Moab, Utah is one of those special places that words can't describe. One must simply experience Moab to know Moab and there is no better way to experience this than overlanding and sleeping under the stars. This blog talks about day two and day three of a three day camping trip that took us into Tenmile Canyon.
After camping on Poison Spider Mesa on our first night, we continued on with our UTV adventure and drove our Polaris RZR Pro 4 and our Can-am Maverick Sport XRC north and west of the town of Moab. We stopped at the interesting Dellenbaugh Tunnel. The tunnel is about 100 long and ends at an overlook, overlooking the top of Spring Canyon. We were lucky enough to visit during the fall and the cottonwood trees in the canyon below were all bright yellow. After exploring the area and having to crawl on our stomachs to get around a cliff we hopped back on our side by side.
Our next stop was Crystal Geyser Jeep Trail. This was my first time on this trail and I just loved how we were up on the side of a huge mesa with expansive views to the north. The trail was so exciting to drive as it weaved in and out of huge boulders. Even though the trail was easy and flat the weaving made for great fun.
After a quick stop a the Dripping Springs cattle corral we finally made our way into Tenmile Canyon. Tenmile Canyon is my favorite spot in all of Moab. The trail through the canyon is very narrow and not super wide like most trails in the area. The trail starts in a shallow canyon in the trees. After a few miles the trail starts to get deeper into the canyon and the trees thin out some.
We eventually found a beautiful camping spot in a wide sandy spot that was surrounded by five alcoves. The site was very remote, with no light pollution or cellular service, it was great. The next morning we spent some time exploring the alcoves and the slickrock above them. Ever since the first time I had entered the canyon, I had put camping there on my bucket list. The canyon is just so beautiful and the fall colors made it even more lovely. For two of our group this was their first time in Moab and they were just speechless about how awesome the area was.
While thousands of tourists were fighting for the few good camping spots in nearby Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park, we had this place to ourselves. It would be difficult to imagine a better camping spot. Was this the best camping spot in Moab? Maybe. The only way to find out is to check it out for yourself.
After breaking camp, we stopped a few times to hike and explore some side canyons. We spotted several large paw prints in the sand but were unable to identify what type of animal left the tracks. That shows how remote the area is, there are more animal tracks than human tracks. The farther down the canyon we took our RZR Pro the narrower the trail became. Slowly what had started as a wash was now becoming a very deep canyon, at times we were 750 feet below the mesa above.
Though in the past I've been able to drive all the way to the Green River, this time the trail was flooded. We ended up having to walk the last few hundred yards to make the river. Due to the amount of underbrush growing in the area, we didn't get a good look at the river. On previous trips we drove all the way to the sandbar on the shore of the river.
There are no guide books that I know of that show this trail and it isn't even marked on most maps. But if you can find the canyon and can get out too the area, I highly recommend the trail. It is surely a bucket list Moab trail. Camping not your thing? Then checkout our vacation rentals at https://www.moabadventurecondo.com/