Dome Plateau Trail
Near Moab, Utah

by: Bob Norton, New Mexico 4-Wheelers

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From Four-Wheeling, to Food, to Futility!!

For the second half of this article see Impossible Hill

A long weekend was a perfect opportunity for a 4-wheeling trip to the Moab, Utah area for several friends. Dr. Bob (CJ-5), Arne (XJ) and myself (XJ) from New Mexico, Steve (CJ-5) and Pap (CJ-7) from the Denver area, plus Mike from Kansas, Pap’s grandson, Arne’s son and his friend would all gather for a Thanksgiving feast and 4-wheeling.

Plans were for a light day on the trails Thanksgiving Day and then the Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings in the evening. Arne’s son was still feeling puny from the previous day, so Arne and Dr. Bob decided to stay at the house and work on projects and the meal. I wanted to see something new in the Moab area and decided I wanted to drive the Dome Plateau Trail, plus an area recently annexed into Arches National Park. Arne provided marked Topo maps. With those and my GPS, I figured it should be easy to follow. Pap, Steve and I went down to the City Market. There were quite a few 4-wheelers there, most of them from Colorado. Others thought my plans sounded interesting so 7 Jeeps lined up behind me for the long 45 minute drive to Dewey Bridge and the start of the Dome Plateau Trail.

Dome Plateau Trail

After crossing the Colorado River on the Dewey Bridge, we turn left into a new subdivision. No homes yet, but a number of paved streets. It took a couple dead ends before finally finding the start of the trail. The first portion of the route up Dome Plateau is part of the Kokopelli’s Trail, as shown on the Moab East Mountain Biking & Recreation map. For the most part, this trail is pretty easy (rated a 3), known for great scenery in this highland area north of the Colorado River and east of Arches National Park. [For additional coverage of the Dome Plateau and other nearby trails see Canyon Country OFF-ROAD VEHICLE TRAILS Arches & La Sals Areas by F. A. Barnes and the accompanying topographic Off-Road Vehicle Trails Map]

After a few miles we descend a hill with several rock steps. A steep sandy climb adjacent seems interesting. This would prove a popular spot for the group to try out their vehicle capabilities and driver skills. The hill at the left included sand and a rock ledge at the top. The right side featured several rock steps. The first big step would prove a "double whammy" to several of the group. The hole in the sand got deeper with each attempt. This hill is located where the route crosses the Yellow Jacket Canyon drainage. (Using Map Datum NAD83: 38° 49' 16.9" N 109° 21' 29.5" W)

Continuing on, plans were to reach what is considered the best overlook in time for a lunch break. At one point, a couple of roads that did not show on the topo map threw me a curve. According to the map, I needed to take the second right. But, by the third road I figured I’d better turn, even though the GPS suggested I might be a 10th of a mile, or so from where I thought I was. I turned and down the trail we went. MISTAKE, in a couple miles it was apparent that I had turned too early and we were roughly paralleling the desired route to the east. And the troops were disappointed because the other route appeared to have a nasty uphill climb out of a canyon from our vantage. Folks were getting hungry, so we continued on, these 2 routes would converge further along.

This sublime overlook from Dome Plateau was a great spot for lunch!

We reach the overlook and "surround the wagons" to eat and to take in the scenery. (38° 45' 15.2" N 109° 23' 5.8" W) We would discover that the route continued from where we parked, dropping over a ledge and on another hundred yards, or so, right to the cliff edge. The vista was indeed spectacular! The Colorado River is 1700 feet below. To the south could be seen the Fisher Towers, Castle Valley and the snow covered La Sal Mountains. Dome Plateau does have a number of branch routes that lead to other overlooks. The area deserves a return trip for more exploration.

There was much to see and many miles to go, so we continued on the trail in a northwesterly direction. The maps and GPS were invaluable to avoid taking other wrong turns. Eventually, we reached the turn-off I wanted, the Lost Spring Canyon Trail. This route leads into part of the area that has been added to Arches National Park recently by Congress. Formerly a Wilderness Study Area, with future access into this area uncertain, I wanted to visit now. In a bit over 2 1/2 miles, the road climbs a hill. From the top, the scenery becomes more spectacular. Two routes off the hill: one descends steeply down loose rock, sand and a rock ledge. Hey, this is going to be fun climbing back up! (38° 47' 20.0" N 109° 31' 17.2" W)

The road eventually ends on the slickrock. From here, hiking to several vistas are possible. Lost Spring Canyon is cut out of colorfully banded sandstone. A variety of rock sculpture and walls are visible in other directions. As this existing road leads to such a pleasantly remote scenic area, I do hope that the National Park Service allows continued access!

On the return, most choose the more difficult climb up the hill. Those with some combination of locker(s) went right up without much difficulty. I chose to drive up the tallest portion of the rock ledge at the left side of the trail. Part way up, something went wrong and the XJ began to spin helplessly at the ledge. Clawing, trying different approaches, going partially sideways, I managed to finally climb over the obstacle and drive to the hill top. I would discover later that I had sprung an air leak at that instant which disengaged the front and rear ARB lockers. Steve, with his shorter wheelbase stock CJ-5 could not conquer the ledge, finally backing down to take the bypass route.

The return route I had chosen was the via the Yellowcat Trail, generally heading in a westerly direction through the Poison Strip and Yellowcat area. Numerous old uranium and vanadium mines are nearby. Worth exploring this area when there is more time. A wrong turn down the Salt Valley Trail which leads into Arches squanders a few minutes before getting back on the right track. As the sun sets, we reach Highway 163 and turn south for Moab. An evening of relaxation and a great feast would cap this first day.

For the second half of this article see Impossible Hill

Dome Plateau Jeep Safari Trail Description
32nd Annaul Easter Jeep Safari (1998)
31st Annual Easter Jeep Safari (1997)
30th Annual Easter Jeep Safari (1996)

Utah Trail Guidebooks, Trail Maps, and Trail Videos

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