Sand Flats Recreational Area is right above Moab, Utah.   It is a benchland of slickrock, fins, bowls, desert sand and domes, used by jeep owners and mountain bikers.   It is the home of the world famous Slickrock Trail.   There are campgrounds too so the area can be a busy place in-season.   In the winter months, locals do hike the hills.   We hiked the area twice during busy times, but we went well away from the designated trails, crossing slickrock into areas unsuitable for jeeps or mountain bikes.

conteThe approach to this route was across high desert sands and dome-like hills.

We worked our way over to Negro Bill Canyon which is flanked by cliffs and steep fins.   We took some creative scrambling routes to descend to spot on cliff’s edge with a glimpse of Morning Glory Arch.

This is complex terrain.   There are no trails.   We just tred a route to see if we could get through safely or not.   We often had to retrace our steps to find another route.

There are weeks of exploratory hiking in this area.   We have only tried two areas but we have more areas in mind for the future.

For those traveling to Moab to hike, there are far better areas for hiking than Sand Flats.  This would include all four Districts of Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, and some gems around Moab – Corona Arch, Amasa Back, Hidden Valley, Fisher Towers, and more.   Hiking Sand Flats requires some local knowledge, developing routes through trial-and-error over time.

More information:

• Sand Flats Recreation Area
• Porcupine Rim Trail