Hell's Revenge Trail

This premier slickrock trail lies northeast of town between the Sand Flats Road and the river. There are steep climbs, descents and some edges that are not for the faint of heart.

The trail is clearly visible on the sandy parts of the route, but there are long stretches of slickrock where the 4WD trail has only recently been marked (a yellow paint design that resembles a flame). The most difficult obstacles are well out of the stock-vehicle class, but the worst ones have easy bypasses. There are steep climbs and descents and some edges that are not for the faint of heart. In a few places, the trail crosses the now-famous "Slickrock Bike Trail," a motorcycle and mountain-bicycle trail. The Lion's Back and Potato Salad Hill are nearby.

Difficulty Rating

6 (old 4+)

Scenery

The large vistas sweep full circle from the La Sal Mountains through Arches National Park to the cliff rims that overlook Moab Valley. The nearby country is an amazing stretch of bare sandstone with clefts and canyons, including the Colorado River canyon.

Road Surface

In addition to the slickrock, there are rock ledges, broken rock, sandy dirt, and a little blow sand.

Obstacles

The first clump of slickrock has high mounds and steep descents that lead to a second mound that does the same thing. The major slickrock area includes steep climbs, sharp turns, and a hair-raising descent along a steep ridge with little room for error left or right. "Tip-Over Challenge" is a brief rock hill with a sandy base that requires tight maneuvering, an excellent line of attack, some help in the differentials, or the easy bypass on a slickrock fin. Just above Tip-Over is a shortcut to avoid the final hill, called "Rubble Trouble" because of its large loose rocks and a couple of tough ledges.

Another option is to drive "Tip-Toe through Hell." It follows most of the Hell's Revenge trail route but skips the difficult obstacles and is rated a 3.5. The scenery and many of the thrills of driving long stretches of slickrock remain, but the emphasis is on making the trail accessible to stock vehicles and drivers not anxious to break their equipment.