Sand Flats 4x4 Road, Moab, UT

Hiking in Utah

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Difficulty: Easy
Length: 19.2 miles / 31 km
Duration: 1-3 hours

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Overview: Road traverses entire length of Sand Flats Recreation Area and climbs into the Manti-La Sal National Forest. Make a loop by circling either direction on La Sal Mountain Loop Road back to Moab. Side trip to Porcupine Rim Campground has great views of Castle Valley. Fee required for Sand Flats Recreation Area if you stop. Home to the famous Slickrock Mountain Bike Trail, Hell Revenge and Fins N Things 4x4 Trails (both available as eGuides from FunTreks on EveryTrail.) For information on all activities, contact the Sand Flats Recreation Area at (435) 259-2444.

Rating:

Easy. A maintained county road subject to occasional deterioration. Possible muddy conditions through forest during rainy periods. At entrance booth, ask about road conditions. Side trip to viewpoint on Forest Road 4632 can be rutted and muddy depending on conditions. High clearance 4-wheel drive is recommended for this side trip.

This trail is one of 55 trails from the book, Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails, 2nd Edition, by Charles Wells, and is available at www.funtreks.com.

Tips: A great family outing in a stock SUVs. All kinds of activities in Sand Flats Recreation Area. Fee required if you plan to stop and do anything in the recreation area.

Trail conditions can change without notice. FunTreks, Inc. and its owner and employees are not responsible for injury, death, or vehicle damage as a result of using this guide. The content of this guide is the property of FunTreks, Inc. and is made available to the user pursuant to EveryTrail’s Terms of Service (http://www.everytrail.com/tos.php)

Points of Interest

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Start Here

Head east uphill on paved road past the cemetery.

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Toll Booth

A toll booth marks the entrance to Sand Flats Recreation Area. If you plan to drive any trails in the area, camp, hike or anything else, you'll need to pay a small fee. If you can convince them you are just passing through and will not be stopping, they sometimes wave the fee. You may want to pay the fee anyway just to get a copy of their handy map. Just past the toll booth, is the parking area on left for difficult and famous Hells Revenge 4x4 Trail. (EGuide available from FunTreks on EveryTrail.)

Entrance to Hells Revenge 4x4 Trail Photo

Toll booth to Sand Flats Recreation Area Photo

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Entrance to Slickrock Bike Trail

On left is large parking area for the famous Slickrock Bike Trail. Soon after, you go around a bend and the pavement ends.

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Campground E

On the right is Campground E. Popular Fins N Things 4x4 Trail starts from camp spot E7. (This trail is available as eGuide from FunTreks on EveryTrail.)

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Diving Board Rock

After passing Campgrounds F and H, you pass through a narrow canyon. Soon after, watch for unique Diving Board Rock on the left. Immediately after that, on left, is a road that begins the north side of Fins N Things 4x4 Trail.

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Porcupine Rim Trail

After going past Juniper Campground, you arrive at parking lot on right for Porcupine Rim Trail, which leaves from north side of road. This is a very popular mountain bike trail. (The BLM has been discouraging use by motorized, but it's still not completely outlawed.) Continue east after that as you leave Sand Flats Recreation Area and begin climbing into the La Sal Mountains on a wide shelf road.

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Left Goes to Viewpoint

As you climb into the mountains, the road gets steeper, and depending on conditions and weather, you may need 4-wheel drive. As the road curves south, watch for Forest Road 4632 on the left. This goes to Porcupine Rim Campground and at the end of the short road is a fantastic viewpoint of Castle Valley. This side road is quite rutted and high-clearance 4-wheel-drive is recommended.

Side road 4632 goes to Porcupine Rim Campground. Photo

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End of Sand Flats Road

Sand Flats Road ends at La Sal Mountain Loop Road. Right connects to Spanish Valley Drive back to Moab (26 miles). Left goes through Castle Valley and connects with Highway 128 back to Moab (39 miles). Both ways are pleasant scenic drives on paved roads.