First off, my apologies. For our Western Road Trip, I did all the leg work in research (since Mike was busy preparing the rig) and then just presented the top 3 options for our routes. When I heard about this, I told Mike I'd dig out all my notes and contribute through him, but baby....Lol.
I want to first caveat that anyone who's coming into Moab from I-70 W, don't take 191 down to Moab. Take 128 instead. It's a spectacular introduction to the red rock canyons as the road follows the Colorado River. Trust me, you'll be pulling over to take several pictures and soak it all in.
BigWolfPack has the best itinerary, but may I suggest changing the order? Here's my reasoning.
Day 1: Colorado Scenic OverlookOut of all the trails we took around Moab, the trail was a really good test of driver, truck, and spotter. The trail starts at the Visitor Center parking lot for Needles. The initial part of the trail is soft sand, crosses a seasonally dry creek bed. On the other side of the creek bed is a narrow sand trail with rough shrubs on either side. Meeting a vehicle here requires one to back up the trail or climb up the sandy sides into the grass.
Here's the start of the trail:
There's a semi-open area to park your car about 1 mile in, which most folks do. From here it starts to get technical. There's a nice "stair climb" (broken layers of slick rock) that a suspension lift and aired down 32s will need a spotter to navigate. Once over the stairs, it's mostly slick rock with areas of "stairs" and several stream crossings (dependent on recent rain fall).
About 2 - 2 1/2 miles in, it gets a bit more technical where some mild lifts may want to hang back, but they'll be able to easily walk to the overlook here.
The reason I say this one should be first? This will be a great way to measure how each driver listens to the spotters, and a good way to work out how communication happens for the more technical stuff. I'd call this trail the "Ice Breaker".
Note, all trips inside Needles, including the Colorado Scenic Overlook and Elephant Hill require day use permits per vehicle. They can be obtained at the visitor's center.
Day 1 Con't: Beef BasinAfter a morning of "work" on the trails, Beef Basin will be a really nice diversion. It's BLM, so the camping is a lot easier here. Well, it was when we were there. The BLM was developing campsites, so someone (or me) should check with Monticello BLM's office to get an update. Contrary to what you read on trail sites, Beef Basin is actually 104 miles. So a lot of exploration can be done here. It'd be a great area to relax and get to know everyone more. And if some folks want more challenging stuff, or if the group as a whole can do it, go Bridger Jack Mesa or Elk Ridge. Dispersed camping was pretty nice on the Bridger Jack.
Day 2: Elephant HillThis will be the most technically challenging trail. We would have done it if we had a support rig, but since we were solo we waved off. I recommend starting with this trail first on the second day in case delays and recovery needs to happen. If so, you'll be able to settle back in for the night in dispersed camping in Beef Basin.
Day 2 Con't: Steven's CanyonLots of scenery, and a bit of a relaxing change from Elephant Hill. You've got options towards the end of the trail to keep going (or head into Monticello) and then head back up into Moab. You'll be able to refuel and grab supplies.
Day 3 and 4: White Rim TrailAlthough it's an 80 mile trail, the sights, the spurs, and the terrain will force this into a 2 day event. Because this is NP land, back country permits are REQUIRED for camping. Camp sites are limited to 1 to 4 sites per area and can be filled by reservations. My recommendation is to reserve now towards the middle/end of the White Rim, but if spots are full, take what you can get. If you can't get a spot on the White Rim, then there's BLM dispersed camping on the Potash-Lower Colorado Scenic Byway, just off White Rim near Shafer.
For those with BDS suspension or Mark's suspension lifts, bring extra bushings. This trail can have some mind-numbing washboard areas that can really mess with the suspension.
I recommend that everyone check out the trail spurs with a buddy.
Lathrop Canyon is a good one to start with. Depending on the number of rigs, you'll really want to spread out. Not everyone can turn around at the end of Lathrop at once, and at the end is some seriously fun soft sand along the Colorado.
Overall, this trail is pretty amazing. It can be done in a day if some guys need to (or want to) get out of there. It's all rock, nothing but rock. The ground will be hard, and camping is on gravel campsites. And Jeepers are a dime a dozen (you'll see a bunch of rentals from Moab).
DO watch the weather. Most camping is exposed, especially Airport. If storms are rolling in, lightning risk can be high.
Day 5 and up: For those who have extra time...Leave Canyonlands behind and head West towards Capitol Reef. It's a 2 1/2 hour drive, but well worth it if you start early. Capitol Reef is a gem buried in Utah, and the Pleasant Creek/South Draw Road trail is an amazing adventure. The colors, the terrain, are all completely different than Moab. It can easily be done in a day, and it would make the perfect capstone to your whole experience.
Just my .02 cents