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Announcing (?) the official 2020 TCL Jeep run of Elephant Hill in Moab, Utah

7K views 80 replies 21 participants last post by  Gitcha Sum 
#1 · (Edited)
(I suggested this trip in Crispyfritter's recent glamping thread, but I'm afraid it may have gotten lost in the shuffle there. Since I was serious about it, I decided to make a dedicated thread to discuss the idea and properly gauge interest. With that goal in mind, here we are.)

Jeeps climbing up the front side of Elephant Hill



Of all the Jeep trails in and around Moab, Elephant Hill ranks as the most scenic. Besides the unique and breathtaking scenery, there are also two easy hikes (one into a slot canyon which is gorgeous in its own right).

We get to hike this slot canyon at our lunch stop


The four wheeling is relatively mild as far as Moab Jeep trails go; this one is rated a 4 (out of 10) and can be carefully driven in a showroom stock 4dr Wrangler (though added clearance from a small lift will provide some peace of mind in a few spots). Locking diffs are not necessary, though 33” or larger tires are recommended. Of course, drivers of Jeeps with substantial mods will find this trail to be quite easy.

The yellow and blue lines (in the green Canyonlands National Park) designate the trail


There are a few things which need to be taken into consideration when running Elephant Hill. These include:

  • This is an all-day event. We will leave Moab at 8am sharp, and probably won't return until 7 pm or later.
  • The above means you'll spend at least two nights in Moab for this trip. You'll have many options for lodging, from camp sites to RV parks to a variety of hotels. Room prices in Moab vary from Somewhat Expensive to Definitely Expensive to Are You Kidding Me??? Deal with it.
  • Absolutely no pets allowed--not even on a leash, not even in your vehicle. If the ranger at the Park entrance sees Fido, your vehicle won't be allowed to enter.
  • Each vehicle is required to have a permit to enter Elephant Hill. There are only 24 permits available each day--period. This permit is free, and can be purchased online the day before (although when purchased online there will be a $6 "convenience fee" added). There may also be a separate fee of $30 just to enter Canyonlands Park itself. This fee go directly to park/trail maintenance, which makes it a good thing.
  • Theoretically, groups are limited to only three vehicles with space between each group. We might have to be a little creative to get us all in at once, depending how many want to join in.
  • There is plenty of room at the Canyonlands Visitor Center for trailers, so you can tow your Jeep from Moab if desired (I'll be doing this).
  • Unlike most Moab trails, Elephant Hill has a few stops along the way with pit toilets.
Parking area for the slot canyon hike--note pit toilet in the background


I know this trail well, and am comfortable leading groups through it (I've done so in the past). It's an easy trail to follow, and there is virtually no chance of getting lost and/or suffering any sort of catastrophe. Even if an oddball disaster were to strike, I would be able to summon the county sheriff and/or a Life Flight helicopter via my ham radio (most of the trail has no cell phone coverage). In other words, there is little reason to be afraid of making this run.

If the participants are interested, we might be able to make this a multi-day, multi-trail event. I may be able to have a local friend to guide us along one of the classic Moab trails such as Hell's Revenge or Fins 'n Things (for example) on the following day.

So, who's in?

Are you interested in making this trip? If so, speak up. EDIT: we are currently planning on Monday, Sept 28th. However, I am open to further suggestions from the group.

What say you, TCL?
 
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#3 ·
Well I missed this but am seriously interested. My lady and I have been talking about a long vacation out west next summer to do thing just like this.

Seemingly not many others are interested, but maybe with this bump more people will see it?


Dempsey, PM if you are still interested and no one else is in here :thumbup:

We just need Cabin Pics and Stack and we could have a great time. And thats the three cars :thumbup:
 
#22 ·
Well I missed this but am seriously interested. My lady and I have been talking about a long vacation out west next summer to do thing just like this.
Interested if it coincides with available vacation time and the 10 year olds schedule.
If we do early in the fall I'm in.
Either times seems openish to us other than I think the GF is trying to take her mom to Europe for her 70th in the spring.
Okay, it sounds like we are leaning toward early fall rather than late spring. Can we narrow down any more specifically? August is gonna be a million degrees out, so I don't think we should consider that. September will be a bit better, and October would be better still... but it depends on what you guys can do. Everybody, speak up.


Anyone have an empty seat? :)
I have one extra seat, and so far it is open.
 
#23 ·
While the timing on this probably won't work for me, nice job putting this together for the other TCLers.

It's been fun to see the progression of the forum to become more open to all motorsports and there's definitely some excitement for 4x4s on here these days. :thumbup:
 
#32 ·
Redirected from another thread.

I'm off the week after EJS and was attempting to make it to Moab then. I won't know my other vacations until I bid on them next April.

It's also a 2100 mile drive to Moab for me and I'm probably only doing one of those a year.

I'm not sure how the old willys will perform out there. I've had the tj over numerous trails out there without incident. Had the tj on some trails out here and have done the same trails with the willys it performed fine.
 
#35 ·
Sounds like the lady is in, she even asked what kind of mpg the Jeep was getting (21.5 last tank) so that means she's serious :laugh:

I've done northern route from NJ to Provo and she's done southern from Pittsburgh to Vegas. Her aunt lives in Vegas so I suggested I just drive out south route by myself ( or road trip with my brother) meet her in Vegas, spend a few days there, then head to Moab and then go north home. Hit up mount Rushmore stuff like that.


I mentioned the trip she wanted to do with her mom and she agreed fall vs spring sounded better.
 
#40 ·
I'll meat you in Kansas.
 
#47 ·
Put me down in the very interested category. I was stuck in Denver for work this summer for 2 weeks straight, and I flew my wife out when I was done. We took a little trip to Moab, and we definitely want to go back. My wife loved the town, as well as the local scenery. We didn't have time to explore Canyonlands, but did explore Arches. All my wife could talk about was coming back with our Wrangler, since the Compass rental I had wasn't cutting it, even with its red tow hooks.

We would be in a stock JKU sport, hopefully with better tires by then

 
#58 ·
I'd love to get in on this. We did a NP tour this past summer that included Zion and Bryce in southern UT and we loved it. We did a fun Jeep tour and the kids had a great time. I'd really like to drive my own truck, though. Sadly, it's a 30 hour drive and I've got a Sequoia that now has +1 AT tires as my 4x4. I'm keeping an eye on this though.
 
#64 ·
I'd really like to drive my own truck, though.
I wonder if my F150 leveled on 34" tires would make it on this drive?
Was debating the same thing with the Tundra.
Remember: we've all got to fit through the Devil's Pocket.



How much wider are each of you than a JK?

Tempted to get some sliders and upgrade the skid plates to make the trip.
This is wise advice for every vehicle that makes this trip. :thumbup:
 
#62 ·
Hmmm.. I wonder if my F150 leveled on 34" tires would make it on this drive? It would certainly be more comfy for the trip up there. :)
 
#67 ·
That'll buff right out. :laugh:
 
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