Print/PDF map. I looked over and saw that the driver's side of the road had given way to a very steep drop-off, and also noticed that the road was narrowing. As you drive down Potash Road, you will pass multiple significant highlights. Entrance fees may apply, see Fees & Passes information. There are a few important things to know when driving the Shafer Road in Moab, aside from the obvious of needing a four-wheel drive vehicle. I had a death-grip on the interior bar/handle in the truck (also known as an "OH MY GAWD!!!" For the rest of the ride down. Shafer Canyon Overlook is not actually on the Shafer Trail. This is a far less busy arch than Corona Arch, but it is a fun and underrated hike. If you are going down, you can take a peak ahead and see another vehicle coming and pull over in one of the many convenient pull-overs. Potash road is fairly rough, limiting speed to 10 mph max. The arch is easily seen from the road, but if you are not paying attention, you will miss it. Overall, it was a must do!! The Shafer Trail is named after the Shafer family, who were Mormon pioneer settlers. It was far more intense, rough and free form with lots of gully crossings and rock. How Can I Add this on to My Visit to Canyonlands? The 2022 edition of Maple Weekend runs March 19 and 20 and March 26 and 27. Note: If you do not turn left, you will begin the drive the White Rim Road. Killer drive!!!! The trail is open even in the winter months, making it a fun year-round trail. We cringed to see a number of passenger type vehicles traveling on it and observed lots of paint scrapes on Rocky sections. Shafer Road Utah - most dangerous road in USA Andy Renard 3.19K subscribers 50 4.6K views 4 years ago Shafer Canyon Road in Canyonlands, Utah, USA. High-clearance 4WD vehicles with a low range gear (4LO) are strongly recommended. It is best to touch base with the Visitor Center to ensure there is nothing you should be aware of before starting your trip. Boaks was injured in a minor road traffic crash while getting off a bus. Seems to me it is more condusive to mountainbiking than driving. The view back up Shafer Canyon and the rim of the Island in the Sky mesa. Dont forget if you are going on White Rim Road, you need to purchase a permit at recreation.gov or at the Visitor Center. Is there a risk driving from the park to Thelmas & louise and back to the park ? Points of Interest & Landmarks Lookouts, An incredible ride, not for the faint of heart. It was filmed right here, next to the Colorado River, just outside of Dead Horse Point State Park. You can do this in different ways, and there is no exact right way to do it. Enjoy the views. more Needles District Road Closures All Needles district 4x4 roads and Elephant Hill Access Road are closed and impassable due to severe weather. If you click the icons on the map, you can get more information about each point of interest. If you see an approaching car, pull over and allow them to pass. For the first 2.5 miles, you drive just below the rim. If you have a high-clearance SUV you should be fine for this drive, just as long as it is not wet or snow-covered. Shafer Trail was originally used by Native Americans. John Shafer is credited for improving the trail and making access into the canyon easier. If you are afraid of heights, you may have some anxiety because of the switchbacks and when driving by the Colorado River because there are some steep drop-offs. Online Genealogy Records. The steep, exposed sections of the Shafer Trail, Lathrop Canyon Road, Murphy's Hogback, Hardscrabble Hill, and the Mineral Bottom switchbacks make the White Rim loop a challenging ride, and require extreme caution for both vehicles and bikes during periods of inclement weather. 3 0 obj This is because RZRs are not allowed to enter national parks. . some areas require 4x4 but we saw cars on the road. %PDF-1.5 This part of the road is relatively smooth and very well maintained. 100% of travelers recommend this experience. Shafer Canyon Road starts one mile north of the Canyonlands Visitor Center on Island in the Sky Road. 97% of travelers recommend this experience. Take your time here and scan the road for oncoming cars. Pretty sure we suffered with acute stress for a few days when trying to go to bed having flashbacks. We did a lot of breathing and reassuring to get up the canyon wall. It requires extreme caution at the best of times for vehicles and mountain bikes, but especially so in inclement weather and at night. You know that stomach dropping, regret-filled feeling you get when youre strapped into a roller coaster, wondering why you decided to do this and theres no turning back, but you know its going to be fine and over before you know it? Trail Type: Point to Point. endobj Connecting Canyonlands National Park with Moab, the Shafer Trail Road/Shafer Canyon Road is an 18-mile dirt track into eastern Utah, featuring American Indian petroglyphs and natural stone arches. The Road was so Steep, My Wife Jumped out of the Truck! In this guide, learn how to plan a trip around the world. Unbelievable and amazing views if the Colorado! After we got to the top I asked her if we knew what we were headed to would she have done it and she had to admit she would and so would I. Definetly one of the cheapest adreneline rushes you'll ever have.bring some depends and you'll be fine. Youre welcome. Red Wing is home of Red Wing Shoes, the Riedell Ice and Roller Skates and Red Wing Stoneware. Erkunde diese 31,5-Kilometer lange Strecke in der Nhe von Moab, Utah. Fantastic and fun and completely doable. The ranger recommended to not do it in AWD if there was recently any rain. All I could imagine was going box over hood all the way to the bottom when our truck slid on the icy surface of these "switchbacks" over the edge. Average Time of Drive: 2 hours. But this adventure wouldn't be complete without ascending Shafer Trail to the top of the Island in the Sky. The Shafer Trail in Canyonlands was named for the Shafer family. Below you will see a Google Map of the Shafer Trail. This is a rough road that eventually gives way to pavement. When you do this, you will get to start at the Shafer Switchbacks, which are our favorite, but this can be risky because we have had to wait at the entrance station for a bit to get into the park. Saw a mule deer and her two babies. She was already getting a death grip on what ever she could grab. Views are amazing. So much fun!! There are no vehicle length restrictions for the Shafer Canyon Raod and I just re-checked the NPS website. You can travel the Shafer Road from Potash Road and drive until you get to the White Rim Road and Shafer Trail intersection. The photos of the trail (and looking at it on Google Earth) made it look quite scary, however after watching the drive real time on YouTube it seemed very doable. Past Thelma and Louise Point, the road heads away from the Colorado River and then goes past the Potash evaporation ponds. A little bumpy, but nothing to freak out over. ), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Check theweather reportbefore starting your trip andcurrent road conditionsbefore heading out. Starting in 1916, John Sog Shafer, used this trail to move cattle from summer pastures on the mesa top to winter ground on the White Rim sandstone, several rock layers down into the canyon. The UT-313 will take you to Canyonlands National Park. From here, you look out over the Shafer Canyon switchbacks and Dead Horse Point State Park. Shafer Canyon Road and Potash Road are two dirt roads that connect Canyonlands National Park with Moab. Tip 2: If there is rain in the forecast or if it has rained recently, make sure you call the visitor center to ensure the road has not closed. The road from potash looks like a typical 4 wheel adventure and there are lots of great scenes and things to see wonderful rock formations etc. The views are amazing, and we enjoyed exploring this less-visited trail in Moab. Cheers, Julie. Were good . Its a very cool drive!! A little technical in some places but they just find in a Subaru. In order to drive the Potash Road and Shafer Trail, you need to have a high clearance 44 vehicle, and it is recommended that it has 4 low. In 1917, Sog Shafer widened the trail and used it to move cattle through the Island in the Sky area. I think that the Shafer Canyon switchbacks look a lot more dangerous from the viewpoints than when you are actually driving on them. Standing on Dead Horse Point and looking down into the valley next to the Colorado River, we asked ourselves "I wonder how you get on that road down there?" What an awesome ride. By the time we realized it there was no turning back (literally). Said we needed 4wheel drive and high clearance. I heartily disagree, because at least when you're going down the canyon, you can see what lies on the road ahead. I've never been so glad to get to the bottom of something in my life. Generally considered a moderately challenging route. His death in hospital two years later was the result of complications from the head injuries sustained. Insane!!!!! View from Shafer Canyon Overlook. Then it started raining which made things even scarier. Every muscle in my body was sore afterwards from clenching my muscles and I literally cried. If I had to do Shafer Trail again i would save myself from the drenching sweat from the pure adrenaline rush and just follow Thelma and Louise's lead and go over the cliff early. Republishing this articleand/orany of its contents (text, photography, etc. Part of the trail had flooded and washed away!! Going left will continue on the Shafer Trail, and going straight will put you onto the White Rim Road. In fact I told my wife there doesn't look like there is a road out of here. We drove 2,5h by GMC Terain. Canyonlands National Park Half-Day Tour from Moab, Canyonlands National Park Backcountry 4x4 Adventure from Moab, Arches and Canyonlands 4X4 Adventure from Moab, Immersive Canyonlands National Park All Day Hiking Experience, Canyonlands National Park White Rim Trail by 4WD, Sunset ATV Tour and Trail Experience in Hell's Revenge, Moab Combo: Colorado River Rafting and Canyonlands 4X4 Tour, Arches National Park 4x4 Adventure from Moab, Hell's Revenge 4x4 Off-Roading Tour from Moab, Day of Photography in Moab, Arches & Canyonlands, Discover Moab in A Day: Arches, Canyonlands, Dead Horse Pt, Colorado River Rafting: Afternoon Half-Day at Fisher Towers, Thrilling Guided You-Drive Hells Revenge UTV Tour In Moab UT, Moab Stand Up Paddleboarding: Splish and Splash Tour, Flatwater Fun: Moab Stand Up Paddleboarding. Murphy Trailhead scheduled to close March 21-23 Our family travels throughout the United States in our RV visiting beaches, national parks and everything in between. You can take a RZR on part of the Shafer Trail, but you cannot take it on the entirety of the trail. The population was 16,459 at the 2010 census. Ranger Paul Downey was the Incident Commander. Utah-279 ends at Highway 191. I think the 8 hr time is based on hiking, not driving. USA ROAD TRIPS: Planning your next big adventure in the USA? % If you are starting the Shafer Trail from Canyonlands National Park, you will travel N on US-191 N (N Main St) and then turn left onto UT-313. Its a beautiful time to be in Utahwe even had a dusting of snow at Canyonlands on this visit just a few days before these photos were taken. 4 0 obj Have you seen photos of the Shafer Canyon switchbacks and said to yourself, wow, Id really love to drive on that road? Read our article about the 15 Best National Parks, where we narrow down the long list into 15 must-see parks. Tripadvisor gives a Travelers Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor. Once we made it to the bottom of the canyon alive we totally enjoyed the trail. Be prepared.it does jostle the neck around a bit! This is a very popular area for mountain biking and scenic driving, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. Once you get past the ponds, it is a paved road to Moab. Nothing too challenging (in a 2021 Jeep Rubicon with 35 tires), however, I would not consider doing this in a stock or low clearance vehicle. We went top to bottom. Each year, hundreds of visitors experience the thrill of driving down the winding sandstone cliff to the basin below. There are a few tight turns but you should be fine in your truck. We took it with a FWD Kia SUV, and we had no problem whatsoever. Below is a link for the full details on how to drive the White Rim Road in one day. As the Shafer Trail starts to distance itself from the Colorado River, you will pass by the Potash Ponds. At 22 feet long it would be difficult to find a place to turn around if needed. Rivian only used 10 miles of range the entire way down! You can drive all the way to Moab!! It is one thing to watch cars travel the switchbacks from the Shafer Canyon Overlook. Will be there next sep. with a classic SUV (Ford escape or similar). With one day, you can drive Shafer Canyon Road, a portion of the White Rim Road, and then return to Moab via Potash Road. At this point, you will start to be directly beneath the Dead Horse Point State Park. If you are there during any part of the busy season, you will know you are close to the petroglyphs when you see cars and rock climbers along the road. I wouldnt do it again, nor recommend, but if youre a thrill seeker who likes living on the edge (literally) then youll love it! We hope you find this guide helpful on your road trip. ATVs and UTVs are permitted on Potash Road but they are not allowed on National Park Service lands, so you cannot drive one of these vehicles on Shafer Canyon Road. %f:qQ;ri>{FBV5B2NWr)dfh=7`bF1[c"\n?_sW|k.\"?8?9rxEpOSaF\ yO-}q+Rk&:soR$D*pVk:{7PQk2__5NCxb@yGJp|Um3ia/f.1{?~q{lok{Ac+l7jl4g ArC+/t/; ?BprFtW![b1ia!T?&&-8[5r$F[BzvlD+1I`;y|fX @Lw-xV4aSt Personal vehicle: $30 Motorcycle: $25 Cyclist/Pedestrian: $15 Check out this 18.3-mile point-to-point trail near Moab, Utah. The road gets its name because it traverses the top of White Rim Sandstone. We plan to visit Canyonlands as part of our Utah adventure in mid to late May. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Very cool trail. I was looking at a map and it called that road ORV trail, which made me nervous thinking it was only for side by sides. The "trail" is not wide, actually you shouldn't take a big truck on there. We drove it terrifying but breathtaking if you like heights! Try this 31.5-km point-to-point trail near Moab, Utah.

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