Moab: You-Drive Jeep Tour on Hell's Revenge & Fins N Things

4.99

(145 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I didn’t really expect my hands to shake when I first grabbed the wheel of that beastly Jeep in Moab — but there it was, a little tremor. Our guide, Mike, just grinned and handed me a bottle of water, like he’d seen it all before. The tires looked almost cartoonishly big (37 inches, apparently), and I kept thinking: “Am I actually about to drive this thing up Hell’s Revenge?” It sounded like a joke. But then we rolled out behind Mike’s jeep and the red dust started swirling up around us, and suddenly it was very real.

The first climb was steeper than anything I’ve ever driven — or even walked — and my friend in the passenger seat just kept saying “oh wow” under his breath. Mike’s voice crackled over the radio with these calm instructions (“a little left here… now steady… good job!”) while we bounced along. At one point, we stopped at a ridge where you could see all of Moab spread out below; the air smelled like hot rock and sagebrush. Someone from another group waved at us with this huge grin — I think everyone feels kind of invincible up there.

We tackled Fins N Things after that, which is honestly just as wild as it sounds. The textures under the tires changed constantly — slickrock one minute, loose sand the next — and sometimes you’d hear nothing but the crunch of gravel and your own nervous laughter. Mike told us how locals have been building and maintaining these jeeps right here in town for years (he seemed proud of that). By the end, my shirt was dusty and my heart was still racing. I still think about that view from the top — you know when something just sticks with you?