Jeep Trick: 5 Lessons From Off-Roading in Moab With the Wrangler and Gladiator

• The 59th annual Easter Jeep Safari was held April 12-20 in Moab, Utah.
• I drove the famous Hell's Revenge trail in a Gladiator Rubicon and hit the dirt in several Jeep concept vehicles.
• I saw hundreds of other Jeeps in Moab — people love these things.

As someone who has only visited the off-road parks and blue square trails around Los Angeles, I was not prepared for the undulating, unforgiving petrified sand dunes that make up Moab’s trails. Driving Moab’s most famous trail, Hell’s Revenge, in a Gladiator Rubicon was terrifying. The 6.5-mile loop included optional obstacles like Devil’s Hot Tub and Tip-Over Challenge (absolutely not), and the route included narrow spines, steep drops, severe off-camber corners and near vertical steps. The traction, articulation and clearance required would have challenged most off-road rigs, and I can only think of a handful of vehicles beyond the Wrangler and Gladiator that could have made it through with no aftermarket modifications.

Across every obstacle, including a harrowing climb up what locals call the "Escalator to Hell," the Gladiator was unfazed. All I did to prepare for the drive was air down the tires, press a button to disconnect the front anti-roll bar, and yank the Jeep’s old-school transfer case shifter into low range for extra torque and better engine braking. I didn’t even need the Rubicon’s locking front or rear differentials, let alone touchscreen-activated drive modes and electronic trickery.

The only challenge I ran into just had to do with geometry. The Gladiator is effectively a Wrangler pickup, and in order to fit a 5-foot truck bed in place of the Wrangler’s cargo area, the pickup has a significantly longer wheelbase and more body hanging off behind the rear axle. That meant when I was climbing out of a rut or taking off for a steep ascent, the Wranglers in our group drove on through while the Gladiator would either scrape its tow hitch or require a more conservative angle of attack. 

Sometimes, though, a Gladiator is better than a Wrangler off-road

On one section of terrain with an exceptionally steep but short climb, I watched the Wranglers ahead struggle. Tires spun and the rear axle hopped around, but they made it up. In my Gladiator, though, I put the front tires on the rock face and moved forward 'til my rear wheels were at the base, right where the Wranglers were slipping. 

Unlike the folks driving those Wranglers, my front tires were already on relatively flat, grippy rock. The Gladiator climbed right up. Plus, the additional length meant the engine was farther out from the vehicle’s roll center (for you physics nerds, that’s a longer moment arm), meaning I was much less afraid I’d tip backward onto the roof. 

Find spotters and trust them

As capable as the Gladiator was, there’s zero chance I would have made it through this trail undamaged without the help of spotters. It may be tempting when you’re visiting Moab to skip the structured, guided trail drive with professional spotters to save money for your Jeep rental (or the FJ80 Land Cruiser rental that caught my eye). Do not. 

These trails are not where you want your buddy saying, “OK, a little left! Wait, no, my left,” as you teeter on the edge of a sheer drop. That’s how you end up with damage that could strand your vehicle (and you by proxy) in the wilderness, or — even worse — injuries that come with tip-overs and rolls.

My guide, Nena Barlow, is a two-time Rebelle Rally overall winner and owner of Barlow Adventures, a company that has offered off-road training, guide service and rentals in off-road centers around the country for more than 20 years. I was not asked to plug Barlow or her company, but the guidance, comfort and knowledge she shared were that good.

Through the toughest obstacles, she was a calm and confident guide. “Steer a little toward the driver … slow, slow … wheel coming down now … beautiful job, great throttle control.” There was one steep downhill stretch of trail with a wall of rock impeding my path to the left, and a steep 30-foot drop to the right. She eased me through, literally an inch at a time. My roofline was within a Jeep’s keyfob length of the wall and my passenger-side tires were less than half a foot from sliding off the trail.

It was among the scariest driving I’ve ever done — and that includes time behind the wheel of thousand-horsepower EVs, lightweight limited-production sports cars and priceless museum pieces. I’ll remember it forever. Find a great guide, and pay them. They’re worth it. 

Jeep builds (mostly) drivable, very cool concept cars

That Gladiator wasn’t the only thing I drove out in Moab. Every year, Jeep brings concept vehicles to Easter Jeep Safari, and I got to drive them all. They rule. 

My favorite was the Bugout, a two-seat Wrangler-based rig inspired by ultralight camping. Jeep leaned back the windshield, raised the roof, and extended the stripped-out cargo area to help accommodate a beefy off-road electric scooter. The real trick was the set of machined fold-down metal loops at each corner of the roof that would allow you to sling up a hammock inside when you reach the campsite. It drove like … a slightly lighter Wrangler. I could have gone without the 4xe powertrain — I’m scarred by our experience with our yearlong road test Grand Cherokee — but this was great. 

The other standouts were the '80s-inspired Rewind and '70s-look Honcho. The Rewind’s rad color scheme and neon snowsuit upholstery were well complemented by accessories including a Trapper Keeper and a pink and teal retro cooler, but mechanically, it was mostly unchanged from a two-door Wrangler Rubicon.

The High Top Honcho was anything but stock. Based on a Gladiator, the Honcho was built up with colossal 40-inch BF Goodrich K03 tires, manual-locking Dana 60 axles (same as a Ford F-350) and an adjustable air suspension. Its groovy graphics package will be available this summer through the Mopar store. Problem is, compared to the other Jeeps I drove this weekend, the Honcho was nearly undrivable. 

With tires that big, driving in low-range four-wheel drive at low speeds with the front axle locked, it was impossible to steer the truck. Even with all my strength, the wheel would not turn, and it was the same for the other folks in my group. The guides unlocked the front hubs so I could steer up the hill climb, locked them to drag me up when I got stuck halfway spinning the rear tires, then unlocked them again at the top so I could pilot the rest of the course. Looks sick, but I’ll pass on that one. 

People adore Jeeps

The biggest takeaway from my time at Easter Jeep Safari was just how much people love these things. Around 20,000 people attend this event every year, and I saw hundreds of Jeeps on the trail and in town. There were six-figure builds like that Honcho, humble bare-bones beaters, and dressed-up family adventure rigs, and many of them wore badges of honor on the fenders to show off what trails they had tackled. 

I loved seeing people get out to spot others in their group, or the crowd of people at the top of Hell’s Gate cheering as a roofless, doorless CJ crested over the final challenging ridge. I even heard a 10-year-old girl exclaim to her sister, “Whoa, look at the suspension on that one!”

There was a time when I was cynical about Jeeps. “No one takes them off-road, the driving experience is terrible, people just want to live out some military fantasy.” There’s still some truth to those thoughts. But after a few days in Moab conquering Hell’s Revenge in a Gladiator and seeing thousands of fans using these cars the way Jeep intended? Yeah, I get it. Jeeps are just cool.