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Show I I I I ' f V, V Jt -v . lr- - -v ' 5 trail up toward the Moab Rim from the river offers a lies beyond. The trail ascends sharply tilted geologic strata. ! -i-uous panorama of the colorful gorge and redrock that ;,Ioo& Sim Frail Ided for Jleepmg-Mikim I By F. A. Barnes , lie famous, or infa-' infa-' ; :... Moab Rim Trail ' ; well known for its ability to "separate the men from the boys" when it comes to off-road vehicle ve-hicle driving, but should i I ' - - - l- ., ' -f - V ' . ' - ' - - - - i --i- "'-"- :-r".---:r;;; ;i -: - ' " ' ' - - - - - first viewpoint from the Moab Rim is almost directly above Moab and near the portal where the Colorado River leaves Moab Valley. From this f a vy.rf. : ; t ' " V .Vis -'v 1 J ane. location near the Moab RimTrai ,an array , aanclent Indian petroglyphs offers puzz tra! ' a vanished culture Anthropologist David ue also become well known as an excellent hiking trail. For those who do not have rough - and - ready off-road machines, or for those who do but do not care to accept the vantage point, the community of Moab seems like a living, 3-D map. Harport, research assistant at the Museum of Northern Arizona, is formulating new theories to explain the disappearance of the Anasazi culture. challenge of this hair-raising hair-raising trail, the same trail can become a most rewarding hiking trail, the Moab Rim Trail, from where it begins at Cane Creek Boulevard to its end, is barely six miles long. Thus, its length is no barrier to hiking, and the land the trail enters is well worth seeing. It is unique within a unique region. Those seeking to explore ex-plore the Moab Rim Trail and the fantastic rock-and-sand wilderness it enters can reach the trailhead by driving dow n the Colorado River from Moab on Cane Creek Boulevard. Soon after this paved road meets the river, it crosses a cat- tleguard. A few yards beyond this, a dirt trail turns abruptly left, heads back toward Moab and starts climbing up sharply tilted rock strata toward the distant rim that overlooks the broad expanse of Moab-Spanish Valley, the sandflats beyond be-yond and the La Sal Mountains in the distance. dis-tance. Plan On Full Day Whether hiking or driving, driv-ing, it is best to take this steep grade slowly, especially in warm weather. wea-ther. Hikers should take along at least a gallon of water apiece during the summer months, because be-cause no water is available avail-able along the trail. Both hikers and those in vehicles ve-hicles should plan on a full day for this trip, because although distances dis-tances are short, the . trail is slow and there is much to see. At the summit of the first stiff grade, it is only a few yards to the first viewpoint overlooking overlook-ing Moab and its spectacular spec-tacular surroundings. From there, the trail parallels the rim for a half mile or so before plunging down into a veritable maze of slick-rock slick-rock gorges, fins and domes, all landscaped : with gnarled junipers, i sand dunes and assorted assort-ed desert shrubs. At one point, where I the trail crosses a dry, ! slickrock watercourse, ! it is well worth taking j a side trip. A short walk j down the stream course i leads to rock grottoes I that sometimes contain ; water, and finally to the ,. stepped rim of a high i "waterfall." Climbing above this stream course on either side can lead to breathtaking views down into the Colorado River gorge above the cultivated bottomland that lies just downriver ,' from the river portal. Just back from this canyon can-yon rim are giant potholes, pot-holes, each containing its own little forest of vege- , tation. From the stream course on for a way, the . trail is often difficult ' to find because it enters dune-sand and slickrock dome country. Here, it is also easy to take a wrong turn and enter a minor canyon system that leads nowhere. This canyon is worth exploring, ex-ploring, however, so even a w rong turn is not a waste of time. Main Trail The main trail climbs onto a rather large dome of solid rock, from which a gigantic throne-shaped rock mass is visible in the direction of the Moab Rim to the east. The trail then winds and twists toward the rim somewhat to the south of the "throne." Soon, another choice of trails is offerred. One climbs onto a narrow plateau and abruptly ends. From there, a short hike on toward the rim ends at a mushroom-shaped mushroom-shaped plateau of rock upon which stand the remnants of an old Indian "fort." There are also petroglyphs in the vicinity. The other fork of the trail drops into and through a shallow gully, then climbs a slope paved with loose rock "plates" that rattle like sheet steel when disturbed. This trail ends soon at a second rim viewpoint above Moab-Spanish Valley. A hike along this rim in either direction leads to still other vantage van-tage points. Fascinating Exploring Beyond and near the trails, there is no end of fascinating exploring on foot in this land of "behind - the - rocks." There are knife-thin gorges between high fins of sandstone. There are hidden springs and pools to discover. There are giant arches that few people have seen and a wild and isolated sandstone sand-stone wilderness to explore ex-plore one that is virtually vir-tually unknown, despite the fact that it is only a couple of miles from Moab as the crow flies. Rugged, well-handled off-road vehicles can enter en-ter this little known wilderness, wil-derness, but only a little way. Beyond the short trail and its spurs, hiking is necessary, but the rewards re-wards are worth the time and effort. |