Permit required — No fees are required to visit the Poison Spider Mesa Trailhead; Utah OHV rules still apply, see the state requirements below.
Summer temperatures are extreme and there is almost no shade. Ride mornings or evenings, and carry your own water since there is none on site.
Guide
About this area
• 16-mile Poison Spider Mesa 4x4 and mountain bike loop • Climbs from the Colorado River up onto the rim, linking into Golden Spike and Gold Bar Rim • Dinosaur tracksite at the trailhead — footprints from at least 10 carnivorous dinosaurs • Petroglyphs along the access • Longbow Arch is 1.1 miles one way on foot…
Facilities
• 🔴 NO TOILETS on site
• 🔴 NO DRINKING WATER — bring your own
• ⚠️ Cell service is limited and inconsistent — do not rely on it
• 🚚 Parking is single standard spaces only. TRAILER PARKING AND STAGING ARE NOT ALLOWED in the lot or along the entrance road
• Use the designated pullouts along Potash Road, or the overflow at Gold Bar Recreation Site
• Moab is about 6 miles east for everything else
Full agency description
Poison Spider Mesa climbs from the Colorado River up onto the rim west of Moab, a 16-mile 4x4 and mountain bike loop that links into Golden Spike and Gold Bar Rim. The trailhead sits off Potash Road below a dinosaur tracksite with footprints from at least ten carnivorous dinosaurs, and there are petroglyphs on the way in. It is free to ride and open all year. The catch is parking: the lot takes single standard spaces only and trailers are not allowed on the entrance road or in the lot at all.
At a glance
Quick facts
Best season
Open year-round. Summer temperatures are extreme with limited shade — ride mornings or evenings.
Managing agency
BLM Moab Field Office
Access
Getting there
Poison Spider Mesa TrailheadTrailhead
🚚 No trailer parking or staging in the lot or on the entrance road — drop trailers at a Potash Road pullout or Gold Bar Recreation Site.
West from Moab on Potash Road (SR-279) about 6 miles, right at the 'Dinosaur Tracks' sign, then uphill to the parking area.
All vehicles and bikes must stay on marked, designated routes.
Trailer parking and staging are not allowed in the trailhead lot or along the entrance road.
Do not touch the petroglyphs; oils from human hands cause lasting damage.
Fossils may be viewed but not handled.
Standard OHV rules (7)
Common equipment, registration and trail-use rules still apply.
Ride to the highest safety standard, not the legal minimum; a helmet, eye protection, a flag and proper gear are what get you home.
🪖 Utah requires a DOT safety-rated helmet for anyone under 18 on public land on an ATV, motorcycle or snowmobile; everyone else is strongly advised to wear one.
Utah requires a red or orange whip flag, minimum 6 x 12 inches, when riding a sand dune area.
Under 18 you must be able to reach and work every control, hold a valid Utah OHV education certificate, and be under direct adult supervision.
Utah non-resident OHV permit required to ride public land: $30, valid 12 months; home-state registration does not replace it. Utah OHV registration is required for residents.
🗺️ Take an offline map; BLM publish free georeferenced pdf maps that show your live GPS position with no cell service. Download the map before you leave tarmac: www.blm.gov
Permits
Permits & registration
Permit and registration details
No fees are required to visit the Poison Spider Mesa Trailhead; Utah OHV rules still apply, see the state requirements below.
State residents
Utah residents: OHV registration required.
Out-of-state riders
Out-of-state riders: a Utah non-resident OHV permit is required to ride on public land. $35, valid 12 months from purchase, and it must be bought online; the permanent permit takes up to 20 business days.
Permit and registration rules change; confirm current requirements with the managing agency before you ride.
Trip support
Fuel, food & local help
Local fuel notes (14)
FROM THE NORTH (Salt Lake, Denver): I-70 to CRESCENT JUNCTION, then about 30 miles south on US-191. Green River is the last full-service town on I-70 before the junction.
FROM THE SOUTH (Arizona, southern Utah): US-191 north through Monticello and Blanding, then Spanish Valley into Moab.
��️ Crescent Junction is a highway junction, not a town — do not assume services there.
Coming off I-70 late, the Chevron at 13707 N Hwy 191 closes at 8PM, so Green River is the safer top-off.
Moab has fuel everywhere — 16 stations on the US-191 corridor at last count, so do not plan your day around it.
Four things are worth knowing: 🚚 TOWING — the Sinclair at 1261 S Main is the one riders name as having trailer-accessible pumps.
Love's Travel Stop at 1810 W Main is a full travel center with diesel and pull-through lanes.
💰 PRICE SPREAD IS REAL —toin August 2026.
The Sinclair at 585 E Main and the Conoco on 2490E were; both Maveriks were.
On a truck and a trailer that gap is worth the detour.
��️ HOURS — most of the corridor runs 24 hours, but the Chevron at 13707 N Hwy 191 closes at 8PM, White Mesa Travel Center at 7PM, Shady Acres at 11PM and the Conoco at 433 N Main at 9:30PM.
Coming down from I-70 late, do not count on the north end.
There is no fuel at any trailhead — Sand Flats, Poison Spider and Gemini Bridges all have nothing past the turn-off.
Fill in town.
Pump gas & diesel
🚚 Sinclair — 1261 S Main StfuelGasoline
US-191 corridor, south of Moab · 1261 S Main St · (435) 678-3344 · open 24 hours · 🚚 Riders call this "the only pump in town that has accessable pumps for trailers." If you are towing, this is the one.More
US-191 corridor, south of Moab · 1261 S Main St · (435) 678-3344 · open 24 hours · 🚚 Riders call this "the only pump in town that has accessable pumps for trailers." If you are towing, this is the one.
🚚 Love's Travel Stop — 1810 W Main StfuelfoodGasolineDiesel
US-191 corridor · 1810 W Main St · (435) 564-8262 · open 24 hours · Full travel center — diesel, pull-through lanes, height for a toy hauler. Travel center — hot food as well as fuel, and room to park a rig.More
US-191 corridor · 1810 W Main St · (435) 564-8262 · open 24 hours · Full travel center — diesel, pull-through lanes, height for a toy hauler. Travel center — hot food as well as fuel, and room to park a rig.
US-191 north of Moab · 13707 N Highway 191 · (855) 285-9595 · ⚠️ CLOSES 8PM. Coming south from I-70 this is the last one before town, and it shuts early.More
US-191 north of Moab · 13707 N Highway 191 · (855) 285-9595 · ⚠️ CLOSES 8PM. Coming south from I-70 this is the last one before town, and it shuts early.
COMING FROM THE WEST on I-70 — fill up here, before Crescent Junction · There is nothing at Crescent Junction where you turn south onto US-191, and nothing between there and Moab.More
COMING FROM THE WEST on I-70 — fill up here, before Crescent Junction · There is nothing at Crescent Junction where you turn south onto US-191, and nothing between there and Moab.
Fruita / Grand Junction, CO — last fuel EASTBOUND on I-70fuel
COMING FROM THE EAST on I-70 — fill up here, before Crescent Junction · Sams Club, Walmart Fuel and Maverik are all right off I-70. Nothing again until Moab.More
COMING FROM THE EAST on I-70 — fill up here, before Crescent Junction · Sams Club, Walmart Fuel and Maverik are all right off I-70. Nothing again until Moab.
Area information is informational only and may be inaccurate or out of date. Verify access, weather, closures, permits and hazards before and during any trip. See Terms.
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