on a tight time line, but seeing your pics and the fact I love a challenge has got me thinking !

Dave there are a lot of other great day trips that you can do from Moab that can be done with any vehicle.
Hwy 128 (The river Road) from Moab to Cisco. The La Sal Mountain Loop Road which passes through Castle Valley.
And Newspaper Rock and Monument Valley aren't that far from Moab.

There aren't a lot of shops in Moab but my wife has never had a problem finding enough to buy.

There are also a lot of great places to eat.

http://www.moabhappenings.com/menu%2...bMenuGuide.pdf

.
07-22-2009, 08:15 PM
Mark Sedenquist

And you can always look at our Moab stories....

Here are some more Moab-area places to wander: (look at the Utah list of articles on this page).

Mark
07-22-2009, 08:17 PM
Rollin'

Quote:

Originally Posted by glc

Rollin, would you attempt that drive in dry weather in a full size 2wd pickup (short bed short cab) without a lift kit?

I'm not sure. I think for at least 80% of the trail you would not have a problem.
Having a shorter pickup will help but there could be some areas that could be a challenge.
07-22-2009, 09:26 PM
Rollin'

Quote:

Originally Posted by Utahtea

Next time you go, make the short detour to Musselman Arch. Take a left on the WhiteRim trail (pass the bathroom) for 3.1 miles and there is a sign then go back to the intersection and continue up the Shafer trail.

The other thing we like to do is return to the Potash Road via the Long Trail.

Utahtea

We did discuss taking the trial back from Dead Horse to the Potash but we ran out of time and took Hwy 313 to 191.

Hwy 313.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC178.jpg
07-23-2009, 01:48 AM
Utahtea

Quote:

Originally Posted by glc

Rollin, would you attempt that drive in dry weather in a full size 2wd pickup (short bed short cab) without a lift kit?

Many, many years ago when we had a Ford Club Wagon and the ranger in Canyonlands said we could do the Shafer trail going down because we had a high clearance vehicle, but he wouldn't recommend doing it going up in a 2 wheel vehichle. We did it going down and other than almost getting lost (before they had signs) it was a lot of fun.

If you are worried, there are plenty of places in Moab to rent a 4 wheel drive vehicle. We like Farabees (Their picture on the left is taken on the Long Trail)

Utahtea
07-23-2009, 03:30 AM
Southwest Dave

Cheers !

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rollin'

Dave there are a lot of other great day trips that you can do from Moab that can be done with any vehicle.
Hwy 128 (The river Road) from Moab to Cisco. The La Sal Mountain Loop Road which passes through Castle Valley.

Thanks Rollin.
We are heading through Castle valley/Fisher towers on the way in as it looks pretty cool, and that's the thing we have limited time to explore so the jeep will probably have to wait and we will stick to Island in the sky/Dead horse point this time before heading South. [done MV] I don't think a 30ft RV and the Shafter trial will mix to well. Lol !
07-23-2009, 06:18 AM
Eris

Don’t leave with regrets.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Southwest Dave

Thanks Rollin.
We are heading through Castle valley/Fisher towers on the way in as it looks pretty cool, and that's the thing we have limited time to explore so the jeep will probably have to wait and we will stick to Island in the sky/Dead horse point this time before heading South. [done MV] I don't think a 30ft RV and the Shafter trial will mix to well. Lol !

Ladies (my better half anyway) are not really into too much spit and dust so when I went to Moab I compromised and did a couple of organised tours which we thoroughly enjoyed.

First, a jet boat trip – about 4 hours - from Moab down the Colorado River. Passed and stopped at many interesting places and what we liked was the excellent feedback from the tour guide. Doing it on your own you don’t get this local knowledge. Passed the Thelma & Louise film scene cliff / Dead Horse Point – top trip. Look at Rollin’s picture from Dead Horse Point and you see the river below which you travel along.

Secondly, a 4x4 tour – again about 4 hours- along varies off road trails ending up at Dead Horse Point. Again a very good trip with interesting local knowledge from the driver. Would have gone to Dead Horse Point myself as it is a good road but the tour did the trick.

Also did many other things on our own, but the two organised trip added to the richness of the visit and greatly helped to keep the peace ; -)

Fisher Towers. I was in a rental vehicle so had to be careful where I went but there is an unpaved road (not too bad) which runs for about a mile off the main Hwy 128 right up to the rocks. Well worth the effort.

Have a great trip
07-23-2009, 08:57 AM
Rollin'

A few more pictures from the Moab area.

On the way to Moab. Hwy 128

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...n53/MCN016.jpg

Castle Valley

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...dTrip07405.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...dTrip07404.jpg

Along the La Sal Mountain Loop Road.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...dTrip07388.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...dTrip07402.jpg
07-23-2009, 01:32 PM
Southwest Dave

Can't wait.

Thanks for the info Eris and the extra pics Rollin', it's looking good !

A couple of quick questions for you,
1] I looked at the start of the Fisher towers road on google earth and it looked fairly even, do you think the road is good enough to take a 30 ft RV and be able to turn around at the end ?

2] Is the La Sal mountain loop road paved/ in good enough condition and suitable enough for the RV and if so how long roughly to do the drive.

Thanks fella's, I will be putting up my itinerary in the near future.
07-23-2009, 03:00 PM
Mark Sedenquist

Not paved and needs to be DRY

Southwest Dave,

Here's a field report article about the La Sal mountain loop road -- it's not paved and it will most certainly invalidate your rental agreement....

Mark
07-23-2009, 04:20 PM
Southwest Dave

That's a no, no then !

Thanks for the link Mark, it looks like fun but def not suitable for the RV. Never mind we have plenty of options to keep us occupied.
07-23-2009, 09:03 PM
CalOldBlue

One more opinion

I did Shafer Trail once in a (stock) 4X4 Expedition. There were a few spots where I put in in 4X4 low range, just to be extra sure I had full control of things.

Partially due to my normal paranoia, partly due to some bad noises coming from somewhere to my immediate right (in the passenger seat area).

I'm not allowed on Shafer Trail anymore, but if I were, I'd want something with 4-wheel drive and decent clearance.

P.S. Really cool pics!
07-23-2009, 11:07 PM
Mark Sedenquist

I've heard those noises before too....

Quote:

Originally Posted by CalOldBlue

...partly due to some bad noises coming from somewhere to my immediate right (in the passenger seat area).

I can attest to a similarity of experience -- I haven't driven the Shafer Trail yet, but I know better than ever suggest that Megan join me on that trip. Much as I hate sliding in a ditch when I'm by myself, there is something to say to having only one person expressing doubts as to the driver's abilities....

Mark
07-24-2009, 01:55 AM
Eris

Dave. On Hwy 128, near mile marker 21, take the Fisher Towers Road (on left when going towards Moab) which takes you to the Fisher Towers Trailhead, parking and picnic area. A maintained gravel road, gradual slope with no real steep parts – when there saw a good sized RV (not sure of length) at the trailhead car park. Personal judgement call, I think, if you use the road with anything bigger than a car.

Once you reach the trail head you can enjoy the vast scenery of the Colorado River cutting its way through the valley. Castle Rock, The Priest and the Nuns formation, and more are all visible throughout the moderate hike.

Just to give an idea of the layout here are a couple of pictures.

Road going to the Fisher Towers trailhead.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/s...photo/FTRd.jpg

Looking away from Fisher Towers towards the Valley bottom and the Colorado River. You can just see the road on the left winding down to Hwy 128.

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/s...oto/FTHead.jpg

Castle Valley Road. Is a good paved section and what you could do is what I did – a few miles along Castle Valley Road which is fantastic scenery and then turn around and go back to Hwy 128.

Hope this is of help.
07-24-2009, 02:20 AM
Mark Sedenquist

Really lovely photos

Eris,

Makes me yearn for the dry canyon roads of Utah -- thanks for the post and those very cool images! By the way, I posted some "really bad" images of the Hoover Dam Bridge today -- the only good thing I can say about them -- they're timely....I was thinking of you when I drove out there today -- sorry, my photo skills seem to have deserted me today!

Mark
07-24-2009, 03:03 AM
Southwest Dave

Great stuff !

Thanks Eris, that is most helpful and the great pics makes it all the more exciting, brilliant !

Mark,

Some great views of the bridge in that report !
07-24-2009, 07:27 AM
Rollin'

Quote:

Originally Posted by CalOldBlue

I did Shafer Trail once in a (stock) 4X4 Expedition. There were a few spots where I put in in 4X4 low range, just to be extra sure I had full control of things.

Partially due to my normal paranoia, partly due to some bad noises coming from somewhere to my immediate right (in the passenger seat area).

I'm not allowed on Shafer Trail anymore, but if I were, I'd want something with 4-wheel drive and decent clearance.

P.S. Really cool pics!

That is funny and I know what you mean.
There were a few times along the trail that my wife said, "I don't think my Jeep should be here!"
07-24-2009, 07:36 AM
Rollin'

I do have some sad news from Hwy 128. There was a fire at the Dewey Bridge.
All that is left is the support cables. Per the locals, kids started a fire.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC545.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...in53/MC548.jpg
07-24-2009, 07:51 AM
Rollin'

Another place you may want to stop at along Hwy 128 is the Red Cliffs Lodge.
The Red Cliffs Lodge also has a winery and a really interesting movie museum down stairs.
The museum has a lot of pictures and info about movies that were made in the area.

http://www.redcliffslodge.com/
07-24-2009, 09:05 AM
Eris

Thanks for the update on the bridge Mark. I’ve also been looking at the webcam from time to time to see the slow but sure progress. A first class engineering feat.

Yes, the dry canyon roads of Utah. All about contrasts – so much of a contrast to my home county where the landscape is dominated by green – green fields, trees and vegetation. If you are fortunate to be able to travel it is so wonderful to enjoy the various landscapes and cultures.

Rollin. Can vouch for Red Cliff Lodge. A great place to visit and stay. Bad news about the Dewey Bridge.