Try an Adventure Tour in Moab, Utah
If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, off the beaten path, family fun, and socially distanced, there’s excitement waiting for you in Moab.
My family went on a recent vacation and because of COVID-19 restrictions, we wanted destinations and activities where we could ensure our safety while still searching out adventure. This meant mostly outdoor attractions and things to do in small groups, preferably immediate family only. And I don’t know about you, but when I travel I like to do stuff. Don’t get me wrong. Lying on a beach is nice, but physical activities are great to mix it up.
We planned a driving vacation covering multiple waypoints including Canyonlands, Moab, the Grand Canyon, a two-day boat rental on Lake Powell, Four Corners, and Telluride; and of all the places we visited, the Hells Revenge UTV Sunset Tour offered by Moab Tour Company was by far the most memorable, coolest, most exciting stop along the way. And in case you’re wondering, this isn’t a sponsored article. I just want to tell you about the fun we had.
The Moab Tour Company, located at 427 N. Main Street, Moab, UT, 84532, offers fun in many forms such as Jeep rentals, motorcycle rentals, and RZR rentals and tours. Without knowing very much about what to expect, we chose the Hell’s Revenge UTV Sunset Tour because 1) it’s guided, 2) we’re new to UTVs, and 3) because it fit into our agenda of a day in Moab. It didn’t disappoint.
For this tour, my wife and daughter shared one RZR S 900, and my son and I shared a second. The tour started out with helmet fitting, then our Tour Guide and off-road aficionado, Tyler Roundy, reviewed the rules and gave us an orientation on safe operation of the vehicles (No drifting! You can roll them!). Then the group drove in line about three and a half miles through town to the Hell’s Revenge Trailhead.
Geology of Moab Area
Now before going into detail, I think it’s important to mention the uniqueness of the terrain around Moab and how it was created. If you’re not interested in this part, you can skip the next four paragraphs.
The Moab area was once the floor of the Western Interior Seaway that approximately 145 to 55 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous to early Paleogene period, spanned from what is now the Gulf of Mexico up through Northwestern Canada to the Arctic Ocean, and in width spanned from the Rockies to Appalachia.
During this time period, there were multiple geologic events that helped to shape the area we know as Moab today. Approximately 160-50 million years ago, the Sevier orogeny (mountain-building event) caused the formation of the western mountains running from Canada to northern Mexico through Utah, and 80-55 million years ago, the Laramide orogeny caused the formation of the Rocky Mountains. In addition, the overlap of these events caused plate shift and lateral compression in the Earth’s crust.
Also during this time, the Western Interior Seaway went through periods of water intrusion and recession, and great deposits of sediment from the Sevier orogeny accumulated along the western edge of the Seaway, eventually creating vast expanses of red sandstone. Through tectonic activity including along the Moab fault through Moab and Spanish Valley, these sedimentary layers were pushed vertically in deformation zones and then eroded to form many of the current landscape features in the area, including the mountains, the many great cliffs and canyons, the numerous arches, and even the vertical sandstone “fins” in the Moab area.
So this is probably a grossly oversimplified description of 110 million years of geologic activity. I agree, but now want to show you what this looks like up close.
The Tour
Back at the Hell’s Revenge Trailhead, we ascended Hell’s Revenge. Now you can see the scale of these formations. Tyler told us the sandstone was named “slick-rock” by travelers who came before us who crossed this area in wagons with wood and steel wheels. For the RZRs’ grippy tires, the sandstone isn’t slick at all.
And we continued to climb…
And finally, at the top, we began to realize the full awesomeness and beauty of the area. I’ve hiked the Arches National Park just north of Moab many times, but I had never seen anything like this.
Along the way, some of the rugged crawls were fantastic!
Then we got to climb some more. Folks, these slopes are as steep as they appear!
About halfway through the tour, we were treated to panoramic views of the Colorado River.
Nearby, we got to see a Jeep tour climb out of Hell’s Gate.
And of course, since it is a sunset tour, we stopped and watched the sun set over the desert.
Nothing like rock crawling in the dark. During the tour and on the way back, we got to go down a lot of steep slopes, too. Unless you’re familiar with the area, you want to stay on marked trails to avoid the nasty surprises!
So next time you’re traveling through the Moab area, try this. If you do, you’ll know I haven’t spoiled it for anyone. Aside from what I’ve shared, there are many, many other features and treats on this tour. And believe me, we tested the RZR’s capabilities many times, and pushed acceleration and drifted through a lot of turns and ALL of the sandy stretches …sssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh! What happens in the desert stays in the desert!
