Poison Spider Mesa

The route visits the mesa top just north of the Colorado River and west of Moab Valley, and it reaches overlooks of the river and valley. The expanses of unbroken slickrock and views of the Behind the Rocks area and the La Sal Mountains make it one of the most scenic routes in the area.  From the center of Moab, travel north on Highway 191 for 5.9 miles and turn left on Highway 279. Continue 6 miles from this junction until you reach the "Dinosaur Tracks" sign, where the route leaves the pavement. (Non-licensed vehicles must start here.) Although there are spur routes, the strongest route climbs switchbacks, and each higher level reveals more of the fins and mountains. After the last leg of the switchbacks, mounds of spectacularly cross-bedded Navajo Sandstone appear on the right, and the route skirts these mounds until it enters a sandy canyon. Watch carefully for the route as you climb out of the canyon--it turns on the first ledge, entering a slot to climb higher. These rocky climbs are the most difficult part of the route.  he route crosses areas of rock and approaches another slot. A slickrock bypass is marked to the left to avoid the side hill in the slot. After an area of sand, a final short, steep climb puts you on a flat area of Navajo Sandstone distinguished by a scattering of rounded, black rocks. The rest of the route is mostly on top of the Navajo  Sandstone, but it continues to climb with the rock strata as they tip up toward the east. The route parallels the river on this flat mesa area for about a mile and is usually the obvious choice over the few spurs that branch right and left. After a smooth dirt section, the route drops onto another slickrock area where a short spur toward the river  gives beautiful overlooks. The route then splits to begin a loop. The recommended  counterclockwise direction around the loop requires a turn to the right to reach a large mass of slickrock. Past a large pothole, a startlingly steep descent leads to a short dirt section and a side hill climb onto a slick rock parking area. A short walk to the right takes you to a good-sized pothole-type arch called "Little Arch," presumably for its apparent size from the river below.  The marked route traverses another large section of slickrock and eventually drops into a sandy wash bottom. The route soon leaves the left side of the wash on a slickrock slope and follows a sandy route to another slickrock mass. After returning to the junction at the base of the sandy hill, continue the loop up the hill where it alternates between loose sand and sandstone. When you reach the largest sand hill, you will see why the recommended loop direction was chosen to go down the sand. The route continues on sand and sandstone to close the large loop and retraces the earlier trail back to the highway.  This is one of the most popular trails in Moab and is often combined with Golden Spike and Gold Bar Rim. (Both available as FunTreks eGuides.) Poison Spider Mesa is a fun-filled combination of challenging obstacles and incredible scenery. Don't miss impressive Little Arch near cliff edge overlooking Moab. Mountain biking is extremely popular on this trail. Drive with caution and be courteous to bikers at all times. Open all year weather permitting. Best time to go: Spring and Fall. Located on BLM land. For current status call Bureau of Land Management, Moab Field Office at (435) 259-2100.