2 Comments on “1970 Moab Jeep Safari Video”

1. SE Pennsylvania Steve March 31, 2016 at 2:32 pm

   Dave, exactly how wild do the modern Moab gatherings get?
2. David Eilers Post authorMarch 31, 2016 at 3:25 pm

   I couldn’t speak to how “wild” it gets. For me is was more about the sheer volume of people and jeeps.

   When we entered town from the south at 10am on the Thursday before Easter, I thought Easter jeep week was already over (clueless me). Then, as we neared Moab, we began passing what seemed like endless lines of jeeps heading in large groups for trails (see the 42-second mark of this video for an example of the size of groups we were seeing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw8oeNRFI5w). Near town, we began to see all kinds of campers and jeeps. As we drove through town, every parking lot, gas station, and parking spot, seemed full of jeeps. Near the north end of town were at least ten long staging areas. Just past the entrance to Arches National Park were additional large groups waiting to go on trails.

   We saw jeeps of all kinds, including flatties, but there were so many jeeps coming and going down main street that it just didn’t seem worth it to pull off to take photos. Ann gave up pointing out jeeps, because they were everywhere.

   For me, it was kind of overwhelming, a stark contrast to the quiet town I’ve been through every couple years since 1995. I like southern Utah for its remoteness, a trait which will continue to erode as the populations in Phoenix, Vegas, and Salt Lake have grown.