Off Road Trails ...
Welcome to the off road picture and trail gallery. All of the offroad trails below have been done in a Montero Sport, usually with some modifications but often not much more than 31" all terrain tires and stock steel skid plates. The Montero Sport is a remarkably capable and durable vehicle in stock form, but capable as it is a fair number of the trails below REQUIRE a modified vehicle. Consider 30" to 31" A/T (All Terrain) tires a minimum modification for any of the trails below.
Chinaman Gulch, Iron Chest, Silver Creek and Wheeler Lake trails stand out. Chinaman Gulch requires quite a bit of clearance, side guards and 31" A/T tires at the least. Wheeler Lake is ok with skid plates and a few inches of lift up to Bowling Ball Hill. More clearance, side guards and A/Ts would be a minimum to go further. Iron Chest just requires ... well, lets just say that you're better off not even thinking about it. I would consider this trail for VERY modified Sports only. Minimum 33" M/Ts, guards, non-stock skid plates, locking differentials and excellent driving skills.
The Moab, Utah trails are significantly different than the trails populating the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The ups and downs are steeper and off-camber sections can be extreme. Slick rock and sand rule in Moab. Good articulation, high approach and departure angles and good break-over and sticky tires is the name of the game. M/T tires and lockers are rarely necessary and in fact, can make your life quite difficult on slick rock. Low gearing is essential for the extremely steep slick rock ascents and decents on many Moab trails. Moab, contrary to common belief, is NOT the land where Jeeps rule. Moderate wheel base length vehicles like the Montero, Montero Sport, Toyota Tacoma and even 1/2 ton Ford and Chevy pickups make short work of the frequent shelves and steps that cause many Jeep roll-overs every year.
Trails like Golden Spike, Strike Ravine, Steelbender, Behind the Rocks and Pritchett require heavily modified vehicles and a good amount of driving experience. Poison Spider and Elephant hill can be done with a moderately modified Sport on 33" tires with good articulation and a rear locker and an experienced driver familiar with the southern Utah terrain. Other trails like Secret Spire and Dellenbaugh Tunnel are suitable for stock Mitsubishis with A/T tires and an experienced driver.
All four wheel drive trails are dangerous no matter what state you're in or what you drive. The remoteness of a trail compounds the danger and the trails populating southern Utah are some of the most remote and least traveled in the lower 48 states. Caution should always be used when driving unfamiliar trails; even familiar trails change or may be completely impassable after the winter thaws or storms. Always pack appropriate clothing, water, food, tools, spare parts, spare tire and jack. Keep a close eye on the weather especially while four wheeling in the Utah desert. Flash flooding is common and many trails follow dry washes in the bottoms of canyons. These canyons are deathtraps in a downpour. Quicksand is common in southern Utah and caution should be used when driving through streams and along washes with standing or running water. Pay attention to your trail especially if the trail is wet. Many trails are clay and when some clay gets wet it's slicker than Teflon. Even tire chains are ineffective. These trails are extremely dangerous when wet and should be avoided until dry.
