Day Canyon Point and Long Canyon, Moab Utah

[99Discovery]

Day Canyon Point is located west and a little south of Moab, Utah, just north of Dead Horse Point State Park. If you are looking for a more secluded trail than the "touristy" Fins N' Things and Hell's Revenge, this would be a good one. Our most recent trip on this trail was last week during Jeep Safari's "Big Saturday" and we were the only group on the trail.

It's rated a 4, primarily for rocky ledges that gradually step you down from 6000 ft. on the Plateau summit to around 4500 ft at the Colorado River Gorge Overlook. An experienced driver in a stock 4wd might find it a little challenging, but 31" tires or larger are recommended and a locker or traction-control definitely won't hurt. There are also camping sites in the area, but both times I took this trail we were simply staying in Moab.

It's an out and back trail, and once completed you have the option of taking Long Canyon back to town.

The scenery is excellent, as the La Sal Mountains provide a stunning backdrop the entire descent. If you are familiar with the area, most Moab Trails can be viewed (albeit from quite a distance) along the trail. We could pick out the Monitor and Merrimack monuments, the Golden Spike Route, and plenty others.

All in all, it's a great option for a well-balanced Moab Experience that's off the typical path.

 

[Ace Brown]

I never heard of it before. I’ll try to take a look next time in Moab. Thanks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[99Discovery]

As far as being on the official "Jeep Safari" trail list, it's a fairly new route. Which is why it hasn't popped on the radar for the masses. On the Red Rock 4 Wheelers website, they suggest obstacle-seeking "Yahoo Jeepers" give it a hard-pass and also encourage newbies hone their slick-rock craft other trails. That and the highway drive to the trail head have kept the group sizes fairly small. I wouldn't put our group as much more than 20 rigs, which is teeny for a Big Satruday. This kept the convoy moving and it was very nice.

In fact, the first time we went with half-a-dozen rigs was a lot longer as we slowly struggled to get the stock S10 over. We did, and it wasn't terribly difficult, just time consuming. You really need at least 31" tires and modern traction control, minimum, to roll through at a relaxing pace.

I actually prefer the scenery and seclusion on this trail to that on Fins and Hells (but the technical obstacles on both of those trails are more entertaining, so it's a give and take).

 

[99Discovery]

I just updated the original post with the video review of Long Canyon.

Long Canyon is a semi-popular canyon descent that connects the Dead Horse Point State Park area with the western-side of the Colorado River below and the highway to Moab. Back as a kid, I remember it being a somewhat obscure trail, but this was before "the rock" fell. In the early-to-mid 90s the cliff wall gave way and a large portion of the rock landed across the trail threatening to fall and make it impassible. From what I've gathered from the locals, universities and geologists came to see if the wall could hold the weight and also ways to remove it if necessary. When you see the rock, the sheer size alone shows how hard of a task this would be without damaging the trail.

In the end, it was decided the wall could hold the weight and the rock was left there, creating a perfect "epic frame" to take a selfie of you on your big, motorcycle, ATV, or off road vehicle.

That said, even without "the rock", the trail is amazing. I've tied it into my route home from multiple longer trails in the area, so I'm typically descending in the late afternoon with the waning sun contrasting off the red rock cliffs and the La Sals in the distance. Highly recommended. Attached is a photo from 2006. Man, we've come a long way from scanned Fuji 400ASA haven't we?