by Matt Konkle
Torque Editor-in-Chief
MOAB, Utah — You may not know the name, but most likely you’ve seen the place on your television at some point.
Castle Valley. A large area just northeast of Moab that has been home to a few Westerns back in the mid-twentieth century, as well as playing home to HBO’s Westworld during seasons 1-2.
Well, before a day on Hell’s Revenge and Behind the Rocks, we decided to get up early and make the trek to Porcupine Rim Campsite, as this spot has some of the most stunning views of the valley.
Additionally, Monday night in Moab was a weather adventure as high winds and rain moved through the area that soon turned to snow — giving the Moab region a fresh blanket of powder for those waking up Tuesday and preparing for whatever trail ride they booked for the day.
That blanket turned into a more substantial coating at higher elevations, so we were hoping the view above Castle Valley would be every bit as spectacular as we hoped.
Quadratec’s Director of Content Eric Ammerman and Video Manager Rob Jarrell discovered this outlook several years ago, when they had a few extra hours to spend in Moab before catching a flight home at the end of an Easter Jeep Safari week.
Tuesday morning, we loaded up our Wrangler JL and cruised into the Sand Flats Recreation Area, first stopping to take a few loops on Baby Lions Back and then cruising past entrances to Hell’s Revenge and Fins and Things before heading further into Sand Flats.
If you are not familiar with the area, its 9,000 acres are part of Utah’s high desert and it sits right in the heart of the Colorado Plateau. Besides several off-road motorized trails, it is also home to world-renown bike and hiking trails and offers plenty of camping locations as well as all kinds of amazing views no matter which direction you choose to look.
We could have just stopped somewhere on Sand Flats Road and absorbed the beauty of the snow-soaked La Sal Mountains, or the sheer number of far-off mesas that glistened white from the overnight precipitation that played off nicely with the red mesa finish.
But, again, we really wanted to get up to Porcupine Rim so we kept moving forward on Sand Flats Road for almost 45 minutes before we saw the left turn into the rim.
By this time, there was plenty of fresh snow covering the road, and our JL was the day’s first vehicle to attack the route. After another 15 minutes, and a few more turns, we reached the round-a-bout that marked the Rim’s edge.
Needless to say, whether snow or mud on the road, our JL handled everything with no traction issues. However, but the time we reached the Rim, the vehicle was coated in thick mud, so we’d have to make a car wash pit stop later.
First, though, was the rim.
And its amazing view overlooking Castle Valley.
The overlook sits about 2,000 feet over the valley and offers a spectacular view of the area below. Really, that adjective doesn’t even do the view justice. It is every bit as good as that Top of the World perspective, just way more private.
Castle Valley, according to many Utah travel sites, has some of the most famous and stunning views in the entire state. It is home to just 352 people (according to the 2020 census) even though its entire area measures eight miles long and three miles wide — larger than Manhattan Island.
As we said before, we were anticipating an unrivaled glace at the valley below because of the previous night's snow, and we definitely were not disappointed.
Most of the valley was white-tinged, and the stuff even made it up most of each mesa side. Even better, the southern view of the La Sal Mountain range was breathtaking, with layers of clouds sitting just over the peaks and some areas still receiving new snow.
After strolling around the rim for about a half-hour, it was time to break out the hot dogs we brought along for the ride and salute the beautiful scenery.
Yes, you can have some stellar experiences four-wheeling in the Moab area, but there are also so many other things you can do during Easter Jeep Safari Week.
All you have to do is take in the view.
