MOAB, Utah — Steel Bender trail sits right in the southeastern part of Moab, and although the name may sound a bit on the sketchy side, the trail really isn't going to jump up and bite anything on your Jeep — assuming you choose your line according to your driving ability and, of course, listen to your spotter on anything you do not feel comfortable attacking on your own.
Monday's ride on Steel Bender was sponsored by Dynatrac, Rock Krawler and Falcon, and it was great catching up with friends we hadn't seen in over a year.
The first part of this trail is almost a perfect image of East Coast wheeling, as it meanders through trees and has several water crossings. Soon, though, it elevates into the familiar slickrock surface with several rocky ledges and shelves. This leads up to the Wall, which is a good-sized vertical climb that requires attention to your line and correct tire placement.
Once that happens, you can give the Jeep some throttle and let those rear tires climb right up the obstacle.
Like many Moab trails, Steel Bender gives you some amazing scenery while you travel, and the trail's surface can vary from that slickrock to sand to dirt strewn with rocks of all sizes.
Near the end is Steel Bender's infamous rock wall named "Waterfall", an almost vertical drop stretching several feet. It is the trail's most challenging part and is most difficult for shorter wheelbase vehicles. It requires total commitment to getting those front tires to slide slowly down the rock face until they hit bottom and then, depending on vehicle size, an almost immediate correction to driver and some throttle to get the rest of the vehicle down the obstacle.
Those with longer wheelbase Jeeps and simply crawl those rear wheels slowly down the rock as well until they touch bottom, and then be on their way. However, the shorter ones need more throttle to make sure the Jeep doesn't list over to the right — where a decent-sized hill awaits the careless.
From there, another series of rock ledges made for a nice incline test before the trail turned into some sandy sections towards the exit.
Our group had a nice diversity of very-capable vehicles and experienced spotters, so although the name may have said Steel Bender, this trip was anything but for the day.
