The land "Behind The Rocks" is an elevated
area south of Moab bounded roughly by the Moab Rim cliffs
and the rim of Kane Springs Canyon, which is still farther
south and west. The trail follows the most difficult
of the several routes in this region, and gets its renown
and its high rating mostly for White Knuckle Hill. Going
down the hill is scary enough, but be prepared for a
long wait and a good show while some see if they can
climb it. It may be the most difficult hill hereabouts
that is ascended with any frequency, although the frequency
is diminishing as it erodes.
Trail
Scenery:
The rock layers behind the Moab Rim slope downward,
and a virtually impenetrable area of Navajo Sandstone
domes and fins is in view most of the time. Canyons,
including lovely Hunters Canyon, are cut into older
layers. Balcony Arch, Picture Frame Arch, and Pritchett
Arch (a distant view) may be seen; other arches and
bridges are nearby.
Trail Road Surface:
Most of the road is sandy dirt with occasional rock
outcrops. To get in and out of the many small canyons
is to take a bumpy trip over sandstone ledges.
Trail Obstacles:
There is a warm-up hill soon after leaving the highway
and numerous minor canyon crossings before reaching
High-Dive Canyon. This very steep, rough descent is
a short walk upstream from a "high-dive" pouroff
into a lovely pool. The climb out of the small canyon
can be either via a tricky ledge or the difficult "Upchuck
Trail GPS Coordinates:
WP # Latitude Longitude Mileage Turn
1 N 38° 26' 24.0" W 109° 25' 44.2"
0 R
2 N 38° 26' 09.6" W 109° 26' 21.3"
0.9 R
3 N 38° 26' 25.3" W 109° 26' 32.8"
1.3 L
4 N 38° 26' 25.7" W 109° 27' 24.7"
2.3 S
5 N 38° 26' 32.8" W 109° 27' 58.0"
3.0 S
6 N 38° 26' 52.4" W 109° 28' 27.5"
3.6/ 0 L
7 N 38° 26' 25.7" W 109° 29' 20.2"
1.1 R
8 N 38° 26' 00.7" W 109° 30' 07.6"
2.0 R
9 N 38° 26' 18.5" W 109° 30' 04.7"
2.5 R
10 N 38° 27' 09.5" W 109° 29' 41.4"
3.7 L
11 N 38° 26' 43.9" W 109° 30' 52.7"
5.0 R
12 N 38° 26' 58.8" W 109° 31' 03.8"
5.4 S
13 N 38° 27' 09.9" W 109° 31' 13.1"
5.7 L
14 N 38° 27' 21.4" W 109° 31' 29.4"
6.1 L
15 N 38° 27' 41.2" W 109° 32' 06.4"
6.7 S
16 N 38° 27' 39.6" W 109° 32' 26.5"
6.9/ 0 R
17 N 38° 28' 25.9" W 109° 32' 36.0"
1.0 L
18 N 38° 29' 38.0" W 109° 33' 44.2"
3.6 L
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