TrailDamage.com

Photos, videos and information about 4x4 trails in Colorado and Utah

  • Trails
    • Colorado
    • Utah
  • Reports
    • Featured Photos
    • Featured Videos
    • Reports Calendar
  • Members
  • Search
  • Trail Damage Winners
  • FAQ
  • Community
  • Upcoming Events
  • Membership
  • Log In
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Golden Spike 171014

October 14, 2017 by Monica

Golden Spike

Trail Run on October 14, 2017
Report and photos by Monica I., Trail Leader
View trail information for Golden Spike

Matt K.
White 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
Roger R.
Gray 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe
Mike S.
Silver 2004 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Niko K.
Gray 2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

Is there anything more fun than Golden Spike?  We were making decent time as we came off of Poison Spider Mesa and started the trail, and we were grinning from ear to ear just thinking about it.

It didn't take long to get to the Launch Pad, and we had a blast on it.  We watched each other go up it, and no one had any issues even though it's really steep.  We even stopped at Witch's Crotch and everyone went up it, but no one took the crazy, wheel-stand line through the crack.  We were just finishing up when a line of buggies came up to it.  

When we got to Skyline Drive, we figured they'd want to get around us so we took that and they kept going.  We didn't stop at the top because it was really windy and chilly.  A bunch of dirt bikes did the dome at the same time, passing us and driving all over the place.  It was a little obnoxious that they couldn't wait for us.

We enjoyed the trail and we were surprised when we caught up with the buggies at the Washtub.  A Hummer H1 broke a rear drive shaft on the hill and just couldn't get up without it.  He decided to swap it out for a new one in the middle of the trail, so we had to get creative to get around him.  That meant we had to skip that obstacle, unfortunately, but we did get to do Zuki Hill by going around more of their group stopped in the middle of the trail.  It was definitely an interesting group.

After that, we'd see groups here and there but everyone was happy and playing nice.  It was a scenic and fun time, and when we got to the first overlook we parked there and had lunch at the edge of the mesa cliff.  You can't have a more scenic lunch.

We saw there were signs for a bike trail that cut along the edge of the mesa, and we were lucky to see a few bikes doing it.  It seemed like a lot of work, and they were really talented.  It was cool to watch.  We saw some when we stopped at the second overlook for a brief view looking down at Arches National Park.

When you're excited for the Golden Crack it seems to take forever to get to it, but we finally came around the corner and headed down the big slab of slickrock to the obstacle.  There were people and vehicles all over the place, but they had just finished so we were able to go right through it.  We also had them as an audience, which was pretty fun.

Mike and Matt decided to do the Buggy Challenge, and they both did it with style.  Matt finally crushed a tailpipe, and Mike scraped his bumper a bit.  It was a bit of a traffic jam when a group of side-by-sides came up going in the other direction, but it all worked out.

Niko had been owning the trail and not having any issues until he got to the Golden Stairs.  For some reason, that obstacle gave him some troubles, but he made it through with the rest of the group.

The Golden Coaster was fun, and we got a lot of good photos.  When we got to Double Whammy, only Matt was up for it.  He tried a lot of different lines but wasn't having any luck.  Then, he tried another one again and crawled right up it.  Awesome!

Everyone planned on going through Body Snatcher, but only Mike made it through.  He drove right up it, and then Matt worked on it for a while, barely missing hitting his body on the rock next to the obstacle.  He backed out, and everyone after Mike took the bypass.

We soon got to the end and it was time to do Gold Bar Rim.  Golden Spike is such a good time!

DSC03344
DSC03345
DSC03347
DSC03349
DSC03350
DSC03351
DSC03353
DSC03354
DSC03355
DSC03356
DSC03357
DSC03358
DSC03359
DSC03360
DSC03361
DSC03362
DSC03363
DSC03364
DSC03365
DSC03369
DSC03370
DSC03372
DSC03373
DSC03374
DSC03375
DSC03376
DSC03378
DSC03381
DSC03382
DSC03384
DSC03385
DSC03386
DSC03387
DSC03389
DSC03390
DSC03391
DSC03392
DSC03394
DSC03395
DSC03396
DSC03398
DSC03400
DSC03401
DSC03404
DSC03405
DSC03406
DSC03408
DSC03409
DSC03410
DSC03413
DSC03414
DSC03415
DSC03416
DSC03417
DSC03418
DSC03420
DSC03421
DSC03422
DSC03423
DSC03424
DSC03425
DSC03427
DSC03428
DSC03429
DSC03430
DSC03431
DSC03433
DSC03434
DSC03435
DSC03436
DSC03437
DSC03438
DSC03439
DSC03440
DSC03441
DSC03442
DSC03443
DSC03444
DSC03445
DSC03446
DSC03447
DSC03448
DSC03449
DSC03450
DSC03451
DSC03453
DSC03454
DSC03455
DSC03456
DSC03457
DSC03458
DSC03459
DSC03461
DSC03462
DSC03463
DSC03464
DSC03465
DSC03467
DSC03469
DSC03470
DSC03471
DSC03472
DSC03473
DSC03474
DSC03475
DSC03477
DSC03478
DSC03479
DSC03480
DSC03481
DSC03482
DSC03483
DSC03484
DSC03486
DSC03487
DSC03488
DSC03489
DSC03490
DSC03491
DSC03492
DSC03493
DSC03494
DSC03495
DSC03496
DSC03497
DSC03501
DSC03502
DSC03503
DSC03504
DSC03505
DSC03507
DSC03508
DSC03509
DSC03512
DSC03513
DSC03514
DSC03516
DSC03517
DSC03519
DSC03521
DSC03522
DSC03523
DSC03524
DSC03525
DSC03526
DSC03527
DSC03528
DSC03529
DSC03530
DSC03532
DSC03533
DSC03534
DSC03535
DSC03537
DSC03538
DSC03539
DSC03540
DSC03542
DSC03543
DSC03544
DSC03545
DSC03546
DSC03548
DSC03550
DSC03552
DSC03554
DSC03555
DSC03556
DSC03557
DSC03558
DSC03559
DSC03560
DSC03563
DSC03565
DSC03566
DSC03567
DSC03568
DSC03569
DSC03571
DSC03572
DSC03573
DSC03575
DSC03576
DSC03581
DSC03584
DSC03585
DSC03587
DSC03588
DSC03589
DSC03590
DSC03591
DSC03592
DSC03593
DSC03594
DSC03595
DSC03610
DSC03612
DSC03613
DSC03614
DSC03616
DSC03617
DSC03618
DSC03619
DSC03620
DSC03621
DSC03622
DSC03623

Reports from Other Days: 10

Use the arrows or dots to flip through the previews of the other reports for Golden Spike. Click one of them to read more and see all of the photos from that day.

May 11, 2003

Led by Monica I.
This is the trail, the Holy Grail of trails, with the Holy Grail of obstacles — the Golden Crack. We could barely wait to get there! This trail is a blast and noisy with all of the scraping, crunching and banging we did on the ledges. We all hit skidplates…
«
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
Join Us!
If you aren’t a Member or Subscriber, you can’t see all of the content on this site. Get membership information to see why this site is best when you join and log in

Information for Subscribers

When you log in you’ll see more information here:

  • Recent Community Forum posts
  • Recent polls
  • Upcoming Events you can attend
  • Links to online users

© 2000-2022 · TrailDamage.com · Terms and Conditions · About · Contact
Trail information is only accurate on the date posted. Trails may have changed or closed since that date. Use this information for historical purposes only.
Contact the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management for up-to-date trail information.

/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* View slug: reports-other-reports-for-same-trail-slider - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* place the prev/next controls on the sides */ .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-next-link, .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-previous-link { border: none; font-size: 300%; position: absolute; top: 70px; } .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-previous-link { left: 0; } .td-transition-controls .wpv-filter-next-link { right: 0; } /* center the page selector horizonatally */ .td-transition-controls ul.wpv_pagination_dots { text-align: center; margin-top: 10px; } /* center the page selector horizonatally */ .td-transition-controls ul.wpv_pagination_dots li.wpv_pagination_dots_item, .td-transition-controls .wpv_pagination_dots li a { display: inline-block; float: none; } /* remove the default styles */ .td-transition-controls .wpv_pagination_dots li a { text-decoration: none; border-bottom: none; } .td-slider-container { padding: 0 25px; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative; width:100%; display:table; } .td-slides { position: relative; } .td-slides-image { float:left; display:table-cell; } .td-slides-image img { border:1px solid #c0c0c0; } .td-slides-content { padding:4px 4px 4px 10px; border-top:1px solid #c0c0c0; border-right:1px solid #c0c0c0; border-bottom:1px solid #c0c0c0; display:table-cell; height:227px; overflow:hidden; } .td-slides-content h3 { margin-top:8px; } .td-slides-leader { font-size:smaller; margin-top:4px; } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* View slug: reports-other-reports-for-same-trail-slider - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */
/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Template for a Single Report - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ .entry-header { display:none; } .entry-content h1 { margin-top:16px; padding-top:0; } h1 a { color:#222; } h1 a:hover { color:#666; } p.entry-meta { font-size:small; } #report-body-spacer { clear:both; width:100%; height:20px; } #addtoany-bar { margin-bottom:2em; text-align:center; } .category-reports .post-info .author, .post-info .date { display: none; } .addthis_recommended_horizontal { text-align:center !important; } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Template for a Single Report - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in REPORTS Runners - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ #runners-container { width:100%; clear:both; } .runner { border:1px solid #c0c0c0; margin:0 6px 6px 0; float:left; width:49%; height:81px; } .runner-image { float: left; } .runner-image img { margin:2px 10px 0 2px; height:75px; width:75px; } .runner-name { text-transform:uppercase; } .runner-name a { color:#222; } .runner-name a:hover { color:#666; } .runner-vehicle { font-size:small; } @media only screen and (max-width: 768px) { .runner { width:100%; } } /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in REPORTS Runners - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */