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Golden Spike 4.5

Golden Spike 4.5 is a difficult Jeep trail connecting Poison Spider 3.5 and Gold Bar Rim 4.5.  
This is one of the most famous trails in Moab because it has the Golden Crack.  The only reasonable way to do this entire trail is to also do Poison Spider 3.5 on the south end and Gold Bar Rim 4.5 on the north end.  This combination is called the "Trifecta".

You are in for a long but enjoyable day on the Trifecta.  Plan on 9 - 10 hours round trip from Moab, depending on the size of your group and the amount of traffic on the trail.  A small group in the off season will be quicker.

There is a GPS - gpx track file at the bottom of the page.
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Golden Crack
"Launch Pad" is the first significant obstacle encountered.  There is a steep drop and then a steeper climb up the other side.  This is quite a thrill the first time you do it.
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Launch Pad
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Launch Pad through the windshield
There is quite a stretch of fun and scenic slickrock after the Launch Pad.

Zuki Hill is so named because a Suzuki driver rolled over while attempting it.
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Stretch of slickrock
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Zuki Hill
The trail is one obstacle after another until you come to the edge of the rim, where the view is great.
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One of many obstacles
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View from the rim
The Golden Crack is the signature obstacle of the trail.  The opening photo of this page shows a Jeep crossing it, but dirt bikes do it a bit differently, as shown in the next photo.

The Golden Stairs is shortly after the Golden Crack.  Double Whammy is an extra credit shown as a waypoint farther along the trail.
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Dirt bike over Golden Crack
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Golden Stairs
This trail is not completely about rock crawling - there are a few scenic spots as well.
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Colorado River
Picture
Gold Bar Arch
Page updated 2018.

Picture

golden_spike_4.5.gpx
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Download File

  • Jeep The USA
  • Trails
    • Arizona Jeep Trails >
      • Apache Junction Jeep Trails
      • Kingman Jeep Trails
      • Lake Havasu - Parker Jeep Trails
      • Phoenix to Flagstaff Jeep Trails
      • Quartzsite Jeep Trails
      • Tucson - Benson Jeep Trails
    • California Jeep Trails >
      • Death Valley
    • Colorado Jeep Trails >
      • Breckenridge Jeep Trails
      • Buena Vista Jeep Trails
      • Grand Junction Jeep Trails
      • Montrose Jeep Trails
      • Silverton - Ouray Jeep Trails
    • Nevada Jeep Trails >
      • Las Vegas Jeep Trails
      • Mesquite Jeep Trails
    • New Mexico Jeep Trails >
      • Elephant Butte Jeep Trails
      • Las Cruces Jeep Trails
    • South Dakota Jeep Trails >
      • Black Hills Jeep Trails
    • Texas Jeep Trails >
      • Big Bend Jeep Trails
    • Utah Jeep Trails >
      • Blanding Jeep Trails
      • Green River -Hanksville Jeep Trails
      • Moab Jeep Trails
      • Page - Escalante - Kanab Jeep Trails
      • Saint George Jeep Trails
    • Wyoming Jeep Trails >
      • Bighorn Mountains Jeep Trails
      • Lander Jeep Trails
  • Difficulty Ratings
  • Use GPX
  • Interactive map Tutorial