During inclement weather, the road can become impassable. Yes, it is a bit steep at the top on the switchbacks. Once on the White Rim Road, you can go as far as Gooseberry campground or Monument Basin. Shafer Trail Closed The unpaved Shafer Trail road at Island in the Sky is closed due to winter conditions. From here, it is a smooth, easy drive back to Moab. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. <> We started at the top and had driven down to the bottom and I must say I have never been so scared in my life. Note: If you do not turn left, you will begin the drive the White Rim Road. ALLTRAILS and the AllTrails Mountain Design are registered trademarks of AllTrails, LLC in the United States as well as certain other jurisdictions. You will travel this road for about 2.5 miles until you start into the Shafer Switchbacks. This is another nice overlook. .=PAdK+1k.F0DKRk&*q,^5`uAquAu5Ahc"MJ.H^i_BdO>x($+GKAuLXXr3R*"!BO>vepCPC[H-eXLw_ s`ooq2gq ;p|2 rQnnQd#VbY,+aWpJ!z4@sm~KHPC%#lsWb,ee'9g?*Bt10`ChXf^*ZFI]e-zaX}'Kb^0` We took this adventure on Thanksgiving week of 2009, This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. We drove the Shafer Trail in a jeep we rented from Moab Adventure Center and had an amazing time. You can take a RZR on part of the Shafer Trail, but you cannot take it on the entirety of the trail. Top ways to experience Shafer Trail and nearby attractions LIKELY TO SELL OUT* Canyonlands National Park Half-Day Tour from Moab 463 Recommended Adventure Tours from $189.39 per adult Canyonlands National Park Backcountry 4x4 Adventure from Moab 286 Recommended Adventure Tours from $180.52 per adult Arches and Canyonlands 4X4 Adventure from Moab 59 fun route! Enjoy!!e. This is a very popular area for mountain biking and scenic driving, so you'll likely encounter other people while exploring. Shafer Canyon Road and Potash Road are two dirt roads that connect Canyonlands National Park with Moab. During the busy months, you can easily wait for an hour or more just to get into Canyonlands National Park or Arches National Park. Uphill traffic has the right-of-way. Use berms and pull-outs to allow uphill traffic to pass safely. We love the switchbacks that are near the entrance of Canyonlands National Park. We went top to bottom. Views are amazing. Just make sure you give yourself at least an hour and a half of daylight, to get back onto paved road before sunset. Utah-279 ends at Highway 191. On our first day, we covered 70 miles of the road, camping at the Airport Campground. Took the trail down into the canyon and on to White Rim Rd to Musselman Arch where we returned to Potash Rd for the 32 mile return trip 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 took the Shafer trail from Canyonlands all the way back to Moab. You'll need to leave pups at home dogs aren't allowed on this trail. Later when we were too committed to turn back that would be about 6 switchbacks later we flashed back on her face and understood what was up and regretted we didn't inquire about the road ahead of us when we had the chance. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life. If you do the whole trail, which means you travel the Potash Road to Shafer Trail into the Canyonlands National Park or vis versa, you will see great Indian petroglyphs, Jug Arch, and the Poison Mesa Spider area. I've read other reviews that say starting from the bottom and working your way up is the way to go. Geologically, this is the layer of rock that sits right below . Do make sure you check on the road conditions. I had thought it would be fun to have a little adventure and we both said "how bad can it be??". Moderate 4.7 (604) Canyonlands National Park. Overall, it was a must do!! Trailhead: Find the trailhead off Potash Road\Highway 279, about 16.5 miles from its junction with Highway 191. Potash Road is extremely rough. Insane views!!!! This section is a little more challenging as there are some small rock ledges you will drop down. From here, you look out over the Shafer Canyon switchbacks and Dead Horse Point State Park. Even though you just did it, it is still somehow unbelievable that you just drove down that seemingly unsurmountable canyon wall. Went in 2020 and this has become a near death story telling experience we share with friends lol. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. As you follow that trail, it will enter into the Canyonlands National Park, and you will end in the Island of the Sky District in Canyonlands, just a short distance inside the park from the entrance station. Most AWD SUVs will do just fine on this road, as long as it is not wet or snow-covered. No, you do not need a permit to drive these roads. This is one of the most spectacular, scenic. I think just as beautiful though. 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. Highly recommend this trip, lots of fun, but BE AWARE Potash Rd is NO JOKE! Not really technical but if you want to continue via Potash Road, you'll need high clearance. It is also quite wide, at least compared to the White Rim Road. Check our our USA Road Trip Guide for travel ideas and sample itineraries. The Shafer Trail Road in Canyonlands is a great 44 trail. Red Wing is home of Red Wing Shoes, the Riedell Ice and Roller Skates and Red Wing Stoneware. You can see the first part of Shafer Canyon Road on top of the rim, just before the switchbacks. Try this 31.5-km point-to-point trail near Moab, Utah. Then take the Potash Road and Shafer trail into Canyonlands National Park later in the day. Directions Starting in Canyonlands National Park The road is actually much wider than I expected. Today, the Shafer Trail is a challenging, unpaved backcountry road for recreational users seeking the experience of a lifetime It only took us 41/2 hours, and I never got out of two wheel drive. Total Distance: 39 miles Length of Time: 2 hours. All 3 of us were very scared. The entire drive, from Canyonlands National Park to Moab, is just under 40 miles. It is a great overlook that lets you see the Shafer Switchbacks that you will drive down when you do decide to go on the Shafer Trail. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. They are steep, and it is recommended to travel them in 4 low. The view from the bottom is deffiently different than from the top. One Day Canyonlands and Arches Itinerary. It's a little on the scary side at times, but highly worth it for both the 4 wheeler (hubby) and shutterbug (me) alike. Die Route wird grundstzlich als moderat eingestuft und kann zumeist in 8 Std 44 Min bewltigt werden. The Shafer Trail in Utah is the perfect way to experience Canyonland National Park, and we have written about all the highlights of this trip, including the Shafer Trail Switchbacks, overlooks, and how to get there. The views are amazing, and we enjoyed exploring this less-visited trail in Moab. 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. John Shafer is credited for improving the trail and making access into the canyon easier. Quite a few side by sides & dirtbikes but pretty low volume of other vehicles. Just past the evaporation ponds your tires will hit paved road. If you click the icons on the map, you can get more information about each point of interest. Shafer Trail. ! We hope you find this guide helpful on your road trip. We also happened to be lucky enough to drive by a film crew from Paramount Pictures wrapping up for the day on the highway back to Moab (we speculated they were there to film Mission Impossible IV, but only time will tell I guess).All in all, a really great drive, great views, and a little bit of an adrenaline rush at times. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. If you want the best expansive views of the surrounding canyon lands, many people say the Dead Horse State Park has better views because it is higher above the river. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. It takes roughly 2 hours to do this drive. endobj The Shafer Trail is named after the Shafer family, who were Mormon pioneer settlers. Too down in an AWD Chevy Equinox and had no issues. We were in a Nissan Frontier truck (4dr cab, 4-wheel drive) and at times my friend could not tell which way the trail went and we hoped we would not end up going over the sheer drop-offs. This is known as a Gooseneck. Breathtaking views - well worth combining with Potash Rd. Some people like to start the trail at Potash Road because you can avoid the entrance fee station going into Canyonlands National Park. From here, you can see Shafer Canyon Road, the White Rim Road, Potash Road, and Dead Horse Point State Park. 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. The scenery is absolutely beautiful. Awesome! Heres how to do it. The Shafer Trail Viewpoint, located a little farther down the road, is spectacular, too. Below you will see a Google Map of the Shafer Trail. Pretty moderate drive, nothing technical. Island in the Sky: White Rim Road The 100-mile four-wheel drive White Rim Road loops around and below the Island in the Sky mesa top and provides expansive views of the surrounding area. 83.0 Potash Road & Shafer Trail Road Junction Turning right onto Potash Road will take you back to Moab. Cheers, Julie. Many backcountry roads in the Moab area used for recreation today were improved by the Atomic Energy Commission. Insane!!!!! Print/PDF map. Thank you for the recommendation to go up hill (from Potash Rd to Canyon Land NP visitor center). <>>> We loved this off-road experience. Xre&mEEaE&AH_cEv Vdq0" To get back to Moab, drive Shafer Canyon Road and Potash Road described above. These petroglyphs are about 5 miles down the Potash Road. Shafer Canyon Road starts one mile north of the Canyonlands Visitor Center on Island in the Sky Road. If you are a photographer, consider visiting Mesa Arch at sunrise, to capture the glimmer of the first rays of sun under the arch. We plan to visit Canyonlands as part of our Utah adventure in mid to late May. Thus was my very first experience with 4-wheeling.We had started from the top of the trail that begins right before the visitor's center in Canyonlands, and took it all the way down to Potash, then to Moab. We had to wait about an hour to get into Canyonlands one day. Great views!!! This is an absolutely incredible trail to run! Going left will continue on the Shafer Trail, and going straight will put you onto the White Rim Road. Shafer Trail was originally used by Native Americans. Well this is like that except you dont know its going to be ok when you feel like any plethora of rocks could slide onto you, out from under you, or somehow end up off the narrow ledge/road, and it lasts an hour!!! It was filmed right here, next to the Colorado River, just outside of Dead Horse Point State Park. Saw some bighorn sheep as we crossed through private property. However, it does intersect with the White Rim Road, and the White Rim Road does require a permit. [Steve Swanke, RISKY] In 1917, Sog Shafer widened the trail and used it to move cattle through the Island in the Sky area. John Shafer gradually made the road better and easier to access, and other trails in the area are named after the families who worked on or around those trails. Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, on the Mississippi River. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Seatbelts are required on all roads. The Shafer Canyon Switchbacks are an amazing experience. The switchbacks are a total of only about 1 mile long. About half way down there was an orange cone marking where some of the path had fallen away, which we thought was absurd because the whole trail seemed very hazardous to us. ), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. Epic trail!! We have a jeep and 3 dogs. 100% of travelers recommend this experience. This was the sentence that came out of my mouth as my husband, an experienced 4-wheeler, made the tight, narrow hairpin turn that caused me to see the sheer drop now on my side of the truck. I have had a job that involved dangerous situations but this experience scared me to death more than my job ever did. The ranger recommended to not do it in AWD if there was recently any rain. Dont think the dogs cared to much for it. We drove the backway from Potash Road. I recommend visiting the Shafer Canyon Overlook before starting your drive. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. So much fun!! The switchback is the easiest part of the road as it is in very good condition, the rest of the road is trickier but nothing impassable. Do your research well!! 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. 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. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. The population was 16,459 at the 2010 census. You also must have a high-clearance 4WD vehicle. 90% of travelers recommend this experience. Cheers, Julie, Your email address will not be published. 4 WD with 4 lo is recommended due to steep descent into canyon. In this guide, learn how to plan a trip around the world. So, we drove back down the switchbacks and took Potash Road to Moab. Travel 38.3K subscribers Join Subscribe 2.7K 234K views 4 years ago CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK In this segment of. Difficulty: Easy. To do this, you must have a permit for the White Rim Road. Once past the Shafer Canyon switchbacks, the road levels out. The trickiest part for us was near the upper end of the Potash evaporation pools. The arch is easily seen from the road, but if you are not paying attention, you will miss it. There are many places to pull over and allow oncoming traffic to pass. Highly recommend 4x4 off road car. Stupid question. Amazing views! Planning on driving Shafer Road summer 2019. First view of the Shafer Canyon switchbacks. Trail Type: Point to Point. The Shafer Trail Road is a great trail for all skill levels and families. GOBLIN VALLEY: Goblin Valley is a small state park packed with unique rock formations thats a fun place to explore, especially for kids. They stopped and chatted with us and asked if the roads were any better from the direction we had come from.we told them it was rough.but one look at the woman in the passenger seat should have given us a heads up that what was up ahead was some serious stuff.because her face was ashen white and she looked shell shocked. We continued down the trail to the Potash road and on to highway 239. UTAH ITINERARY: In our Utah National Parks Road Trip Guide, we cover multiple ways to road trip through the national parks in Utah. As we went thru the gate and headed doen the dirt road I told my girlfriend that this was'nt bad at all. Turn right onto the gravel road. Shafer Canyon Road and Potash Road are much wider and in much better condition than the White Rim Road. Be prepared.it does jostle the neck around a bit! 4/28/2023. Posion Spider, Golden Spike, and Gold Bar Rim OHV Trail, Cliffhanger Jeep Trail to Pothole Trail (Pothole Arch), Jackson to Amasa Back and Cliffhanger Trail, Long Canyon, Gold Bar Rim and Mag 7 MTB Loop. What you should be aware of is that this trail and many other trails in the Moab area can become impassable during periods of rain. 94% of travelers recommend this experience. Generally considered a moderately challenging route. 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. 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. Rivian only used 10 miles of range the entire way down! Make sure to check Twitter if you want to check if any of the parks have closed because of too many people. I asked my wife why she was looking over the edge if she was so scared why not just close your eyes but she said she wanted to face her fear. ARCHES NATIONAL PARK: While in Arches National Park, things to do include the Devils Garden Trail and a visit to Delicate Arch. We are an every day family prioritizing experiences and memories. You have scenery, the interesting photo op presented at Tea Kettle Junction, and . There is a vault toilet at this point if someone needs to use the restroom. I do have to admit the trail going down was steep, and the switchbacks were tight, getting down over the mountain into the bottom. There are portions of the route where one wrong may be disastrous, and tricky sections requiring three-point turns. There is one low overhang that could be a problem as well as one tight turn. Went back to Moab via Potash Rd. Next was to convince my wife. Seems to me it is more condusive to mountainbiking than driving. You will drive the White Rim Road out-and-back, since you do not have a permit and a campsite reservation to spend the night. Again, if it were my vehicle, true 4WD with 4 low to save your brakes. Da sich der Weg bestens zum Mountainbiken und Fahren mit Aussicht eignet, bist du selten allein unterwegs und wirst whrend deines Ausflugs auch auf andere Abenteurer treffen. more Needles District Road Closures All Needles district 4x4 roads and Elephant Hill Access Road are closed and impassable due to severe weather. Laurent, Before you go, here is a link to what the National Park Service defines as a high-clearance vehicle. Check out this 18.3-mile point-to-point trail near Moab, Utah. No timelapse - No CutsShafer Trail Road-Shafer Canyon Road is a 18 miles dangerous dirt track located near Moab, in eastern Utah, in the western United State. Read our article about the 15 Best National Parks, where we narrow down the long list into 15 must-see parks. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. View of the Shafer Canyon Switchbacks from Shafer Trail Viewpoint. If you do the drive in this direction, it is a great way to end your visit to the Island in the Sky District. And with 140 farms in Upstate participating, there are plenty of sugar shacks to choose from in every region. 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. Canyonlands can especially get busy once Arches closes. The Shafer Trail in Moab was later improved along with the White Rim Road by the Atomic Energy Commission, which used the trails to move uranium-rich bedrock into Moab to be processed. Most people start in Canyonlands and end in Moab. For more information on driving the Shafer Trail, check out the Scenic Drives section under Things to Do. You should be driving an all wheel or 4 wheel drive vehicle with decent ground clearance. I had a death-grip on the interior bar/handle in the truck (also known as an "OH MY GAWD!!!" You can start or end at two different locations depending on where you want to end on the Shafer Trail. 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.
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