Help me survive a trip out west

[RavensEyeOffroad]

Almost a year ago a friend of mine said he and his family were planning a trip to Utah and asked if I wanted to go also. I talked it over with the wife and she was up for it and work schedules worked out. We are currently a month or so out. Im a touch nervous about a few things and am just trying to figure out what to expect as I have never been west of Kentucky lol
Let me set the stage for you guys real quick. Myself my wife, 3 kids (all girls) 16, 8, and 9 years old.
We have the typical overlanding setup on the truck, tuff stuff alpha rtt, double ensuite bathroom/shower, joolca hottap, fridge etc.
Driving from Kentucky we plan to leave early and get to a campground in Oklahoma- possibly a lofty goal, but sort of a 3/4 the way point. The next day I believe we head further west through new mexico, into arizona then north through utah then back east through colorado then further east heading home to KY. We have 10 days set for the trip.

Our plan isnt to hit the trails like hells revenge etc but find the most scenic and epic spots we can. My friend plans trips and could just about be a guide for them. But he has never been here. Currently we have just plotted points of interest that we have added to other folks gaia maps and if something cool is closeby we will try and hit it. Basically we wont have a set place to rest out heads each night but thats half the fun, right?

So what I am wondering about-
Water. How easy will it be to come across water? (streams, creeks, garden hoses lol) I understand its hard to predict something like that but generally speaking.
Heat. I know its obviously going to be hot but its a dry heat right? lol It gets hot here in Kentucky also but
its so muggy and humid you may as well be swimming sometimes. Ive been practically begging my family to get outside and get some sort of heat acclimation but they wont do it.
Altitude- I know colorado has some big altitude change vs Kentucky but what do I need to know or adjust to help with it? (altitude sickness something i need to keep in mind or not quite that high bro?)
Animals- Snakes, scorpions i know are a thing, we arent super worried about them though. Bears? is that something I need to worry about?
Videography- Id love to make some YT content of course and document this trip, but Ive never taken on a task this big. Ive got some decent gear to work with but Im trying to think of how to keep the whole thing from feeling like we just teleported from place to place, know what I mean? I dont typically do vlog style stuff but I think that is the only way to make this digestible for viewers.

What am I not thinking of? I cant help but think im missing something or not considering some angle. You tell me!

Sponsored

 

[Deleted member 57233]

So what I am wondering about-
Water. How easy will it be to come across water? Water shouldn't be an issue, it's not as remote as you think. It's one of the most popular tourist areas in the country, amenities are everywhere. That said, have a way to carry extra water. When you venture into the desert, carry enough supplies to be okay if you break down with no way to call for help.

Heat. I know its obviously going to be hot but its a dry heat right? Yes it's a dry heat. I'm perfectly fine in 100-105 temps out here, and absolutely miserable in 90 with humidity back east. Once it hits 110, it sucks no matter what. Pack lotion and use it, it's so dry your skin can crack and that sucks.

Altitude- I know colorado has some big altitude change vs Kentucky but what do I need to know or adjust to help with it? Everyone is different. Biggest thing you will notice is feeling sluggish and tired at elevation. Sometimes the dry heat and elevation can cause nose bleeds and headaches. Staying hydrated will help the most with it. The sun is also more intense at higher elevations, you will burn quickly.

Animals- Snakes, scorpions i know are a thing, we arent super worried about them though. Bears? is that something I need to worry about? Bears aren't much of a problem, keep your food in your rig when in bear country, and bear spray is a better defense than a gun. Watch for rattlesnakes when hiking, they will avoid you, and like to let you know when you are too close.

 

[Awhitebuff]

Think about getting a national park pass. Also get a KOA App.

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

Think about getting a national park pass. Also get a KOA App.

yes the national park pass is on my to get list. KOA app is a good idea also

 

[Fpolanco]

I'll echo what @STACHES says and add one more regarding water.

If you're staying mostly near Moab, there's a gear shop in downtown Moab that provides a utility sink for filling up most any container. My wife and I did a whitewater rafting trip in 2019 and we had a few days before to hit up some parks. This came in handy for filling water bottles and backpack bladders.

I'll be heading out that way in a couple weeks and relying on this to fill my 5 gallon water cans.

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

So what I am wondering about-
Water. How easy will it be to come across water? Water shouldn't be an issue, it's not as remote as you think. It's one of the most popular tourist areas in the country, amenities are everywhere. That said, have a way to carry extra water. When you venture into the desert, carry enough supplies to be okay if you break down with no way to call for help.

Heat. I know its obviously going to be hot but its a dry heat right? Yes it's a dry heat. I'm perfectly fine in 100-105 temps out here, and absolutely miserable in 90 with humidity back east. Once it hits 110, it sucks no matter what. Pack lotion and use it, it's so dry your skin can crack and that sucks.

Altitude- I know colorado has some big altitude change vs Kentucky but what do I need to know or adjust to help with it? Everyone is different. Biggest thing you will notice is feeling sluggish and tired at elevation. Sometimes the dry heat and elevation can cause nose bleeds and headaches. Staying hydrated will help the most with it. The sun is also more intense at higher elevations, you will burn quickly.

Animals- Snakes, scorpions i know are a thing, we arent super worried about them though. Bears? is that something I need to worry about? Bears aren't much of a problem, keep your food in your rig when in bear country, and bear spray is a better defense than a gun. Watch for rattlesnakes when hiking, they will avoid you, and like to let you know when you are too close.

Ill be taking 5-10 gallons of water with me, there will be 3 other vehicles with water also. Im more worried about everyone wanting to take a shower haha! thanks for your help!

 

[Partysub]

Couple things to add for the moab portion at least.

Water - There's a few gas stations in moab (maverick are our go to) that have free potable water, so don't stress whatever so much, but make sure you have more than you think. You will go through water pretty quickly especially if you're not used to the dry heat. Drink before you're thirsty.

Elevation - moab isn't crazy high so it shouldn't be too bad, but you may breath a little heavier and get a little light headed if you go on hikes.

Animals - not a huge deal, but snakes a spiders are definitely around. Bears aren't much of an issue unless you go up in the La salles, which is a great way to camp out of the heat if you want, but will be about 30 to 45 minutes out of town. It shouldn't be much of a problem now with the higher heat, but we were down there in June and the gnats were awful, so bring bug spray just in case.

Camping - there is tons of dispersed camping, which sounds like what you're looking for over a designated campground. You can camp right next to the start of hells revenge and fins and things, but it will probably be more packed. There's camping on the back way into arches (skips the lines into arches and you can see some dinosaur tracks on the way).

I don't want to clog this post up with too much info, but I can give you more info and camp sites we like if you want

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

I'll echo what @STACHES says and add one more regarding water.

If you're staying mostly near Moab, there's a gear shop in downtown Moab that provides a utility sink for filling up most any container. My wife and I did a whitewater rafting trip in 2019 and we had a few days before to hit up some parks. This came in handy for filling water bottles and backpack bladders.

I'll be heading out that way in a couple weeks and relying on this to fill my 5 gallon water cans.

happen to know the name or coordinates? Id like to have that in gaia!
I honestly cant say we are staying near moab or not. It wont be a arrive at x spot then return to x spot each night, its just going to be very "we are just driving through" sort of adventure id guess.

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

Couple things to add for the moab portion at least.

Water - There's a few gas stations in moab (maverick are our go to) that have free potable water, so don't stress whatever so much, but make sure you have more than you think. You will go through water pretty quickly especially if you're not used to the dry heat. Drink before you're thirsty.

Elevation - moab isn't crazy high so it shouldn't be too bad, but you may breath a little heavier and get a little light headed if you go on hikes.

Animals - not a huge deal, but snakes a spiders are definitely around. Bears aren't much of an issue unless you go up in the La salles, which is a great way to camp out of the heat if you want, but will be about 30 to 45 minutes out of town. It shouldn't be much of a problem now with the higher heat, but we were down there in June and the gnats were awful, so bring bug spray just in case.

Camping - there is tons of dispersed camping, which sounds like what you're looking for over a designated campground. You can camp right next to the start of hells revenge and fins and things, but it will probably be more packed. There's camping on the back way into arches (skips the lines into arches and you can see some dinosaur tracks on the way).

I don't want to clog this post up with too much info, but I can give you more info and camp sites we like if you want

clog away! dispersed with an epic view is our motto.
Dino tracks are something we are trying to see! my oldest is obsessed with dino's (and snakes and lizards)

 

[Fpolanco]

happen to know the name or coordinates? Id like to have that in gaia!
I honestly cant say we are staying near moab or not. It wont be a arrive at x spot then return to x spot each night, its just going to be very "we are just driving through" sort of adventure id guess.

Gearheads Outdoor Store. They now may have multiple locations but its the closest to the beginning of town if coming from Arches/Canyonlands.

 

[Partysub]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/kwhJErkof4rDKJvv9
Here's some pretty easy Dino tracks to get to and there's camping right there. One thing to know for this spot is it was recently redone and now you have to pay to camp (I think it's 15 a night), but you'll get a picnic table and fire ring and there are pit toilets.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/e219ukF6NLzsThrQ8
Here's some more that has camping before the tracks. They are in the process of Turing this area into a state park (utah raptor state park), but its not done yet so don't pay the fee you will see on the signs. This place fills up pretty quickly, but is still nice and some spots have light cell service if you want that.

One thing to add overall, the wind can get pretty strong in moab. 30 mph wind with gusts to 50 isn't rare in my experience. We had to shut down our rtt one time due to the wind, so be smart with how you position your truck

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

passed along the willow springs stuff, thats perfect!

 

[BourbonRunner]

yes the national park pass is on my to get list. KOA app is a good idea also

I'd add to that list HipCamp, too. You may find (like we did in Joshua Tree) a super cool spot when a KOA isn't convenient to your current location.

We wound up camping outside 29 Palms on a ranch with a hot tub hammocks and outdoor shower. We heard the packs of coyotes roll through at night. Never would have seen/heard that in the KOA.

 

[RavensEyeOffroad]

I forgot one!
TEMPERATURE at NIGHT? - still hot as hell or what?

 

[Deleted member 57233]

Ill be taking 5-10 gallons of water with me, there will be 3 other vehicles with water also. Im more worried about everyone wanting to take a shower haha! thanks for your help!

There are lots of shower facilities in Moab. I usually use Moab Cyclery, but you can just google "Moab Showers". Hit up Giliberto's for some tacos while you're in town.

Sponsored