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Thursday, Sep 2, 2010
| Trail report: Golden Spike (4+)By Andi Vogt Associate Editor Golden Spike is one of the toughest trails in Moab. The obstacles are not for the weak of heart, nor are the off-camber situations along most of the trail. The trail is long and usually requires 8 hours to complete. Because it shares the same trailhead as Poison Spider Mesa, all runs, during Safari, leave at 8:00am, one hour earlier than other trails. The Spike is open year-round and does not need a trail guide, though one is recommended since a wrong turn can be life threatening.The trailhead can be found by taking Scenic Byway 279 aka Potash Road, north of Moab, then turning onto the marked Poison Spider Mesa trail to your right. The trail is often marked by White painted "autos" on the trail path and slickrock. Golden Spike and Poison Spider separate on top of a slab of slickrock. Poison Spider will veer off to the right. Spike goes straight. 
There are many ledges and steep slickrock climbs
along the trail. You'll know when you have started Golden Spike,
when you get to the Launching pad. It is a steep decent down
slickrock with a very steep ascent up the other side. It is more
mind unnerving than difficult.
 Not too
far after that is the "Crotch". This is a fun crack in the rock
angling up and slightly off tilt. With a good spotter, you can pop
a killer wheelie. With a not-so-good spotter, you can flip over
backwards and ruin your Easter weekend.
 Until you
get to the Golden Crack, there are tight turns, ledges, tilts, ups,
downs, and various other 4-wheel endurance tests. All of which
would give the trail a 4+ rating. The Crack, however, begins the
final mile to Gold Bar Rim. This stretch of trail is referred to as
the Million-Dollar Mile because more breakdowns occur here than
anywhere else on the Golden Spike trail.
This mile is also some of the most exciting
and punishing 4-wheeling for both driver and vehicle. This is not
the trail to be unprepared on. 10% of vehicles experience
breakdowns and many receive unforgiving boulder gashes. The Golden
Crack is 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet wide and is a great photo opportunity.
There is no by-pass, but a few folks have filled in one side of the
crack with rocks making it almost a superhighway.
 The
Golden Steps are quite a riot. Just as you get your front end up
the first step, your front wheels are trying to climb the next
step. In the mean time, your rear wheels are still working on the
first step. There are a couple of lines of attack. Either stay to
your right or drive over to the left 7 feet. Many U-joints and
drivelines have bit the dust here. Some folks think the steps are
so much fun, they opt to go back down them.
 Double Whammy is hard for all vehicles and proper placement is
a must. The short wheelbases have the hardest time, as the ledges
are steep and spaced at the most inopportune places. I have many
friends that have rolled here, both in pickups and in Wranglers.
This is one of the most difficult climbs in Moab. There is a
by-pass, however. The Body
Snatcher is next. It is not meant for wide or long vehicles. While
you are climbing several ledges, you are leaning into an outcrop of
slickrock. A little too much bounce or too much gas, and you will
wear home the markings of Moab high on your passenger side.The Spike ends with a descent down Gold Bar Rim, a
3.5 rated trail. The Spike is tough. As Dan Mick, leader on Big
Saturday, says, "Bring only the best of equipment; the tow truck
can't make it." |
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