pritchett canyon

billylight

billylight

Registered User
Location
Orem, UT
Im going to be taking some boy scouts to moab this weekend and was considering taking them to see pritchett arch. I'd like to hike a bit but was wondering if i could make the hike shorter by driving some of this. I've never been on this trail and will not have my crawler. We will be in a 91 suburban 4" lift 35s limted slip front. how far could i make it with not too much thrill and is the arch anything cool anyways? any other suggestions? looking for half day activity with little four wheeling and some hiking for boys that never get to go to moab so somthing that will stand out to them. thanks
 
billylight said:
Im going to be taking some boy scouts to moab this weekend and was considering taking them to see pritchett arch. I'd like to hike a bit but was wondering if i could make the hike shorter by driving some of this. I've never been on this trail and will not have my crawler. We will be in a 91 suburban 4" lift 35s limted slip front. how far could i make it with not too much thrill and is the arch anything cool anyways? any other suggestions? looking for half day activity with little four wheeling and some hiking for boys that never get to go to moab so somthing that will stand out to them. thanks
Click to expand...


You can drive all the way around the back way in your Sub. Drive out to "Kane Creek Rd." (or whatever) and head west. I used to have kewl GPS coordinates that I could give you but someone decided they needed my GPS more than I did. You can probably get within about 200-300 yards of the arch from one of the roads (it's been a few years, but I KNOW I could hit it with a golf ball from the road :D). I 'think' there's directions in the Wells book to get you out there?

Pritchett will be a little much for the Sub., IMHO esp. with scouts and esp. without support from others.
 
how far could I drive the normal trail. how far in is the first real obstacle? would be nice for them to see the hard stuff and we can just hike through it
 
you can get to pritchett arch from the other side. there are some Indian ruins and what not on the way to. probably a better choice. also maybe look into eye of the whale.
 
timpanogos said:
1/4 mile to first obstacle
Click to expand...


That one's got a bypass, doesn't it?

If I were trying to show a hiking group some harder core stuff, I'd just hike the BFE area. There's a TON of trails in a small area and you may run across some pretty bitchin stuff running the trails (and some of the riff raff junk as well :D )
 
Last edited:
x2 on BFE

If you want Pritchett, drive around the back way to the end of Pritchett then hike into watch some ijits on the hard stuff.
 
It's been a while for me (nearly a year), but the road on the way in is starting to get some pretty bad errosion on it and most likely would swallow up the 'burb. This part is pretty early on, too... Plus, your getting into the wet season and Pritchett canyon isn't really a good place to be in a rain storm/flash flood. At least with other rigs or built ones, you would have better chances of getting back out before anything serious happened.

By yourself, with a stock 'burb, I'd go the back way in like Bryson said... There's a lot to see that way, too, so it's not like it's a total loss.
 
Meat_ said:
x2 on BFE

If you want Pritchett, drive around the back way to the end of Pritchett then hike into watch some ijits on the hard stuff.
Click to expand...

x2
Because, if I remember correctly, all of that road almost back to yellow hill is pretty easy going. I only recall one pretty good ledge, but it's nearly to the top. You also have Behind the Rocks that way, too....
 
Just was at Pritchett two weeks ago and I also agree that the back way is the best. The first obstale does have a by pass but why hassle with going up when that is not your goal. Let them watch others doing the tough stuff.

You may also look at driving out to Gemini Bridges. Easy for your lifted Sub and fun place to hike around. You can then drive out by way of Canyonlands and see that and or Dead Horse Point if you have a Parks pass or State Parks Pass (it is only $10 for 7 days for either of the National Parks and the pass works for both parks with in the 7 day period.)

Another one is in Arches called Tower Arch, it is remote and has very few visitors so a group of scouts will not disturb anyone. It has tons of places for them to explor and run around and there is no cryptobiotic soil either. Go into Arches and take the Salt Valley Road (dirt) to Klondike Buffs. You can go to the Tower Arch trail head parking and hike in that way (2 miles one way) or you can either take the first left before the turn of to the parking and drive around to the backside of Klondike Bluff and hike in the 1/3 mile to the arch. The road is a little rough but again your lifted Sub should be able to do it, about 30 mins one way.
 
themaniam1 said:
Another one is in Arches called Tower Arch, it is remote and has very few visitors so a group of scouts will not disturb anyone. It has tons of places for them to explor and run around and there is no cryptobiotic soil either. Go into Arches and take the Salt Valley Road (dirt) to Klondike Buffs. You can go to the Tower Arch trail head parking and hike in that way (2 miles one way) or you can either take the first left before the turn of to the parking and drive around to the backside of Klondike Bluff and hike in the 1/3 mile to the arch. The road is a little rough but again your lifted Sub should be able to do it, about 30 mins one way.
Click to expand...

Tower Arch is awesome and you'll be just fine in the Burb. We've taken my completely stock Dodge out there in the dead of winter. It was a hoot! Very pretty and we've always been the only ones out there when we've done it.
 
Another idea i just had was to drive most of the way in on poison spider and hike maybe just the top part to the little arch on that trail that over looks the river. not a big arch but it sure is a rush being that high. back to the question I have driven that trail many times in my 4runner and never thought anything about how hard the trail is. seems pretty easy would my suburban do it? anybody driving stock or near stock trucks in there. I guess i can think of a few spots but just seems like they could use some technical driving and it would be fine.
 
billylight said:
Another idea i just had was to drive most of the way in on poison spider and hike maybe just the top part to the little arch on that trail that over looks the river. not a big arch but it sure is a rush being that high. back to the question I have driven that trail many times in my 4runner and never thought anything about how hard the trail is. seems pretty easy would my suburban do it? anybody driving stock or near stock trucks in there. I guess i can think of a few spots but just seems like they could use some technical driving and it would be fine.
Click to expand...


I drove my stock '77 GMC longbed up Poison Spider in '98 or so. 32" Sport Kings. I did NOT drive up the 'birth canal', but it really didn't have much trouble getting that far.

(I still think you should head out to BFE for the gnarly obstacles and possible gnarly rigs. :D )
 
You should be fine with your Burbon on PSM which is a good idea too. We ran it last March in pouring rain and one of the vehicles was a stock '92 Toyota long bed 4x4 with all our coolers in the back and it did just fine. Now it did take all the easy ways except the wedgey which it made it easily. We even went over and played on the Launch Pad towards Golden Spike (which I am sure your scouts would get a charge out of).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top