Just got back from my first Moab run and wanted to pass along what I wish somebody had told me before I went. First, don't try to do everythign in one day. The trails look short on the map but they're slow going, and by afternoon you're cooked. Pick one or two a day and actually enjoy them. Fins and Things is a great warm-up if you're new to slickrock, and Seven Mile Rim has killer views without being scary. Download the trail maps offline before you leave town. Cell service out there is basicly nonexistent, and half the fun is exploring the spurs off the main route. Bring more water than you think you need and a real spare tire setup, not just the little donut. The rocks are hard on sidewalls. One thing that surprised me: air down early, like before you even hit the first obstacle. I ran too much pressure the first morning and the truck bounced all over the place. Once I dropped it way down, slickrock suddenly made sense and it felt like driving on velvet. Camp out there too if you can. Waking up on the mesa with the sun coming up over the fins beats any hotel in town.
A quick guide to Moab for first-timers
Nov 03, 2026
Last reply: 2 days ago
3 Replies
Been out there a few times with my Tacoma and everything you wrote lines up with my trips. The pacing advice is the big one. My first visit I tried to squeeze three trails into one day and spent half of it rushing instead of actualy wheeling. Now I pick one main trail, get an early start, and if we finish early we just find a spot to mess around on the slickrock untill dark. I'll add one thing on the air down part. Get a decent gauge and actually check what you're running before you adjust. I guessed by feel the first time and ended up way too low coming back into town on the pavement. Also bring a way to air back up, even a cheap 12v compressor from Harbor Freight beats sitting at the gas station begging to borrow one.
On camping, if the mesa spots are all taken when you roll in late, the BLM land off the highway works fine too. Not the same view but you're still twenty minutes from the trailheads in the morning instead of driving up from town with everyone else. The sunrise thing is real though, there's nothing like it. allready planning my next trip for October when it's a bit cooler.
All this talk of offline maps and compressors makes me feel old. First time I ran that country we had a paper BLM map folded up on the dash and aired down with one of those little hand pumps my dad kept in the bed. Took forever but you learned the trail slower that way. One tip from those days that still holds up: walk anything you're not sure about before you drive it. Costs you ten minutes, saves you a body panel.
Agree with walking anything sketchy before you drive it. Last spring I almost committed to a ledge on Metal Masher that looked totally different from the driver's seat. Got out, walked it, and there was a lip at the top that would've hung my skid plate up bad. Took the bypass instead and watched another rig high center right where I would've been.
Also second whoever said bring a real spare. I carry two full spares and a plug kit now after a buddy shredded a sidewall out there and we burned an hour of daylight sorting it.
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