Wilson Arch on the Hook and Ladder

33 miles
   The gang staged at Hook and Ladder at County Road 114,   just off Hwy 191 south of Moab, 29 miles, or north or Monticello, 24 miles. Drive in 1.2 miles to a large staging area with a toilet. We headed east to Trail #1, and taking the new trail around a mountain on trail #3/ #9 and up #1, #4 and trail #15 to Wilson Arch. 

Along the way we saw sandstone mountains, Canyon walls, The Eye, A spire, Indian Bathtub, Fins, Slickrock crawling with painted dashes to keep you on the trail, then Wilson Arch.  #15 dead end trail. (You can see the highway thru the Arch)
We have rode this trail before and need to come back and ride the El Diablo and Cameo Cliffs trails.  We rode this trail on May 2, 2015, more info about this ride on this date.

Picture Frame, Balcony Arch, Kane Creek Canyon Rim Trail

30mi 5hrs. Moab, Utah             Today we headed south, from Moab, on 191 at MM 113, Turn left, on the east side of the highway there is a large staging area.  After unloading we rode across the highway heading west on Kane Creek road.  We stayed on the main road,  3.2  miles, till we came to the sand dunes.  It is fun to play around on the dunes and seeing how well the 4 wheel drive works on our machines.

  Down the road, to a distinctive mountain/rock, in the middle of the  plateau called Lone Rock.  Right away you can see Balcony Arch reaching  100ft high. It is an interesting display of erosion. Around the end, to the other side of  Lone Rock, you will see the Picture Frame, a square opening in the mountain. It is larger as you get close to this unusual sight. 
The Kane Creek Canyon Rim Trail- Turn right-right there at the Picture Frame Arch, downhill over ledges, trail is sandy going across an open area.  We followed the map in Fun Treks book.  Behind-the-Rocks is a Jeep Trail.There were some difficult climbs along this trail.
We came to Hummer Hill , where one brave soul, drove up the steep slick rock. The others in our group drove around on the by pass!  We rode in soft sand trails, dotted with some large difficult ledges! We drove straight to the overlook -5500ft and of Kane Creek below us at 2750ft. elevation, a drop of  2,750 ft down!
We had a great lunch view and the day was a perfect and warm.  After lunch, off we went south riding the trails closest to the rim.  We stopped at a few overlooks along the way.  The trail drops down from the mesa, but not down to the bottom of the valley. We drove along at the base of the Sandstone cliffs, thru many cedar trees where you could see the river valley to the south.  We saw some ravens, rabbits, deer like tracks.  We turned at the middle trail back to the main road. Once again stopping at the dunes to spin some tires.  Just before the highway, several of our group stopped to help a van stuck in the off the road sand.  The man was from Australia and wanted to see Picture Frame Arch.  After the men pulled him out with their OHVs, he went back to the stable highway and onward to Moab.
INFORMATION>
LOCATION>   NEAREST CITY=   DIRECTIONS=South of Moab on Hwy 191       AREA >   TYPE OF LAND=-desert, forest, mountain  , OWNER=  BLM,         QUALITY >  Pro-great sights, can make the trail long or as short as you'd like / Con-numerous trails to figure out which one you want to ride /  Length of stay-1 day / Rating- 3  out of 5 stars
TERRAIN>  MILES OF TRAILS, hills / dunes / dust / dangerous drop offs / some difficult trails
TRAIL MAINTENCE   / SQ. MILE AREA -many/  NEAR BY TRAILS-La Sal Mountains & difficult Jeep trails-Pritchett canyon and Behind the Rocks 
REGULATIONS> Permit required- Utah / Camping- only in certain areas /whip / helmets req. / width req.-no
FEE>  Entry-no
KEY SERVICES> Camping / Gasoline / Diesel / First Aid /  Water /  Dump / Food=Moab, Ut

Top of the world, Pole Canyon Rim and Delores River overlook,

57 mi, Moab, Utah
    Travel north 30 miles on Hwy 128,  just before the Dewey bridge, turn right on Entrada Bluff Road for 0.3m. There is an vault toilet and a large staging area.  We started out at an elevation of 4140ft.  

Off we went to find Pole Canyon Rim road, some of the trails have been changed so watch out and have a map, because there are numerous trails. Ride 1/2 mi. turning to the right we followed the trail,  We stopped at an overlook (GPS-38*45.748N  109*17.583W, elevation 5437) then went on to Pole Canyon Rim look out. We had a birds eye view down to the Colorado River. Elevation of 5050ft. 7miles one way.

   We  back tracked to the main road after 5 miles we turned Right, at the sign - Top Of the World. This trail is rocky and sandy, later the road steepens with rock ledges increasing in size. Jeeps and UTV's are on the trail, it is a slow 5 mile trip to the lookout of- The Top of the World.  We managed well with our ATV and the side by sides did fine. 

      Top of the World is so beautiful.   At 7087 ft a drop of 4355ft!!! You are amazed as you gaze down on the valley. It is so grand to look down and see grass growing in a farmers field, mounds of greenish clay, and the deep red towers. There were some table top pinnacles. Down below is Onion Creek and Fisher Towers, far in the distance you notice La Sal Mt, topped with snow, (Mt. Waas, ele. 12,331)  Allow 3-4 hours for this leg of the ride.
We had interesting conversations with some folks who bounced up in jeeps. One driver was from Scotland, with a thick accent and his friend and co-worker was from Venezuela, South America.  He brought his country's flag and had his picture taken at the Top of the World! He thanked us for letting him visit our beautiful country!
Once back to the main road, we rode out 12 mi,to Delores River Over Look  it was a long way to go, but we did see numerous sandstone cliffs or mountains. Colors of red at the base and white towards the top. The Delores river is 1,000 ft below. Then headed 17 mi back to the staging area.
We started out at 9:00 and ended at 5:00 including sights and lunch. If you don't have time to do all three trails, drop the Delores River Overlook.
  INFORMATION>
LOCATION>   NEAREST CITY=Moab, Ut   DIRECTIONS=North on Hwy 128
AREA >   TYPE OF LAND=-desert, rocky ledges, OWNER=  BLM
QUALITY >  Pro-nice scenery / Con-rocky trails /  Length of stay-one-two days / Rating-5 out of 5 stars
TERRAIN>  MILES OF TRAILS,  rocky / trail & road riding/ dangerous drop off
TRAIL MAINTENCE-yes    NEAR BY TRAILS- Numerous trails off Entrada Bluff Rd. & Dome Plateau
REGULATIONS> Permit required- Utah state permit / Camping- BLM across the road from the staging /whip-no / helmets req.-no / width req.-no
FEE>  Utah state permit                                                                                                                     KEY SERVICES> Camping / Gasoline / Diesel / First Aid /  Water /  Dump / Food=Moab, Ut
GPS Points> Fun Trecks.Inc book by Charles Wells

3D trail- 35 miles

    Mark & Barb, Elmer & Henrietta, Mike & Janna, Larry & Geri, Ari & Sue plus Doyle & Karen. We headed out from Mills canyon road going north/west, we ended up on the 3D trail, seeing some unusual sights, like the grey soil of the Mancos Shale formation, Wingate Sandstone rimmed cliffs, red and white layers of Entrada Sandstone and Book Cliffs, hence the 3D name.

One place was  a Outstanding  overlook, we were looking down in to a large canyon and sandstone cliffs. One of our party went around a bush and found a dinosaur track in the hard sandstone ledge. The soil had eroded underneath it and looked like a table top.

We crossed over a large slick rock, with a ravine then a steep hill to climb.  We explored the canyon, it was a dead end, but found a interesting round about at the end!!

We came out on the Bartlet wash road and made our way SE, on the MM trail.(Merrimac and Monitor Butte Trail)  While we were regrouping a jeep came down the trail looking for Tusher Tunnel, we rode off and came to our beloved Determination Towers. We all took photos of this incredible pillars of red sandstone standing against the wind and weather. We then took the long way around to find the Mill Canyon Road. We by passed Tusher Tunnel since we have toured it many times before, but it is well worth your time to stop in and walk into  another time! We road many sandy trails and some slickrock trails which sometimes can be hard to find the trail, so watch out for white paint stripes or tire tracks in sand.

INFORMATION>
LOCATION>   NEAREST CITY=Moab, Ut   DIRECTIONS=North on Hwy 191, past Canyonlands turn off to Mill Canyon Road.
AREA >   TYPE OF LAND=-desert, hills , OWNER=  BLM
QUALITY >  Pro-many trail and marked / Con-none /  Length of stay-3 days in this area / Rating-stars-5 starts
TERRAIN>  MILES OF TRAILS, hills / dunes / dust / water crossing
  TRAIL MAINTENCE -yes  / SQ. MILE AREA -thousands/  NEAR BY TRAILS- Seven Mile Rim, Tuscher Tunnel, MM, Determination Tower. 
REGULATIONS> Permit required-Utah permit
FEE>  Entry-no
KEY SERVICES> Camping / Gasoline / Diesel / First Aid /  Water /  Dump / Food=Arch View Campground, 10 mi N on Hwy 191, or in Moab.
SIDE TRIPS>Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse State Park