Hey Joe Canyon (Moab, UT)

Region: Moab

Trailhead Location: About 20 Miles West of Moab

Trailhead GPS: 38°37’19.18″N 110° 0’9.27″W

Trail Mileage: About 9 miles from the trailhead to the mine

Riding Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult (Rated 3.5 on Moab’s 4 point rating scale)

Temperature Range: 30-90 Depending on the season

Check out the map here.

A group of riders waiting on a narrow trail of hey joe canyon.

Trail Description

The hey joe canyon is a short trail in comparison to most others but has been rated difficult by every rider and officials. This trail provides amazing scenic views of the green river and the spring canyon. The area is severely unique because of the mining ruins present at this trail. You will find mining equipment as well along with the ruins. Unlike the museums, you can pick up these tools and use them or play around with them yourself.

The difficulty you will face with the road is going to be mostly in the starting area of the trail. The canyon becomes a little steep and the elevation decreases which you need to cross carefully. The other kind of difficulty will be the width of the trail as it gets much narrower in a few places. So the ride might be a little troubling around the spring canyon for those who are not comfortable with heights.

You would not find any extraordinary obstacles in this hey hoe canyon. But as some areas will be eroded and narrow it serves enough for providing the thrill factor. There are tamarisk bushes in this trail in a fair amount but they can leave really ugly marks on the rigs of your vehicle, so you need to look out for them as well.

If the day you planned for hey joe or the day before, rain has been there a lot then you should abort the plan because these kinds of red dirt trails are risky in the rainy weather. For this hey, joe trail experts suggest a rig with sufficient ground clearance and your tires should be a minimum of 33 inches tall.

Some might suggest the lockers and winch but riders who have experienced hey joe canyon do not suggest that. At the bottom of the hey joe trail, ATV and UTV riders have often praised the dry camping site. Many times over the year the river water gets a little deep inside the rocks and the edges of the trail become extra loose and give up a lot of small rocks. But don’t you worry because the locals’ hard work helps with the repairs and burning back the tamarisk parts.

A couple of jeep riders on the lower section of the hey joe trail.

Directions

People who love historical remains or historical facts will find the mining spots fascinating. The trail mostly stretches across the Green River and the lower part of Labyrinth Canyon. To reach the hey joe trail first you need to travel about thirty miles from Moab.

The first twenty miles will be a paved road then you will ride into the dirt. The trail starts at the edge of spring canyon from where you need to take the narrow road that slides down to six hundred feet. Then from there after two miles of riding along the green river, you will reach the labyrinth canyon.

Further details

Elevation High: 4500

Elevation Low: 4000

Terrain: Jeep trail

Best Travel Season: Spring and Fall

Length: 8.6 mi

Time: 2 hours