Minds of Arfcom GD...

I am taking the Great Western Road Trip (aka. vacation) from mid-July through the end of August of this year.

On my list of destinations is Canyonlands NP, in the Moab, UT area.

Much of this area is allegedly 4-wd accessible, within the park, via "high clearance" unpaved road.

To this end, some background:

I have a well-tuned, 2004 F-350, 6.0L PSD, flat-bed conversion, with 91 gal. in-bed fuel-tank/tool box combo, 44 gal. saddle tank, 38 gal. main tank, and a custom Transfer-Flo fuel system.  The truck was originally a crew-cab, long-box Lariat, with heavy-service suspension, dual HD alternators, and pretty much every option known to man-kind save for a moon-roof.  

Since it's OEM/original acquisition days, it has been meticulously maintained, and besides the aforementioned fueling mods, also has bypass oil-filtration, Swamp's Diesel FICM, a CM Truck Beds flat-bed system, Ranch Hand custom bumper with an integrated Warn M15K winch, and a Warn 10K receiver mounted winch I can move between the front bumper and reinforced rear receiver.  I have an aux transmission cooler, spare battery box, complete self-recovery gear kit, including straps, hooks, a pair of Hi-Lift Xtreme jacks, tools, spare water/coolant, and a kit of common repair parts, hoses, belts, and all the necessary hand tools for effecting minor to at least moderate repairs.

I have "Texas-based" farming and ranching skills related to off-road driving, self-recovery, and getting around ranch property in the Texas hill-country without roads of any kind.

The one vehicle issue I have relates to clearance/suspension/tires - I do a variety of driving here "around home", much of which includes trailing of dual and triple-axle gooseneck trailers with heavy equipment, cargo loads, etc.  Which leads to... I do not have any suspension lift, non-standard tires (I'm running 16" wheels and the biggest tires I can fit, Michelin LTX on the front, Goodyear Wrangler on the rear for two-wheel traction.  Because of the amount of trailer dragging I do, suspension/body lifts are out of the question...

I also call my truck the "ITRV", or Infinite Turning Radius Vehicle - given it is a long-box, crew-cab chassis, it does not turn on a dime...

I would love to hear from any experience Moab-terrain folks who might advise me on the soundness of taking my rig deeper into the Canyonlands areas, or to simply forget about it...

Nice tow rig

That's what worries me...

Give the people from the park service a call. They should have info.

Could probably get through some of the easy stuff, but those running boards and boxes are gone pretty quick otherwise, plus eleventy point turns if anything gets tight at all. And looks like your t-case, pumpkins and general undercarriage about the midsection will get to have very personal relationships with the terrain.

Not to say you can't go anywhere because plenty of near stock stuff gets around, but be prepared for not fitting, some bumping and having to turn around just due to the size and hanging off of stuff on the rig.

Also, going to be hot as hell there. Take plenty of water.

That fucking thing on trails? HA! Forget that shit right now. No clearance, no turn radius, and 87 feet long. Can you say "high centered?" Rent a Jeep if you want to go into the back country.

That was about what I was expecting... just wanted to confirm.  ITRV's are best reserved for open-land trailering....

http://www.expeditionportal.com
Thats the place to ask. I think there are plenty of trails that you can get around in Moab. The last time I was there I took a ride with Dan Mick and he said there were trails for softroaders with some clearance. You aren't going to make it up hells revenge but you probably wouldn't want to. There should be trails and access roads that would get you what you want with out having to have a built jeep.




 

Thanks - this is why the sometimes-wisdom of Arfcom GD pays off...

The funniest part is there is video of a crown vic doing hells revenge on youtube.

I've seen it. It is awesome.







 

i have a 3 inch lift with 33's with a 2 inch body lift on my yoda and i beat the living tar out of it at moab, especially steel bender and moab rim.  with you rig i would stay away from the slick rock stuff and it has a lot of drops and tight corners, also large trucks tend to break stuff when all 4 wheels suddenly hook up on the rock. There are plenty of unpaved roads though that take you to some sweet area's. its going to be hot and dry there so take plenty of water ( like 5 gallons)in case something happens

I have been out to Moab only a few times. It is a hike from VT. First time was in a car taking my buddy to grad school. Second time was about 5 years ago in our 4wd Element. I wasn't going to take that thing off pavement since one it was our only vehicle thousands of miles from home and it is basically a car with a bit of low hanging stuff, not even a slightly real offroader by any means.  I plan on going out again in the next year or two with a better vehicle. The problem for me is anything I want to drive in Moab I don't want to drive to get there. Renting a jeep there seemed really iffy as far as insurance etc.
 

Again, I knew I could count on GD's wisdom... no slick rock climbs, and I will be seeking advice from the park service staff.

I am pretty well equipped for anything  that might be encountered in Central/West Texas/Big Bend within reason, including a 100 gal. of potable water, a 1KW Honda Generator, and complete recovery gear - there is a lot of room in those side-well boxes, the in-bed tool box, and interior cab behind the passenger seat.  I also have a gear rack that sits between the rails, aft of the bed-box that holds more water, chains, an additional spare, and other crap.  I do a lot of off-roading (soft road, by Moab definition) in Central and West Texas, so the prep part isn't my biggest worry - it is the actual terrain, definition of "high clearance" and what I would actually encounter in a new area - whenever I read "lots of backing and turning" it makes the hair on back of my neck bristle, especially with my ITRV...

I was surprised at how rough the dirt roads around Moab are.  Not impassible rough, but washboarded to the point of shaking your teeth out, not to mention what it's doing to your rig.  It's bad enough that I almost aborted our first trip until I aired the tires way down which made it bearable.

And you have to travel miles and miles of these dirt roads to go between "attractions".  Canyonlands especially requires driving a long, long way on these rough roads.  And parts of even the "easy" stuff, part of the white rim trail for example, might be a bit much for your long wheelbase low ground clearance truck.

I would look into renting a Jeep or ATV.  Or, stick to the blacktop, there is plenty to see from the pavement.

The most enjoyable trip I ever took to Moab was on a dual sport motorcycle.  You travel a lot faster, so you're able to cover more ground and see more in a day.

EDIT:  Be sure to get a copy of this book, it's invaluable.
http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Backroads-4-Wheel-Drive-Trails/dp/1934838004/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341378496&sr=8-1&keywords=jeep+moab

That is an impressive work truck for its intended purposes... which does not include rocky desert mountain 4WD.

Your turning radius sucks.
Your rampover angle sucks.
Your clearance sucks.

Subaru Outbacks will get farther along the trail than you will. (given an equally skilled driver)
You will probably get a little farther than a Honda Accord.

There are a LOT of low clearance rough dirt roads around Moab that you will be just fine on (and so would a sedan), but just be careful: tight corners will limit your wheel placement options.

Moab is awesome op you'll have a blast. I have no advice in regards to your truck as o do all my moab exploring on foot.
My bil is a river guide there I recommend taking a daily raft trip.
We go a couple times a year gonna be there July. 16-19 hiking climbing and rafting.


Have fun its a beautiful place.

Only in a Jeep Ford.



 

The deeper Canyonlands are home to short wheel base Jeeps & Yotas that are purpose built for trail riding/rock crawling. You'll be able to get around the unpaved roads but you can pretty much forget any of the deeper trails with that truck. Mainly just because of the wheelbase. That's the bigges issue you're looking at, truck is just to long to fit around tight spots.

A couple of things that are not to be missed while you're in Moab.

The Indian rock art along Hwy 279
http://www.discovermoab.com/rockart.htm


Dead Horse Point state park, this place would be a National Park in any other state
http://www.discovermoab.com/stateparks.htm