Canyonlands

[Notyourmomslx450]

We're headed to Canyonlands with some friends later this month.
Never been.
We have two sites reserved in Devils Kitchen Thur-Sat.
Besides E. Hill what else should we do, see, etc in the park.

Thanks for any and all tips!

 

[Crash]

We're headed to Canyonlands with some friends later this month.
Never been.
We have two sites reserved in Devils Kitchen Thur-Sat.
Besides E. Hill what else should we do, see, etc in the park.

Thanks for any and all tips!

When on Elephant Hill be sure to hike up to the overlook of the Green River and the Colorado confluence.

 

[Corbet]

Joint trail. Easy drive to trailhead from Devil's Kitchen

 

[Hulk]

Make sure to go hike the Joint trail for about a mile in and back. Here is the start:

38°06'12.9"N 109°51'59.4"W

goo.gl

You'll go into a cave that dead ends -- go left through the narrow slot. When you emerge, head up and to the right. There are steps carved into the rock. You'll get some of the best views you have ever seen. Take water.

 

[4runmor]

Nice! I am too! (28th - 2nd) Couple nights on White Rim Trail, and then a night on Elephant Hill if we're feeling confident 😬. This'll be my first time in my own rig instead of a rental jeep.

Newspaper rock is right on the way to Canyonlands/Elephant hill is certainly worth checking out. I did the confluence hike as well, it's an easy hike IIRC. I've heard the joint trail is good and I'm going to try to do that as well. Other than that, Devil's pocket is a cool photo op.

 

[4runmor]

Speaking of which, those with Elephant Hill experience, how do ya'll think a GX 460 with 33's, chopped front bumper, skids and sliders (no lift) would do on Elephant Hill?

New item by Christopher Bevirt

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[DaveInDenver]

To set off cairn haters.

 

[Corbet]

Speaking of which, those with Elephant Hill experience, how do ya'll think a GX 460 with 33's, chopped front bumper, skids and sliders (no lift) would do on Elephant Hill?

New item by Christopher Bevirt

photos.app.goo.gl

just fine

 

[Hulk]

On the way to the Joint Trail trailhead, you'll take Devil's Lane. Make sure to stop at the petroglyphs for a couple of minutes. Right after that is SOB Hill, which is here:
https://goo.gl/maps/aPgXBFqhfounuf7X7

The easy way to get through SOB Hill is to back in, then drive forward down the hill. In the photo below, the red line is the part where you drive backwards. This makes it possible to get vehicles of all sizes through the turn without having to get a strap or stack a ton of rocks.

 

[Hulk]

Speaking of which, those with Elephant Hill experience, how do ya'll think a GX 460 with 33's, chopped front bumper, skids and sliders (no lift) would do on Elephant Hill?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BmjKxVQcXWex5Bzt9

• You should be OK, but there will be a few climbs and descents where you will scrape in a mighty way with no lift. The Silver Stairs is a descent on which you will need careful spotting. This is not something you can bypass. Most of the trail is one-way, and this is part of the loop.
• Getting back up Elephant Hill will be exciting for you. It's very steep.
• Make sure you air down. Lots of people in vehicles that are close to stock forget to do this. Makes a huge difference. If you are worried about airing back up, go buy a small 12v compressor. Even if it takes you 30 minutes to air back up, it's worth it.
• Take gloves for stacking rocks. Having a pair of traction boards might be helpful too.
• Don't go by yourself if you are inexperienced. If you get stuck, it would be good to have a friend with a strap.
• Make sure you have places to which you can attach a strap, front and back.
• Take lots of water and some food. It's a long day even if you have done the trail many times.

 

[Hulk]

More about SOB Hill:

Here's a video that shows backing in, then going down the hill forward. You can also see the reverse of this: starting forward, nosing into the area at the top of the hill, then backing down.



And just to give you another look at it:

 

[Hulk]

Here's the back side of Elephant Hill. It's a steep drop. There is a section at the bottom where you nose in, back down, and then continue forward.



These petroglyphs can be found in campsite #5 at Devil's Kitchen. They are hard to find.



This is the view you are rewarded with if you hike that first section of the Joint Trail. This is absolutely a "must do" in my opinion.



Here's a view of the confluence of the Green River and the Colorado River. This is a neat photo because you can see a raft on the water if you view the photo at huge size. This is a much shorter hike than the Joint Trail but very steep. Thankfully it's short to get to the top.

Do this hike on the way out -- it's a short journey off the one-way trail. If you do it before you have packed up camp, you'll have to drive nearly the entire loop (sans elephant hill itself) to get back to Devil's Kitchen.

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

More about SOB Hill:

Here's a video that shows backing in, then going down the hill forward. You can also see the reverse of this: starting forward, nosing into the area at the top of the hill, then backing down.



And just to give you another look at it:

View attachment 120126

Why back down?

 

[Hulk]

Why back down?

Easiest way through the SOB Hill turn is to back in, then drive forward down the hill -- OR -- drive in forward, then back down. Either way works. This allows you to avoid turning over the hardest part of the obstacle which is a rock shelf. This is also the best way to get through when going back up SOB Hill.

In your giant rig, it might be fun to just drive through. For smaller rigs, doing half of the turn backwards makes it much easier.

 

[Corbet]

When I did it I turned in and drove over. But on 35's in an 80 series fully armored.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Great thread! We’ll be in Moab Sept 22-25. Planning to do FnT, top of the world, and elephant hill. Possibly others if time permits.

Based on the Utah DNR website it seems we need to get a permit for E Hill. Am I correct that we will need to wait until 24hrs prior to get the permit online?

 

[DaveInDenver]

Here's the back side of Elephant Hill. It's a steep drop. There is a section at the bottom where you nose in, back down, and then continue forward.

This spot?

 

[Crash]

This spot?

View attachment 120146

Man, those 34.50x10.50x15 LTBs were the bomb. Off road. Back then they were $127 each. Now? $445 each. Same tire.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Man, those 34.50x10.50x15 LTBs were the bomb. Off road. Back then they were $127 each. Now? $445 each. Same tire.

That was 2006 Cruise Moab. Wow, just wow.

 

[bh4rnnr]

Great thread! We’ll be in Moab Sept 22-25. Planning to do FnT, top of the world, and elephant hill. Possibly others if time permits.

Based on the Utah DNR website it seems we need to get a permit for E Hill. Am I correct that we will need to wait until 24hrs prior to get the permit online?

There really regulating traffic on E-Hill. We encountered a ranger before we entered the park. Gave us the lo down and told us to break up into groups of three and wait a half hour.