Fins N Things UTV Trail
Moab Side by Side Tags
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Thrilling Trail
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Popular with UTV rentals
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San Flats Recreation Area Fins
So you finally made it Moab, good for you!!! You see all of the Side by Side UTVs driving around and you are like "I would love to try that". The thing is you don't know where to go once you have your rental.
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Well if you want the full Moab experience on a thrilling trail that is repetitively safe then you might want to checkout Fins N Things.
The best part about this trail is that it is only about 2 miles away from the UTV rental places in downtown Moab. The trail is located in the Sand Flats Recreation area. If you have never heard of this area it is the platue above Moab's north side. Up there you will find some of the best scenery around. In my opinion this area is more scenic than most of nearby Arches National Park and you could spend several days exploring this area on foot. Note there is a small fee to enter the Sand Flats area.
The trail is easy to follow, just follow the tire tracks and the signs. The trail starts on the south side of Sand Flats Road a few miles past the entrance station. The trail follows a winding path over and through huge red rock domes. The rocks you are driving on are petrified sand dunes and are known as Navajo Sandstone. Some of the domes are hundreds of feet high and views from the tops are breathing taking. To the west you can see the arches of Arches National Park and to the east you can see the La Sal Mountains which typically stay snow covered until mid summer.
The trail makes transitions from slick rock to sand dozens of times as you go along. At first you will be intimidated by the slick rock domes and you might even feel some tightness in your stomach, but as you go along you will gain confidence as you realize that your tires magically stick to the rocks, how can this be with a name like slick rock.
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Between the rocks are curvy sections of sand that are just as much fun to drive as the rocks. It is easy to imagine yourself in an action movie as you zoom through the turns.
Even though Fins N Things is a great trail you would be cheating yourself by not stopping to do a little hiking while in this magical area. There are no established hiking trails that leave the UTV trail, however if you find a good parking spot just go exploring. In my opinion the best exploring is along north west section of trail near the end. A short hike to the north will lead you to overlooks into Grand Staff Canyon, aka Negro Bill Canyon, aka The Abyss. How close you can get to the Abyss? There is also good views to the south of the Mill Creek area.
By the time you finish the Fins N Things trail you will likely be feeling kind of proud of yourself and will be thinking, "that was easy". Well if you are feeling this way you might want to check out Hell's Revenge. Hell's Revenge is basically a continuation of Fins n Things. The trail is still technically easy but the butt pucker factor is through the roof. Every doom is bigger and steeper than the biggest ones on Fins N Things. This trail can be overwhelmingly intimidating, choose wisely before entering. The entrance is located in the first parking area next to the entrance booth.
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Once you are finished don't miss a stop at Milt's Stop and Eat on the way back into town. They have the best shakes and burgers in Moab.
Since we were staying with our Kawasaki Teryx 4 side by side at Moab Adventure Condo, we were able to ride directly from their double garage and south on Spanish Valley Road to the trailhead without having to trailer our vehicle. This route adds about 7 miles each way to the arch with about half of it being on trail.