We called up a local 4-wheeler, Bob Castaldo, who is very familiar with every bit of any trail in the Moab area. He ownes 2 Pinzgauers (Austrian military vehicles), one 4x4 and one 6x6. He takes us on the Sevenmile Rim located north of Moab, driving his 6x6 Pinzgauer, so we see this amazing rig in action.

We meet at a gas station in Moab and after a short chat head north on the highway and turn off to the west onto a gravel road. Soon the road starts to climb the cliffs with a few switchbacks and we get onto a plateau. The terrain is mostly rocky and sandy with occasional slickrock. There are some rock shelves to be tackled but overall the trail stays moderate. Bob explaines to us the different rock formations and some of the life in this desert. Especially the Cryptobiotic Soil is fascinating. It holds together the sand and keeps it moist to prevent erosion (so don't drive on it). We cruise further through this amazing landscape and at one point get out of our rigs to check out the Uranian Arch. After a little break we continue and Bob guides us to a big rock ledge where we hike a short distance and our knowledgeable guide explaines the several rock layers and shows us some dinosaur foot prints. From here we drop down and get onto sandy ground, the surrounding becomes greener as we go along a river bed. At the Monitor and Merrimac Buttes we make another short stop. Before we travel back towards the highway we check out the 'Wipe Out Hill' an obstacle which, as Bob points out, used to be tougher but is still a good challenge.

All and all this is another one of the very scenic trails in this area. It has no real challenges but is still fun to drive and if you want to spice up this trip just do the hardest line on Wipe Out Hill.

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Directions: From Moab go north on Highway 191. About 0.5 miles past Highway 313 turn left onto a wide dirt road and follow this up the hill.