Behind the Rocks Trail
BACKWARDS!

by The Flatlander for

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Summary: The 4+ rated Behind the Rocks trail offers extremes in 4-Wheeling from two track level road to 4+ obstacles that most drivers with good sense would avoid. Views of the very rugged Behind the Rocks weather sculpted sandstone are impressive along the way. Running it backwards compounds the difficulty of the key obstacles. Breakdowns are to be expected and roll-overs are not uncommon.

Location: A County Road leaves Highway 191 about 13 miles south of Moab just after climbing a long hill on the highway. The exit is on the right going to the west. Follow the County Road above Kane Creek Canyon to near the top of the Pritchett Canyon Trail. Then turn up Hunter Canyon and the fun begins.

Scenery: The scenery includes the unique weathered sandstone fins and domes just behind the rock cliff that faces Moab. There are several opportunities to pier down into Kane Creek Canyon which bounds the area on the southwest. The trip in through Hunter Canyon is particularly scenic.

The Trail: The Behind the Rocks trail is very difficult. Broken drive trains are not uncommon for those that attempt the 4+ obstacles on this trail. The climb back up White knuckle Hill cannot be bypassed and carries a significant risk of a roll over. Running the trail backwards brings one up the rugged and steep "Nose-Dive" Hill.

4X4NOW Same Day
Jeep Safari Trail Report
Thursday, March 27, 1997

Trail Leader Phil Smith lead our small group of 16 out in his new Jeep TJ with Terra Flex lift and 35s. Super Dave was gunning again. Last time Behind the Rocks in Reverse was run during Safari (2 years ago) these two had to deal with all the problems associated with having over half of the group break down. This year they decided it would be wise to start with a smaller group.

By the time I had my camera working Phil was already up White Knuckle Hill.

Two years ago only the most adventuresome tried the left side of the obstacle and many required a winch to get up the easier right side. This year everybody stayed on the more challenging left side and only a few needed a strap. See Quick Time video clips of White Knuckle Hill climbs from two different angles.

Between major obstacles there are a few lesser obstacles and lots of great scenery.

The slickrock dome on Behind the Rocks is said to be about the steepest around Moab with a 50+ degree climb angle. See a Quick Time video clip of the Climb.

Phil Smith (left) leads the group up the final major obstacle - "Nose Dive" Hill. Our group struggled more with this than with White Knuckle and most required several attempts and/or a strap to make it to the top. See a Quick Time video clip of the ascent of Nose Dive Hill.

100% of our small group completed the trail with no major breakdowns in stark contrast to the 50% plus attrition rate the last time this was done at safari.

1998 Behind The Rocks Report
1996 Behind The Rocks Report

34th Annual Easter Jeep Safari (2000)
33rd Annual Easter Jeep Safari (1999)
32nd Annual Easter Jeep Safari (1998)
31st Annual Easter Jeep Safari (1997)
30th Annual Easter Jeep Safari (1996)
Moab, Utah, 4WD Trails Map with Links to all 30 Trails
Trail Difficulty Ratings

Utah Trail Guidebooks, Trail Maps, and Trail Videos

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