And please keep in mind, if you're a pedestrian, stay up on top of the surrounding hills and resist the urge to watch from the sides of the hill climb. We've been witness to more rollovers at Potato Salad Hill than probably all the other obstacles in Moab combined, so it's not an obstacle for the uninitiated.
In either case, the end result is often broken parts or a nasty tumble to the bottom. For the short-wheelbase rigs, if they try the right side of the face, there's a spot near the top that pivots them over on their side. Both front and rear tires hit the ledge at the same time, necessitating a lot of throttle to try to make it. While the hill isn't exceptionally high, the rock ledges (especially on the left-hand side) are staggered to create a perfect double-whammy for longer-wheelbase vehicles. During Easter Jeep Safari, throngs of college-age kids, local townsfolk, and even visitors from as far away as Salt Lake City and points elsewhere flock to Moab just to watch the Potato Salad Hill carnage. Because the spot is easily accessible via the dirt road in any motorized vehicle, it has become a bit of a tourist party spot. Legend has it the spot got its name from a Jeep that lost its cooler out the back after unsuccessfully attempting the obstacle, spilling potato salad all over the ground. Located just outside of town on the landfill turnoff from Sand Flats Road lies Potato Salad Hill.
Still, whether the gatekeeper entrance, the waterfall finale, or any of the spots in between, Upper Helldorado is one of the trails in Moab we always find ourselves pining to drive. The entrance to Upper Helldorado, however, is deceptively tough, and we'd wager that more than one who have ventured past the gatekeeper have quickly turned around and headed up a less daunting trail. Although we've seen a few buggies drive the waterfall unassisted by a winch line (and have heard anecdotal tales of Jeeps doing the same), we don't really think any vast majority of vehicles are capable of driving that near-vertical waterfall. Rather than any one obstacle, the Upper Helldorado trail is itself basically one long obstacle, beginning with the entrance, then past several squeezes and large boulder obstacles culminating at the waterfall climb at the end. But that said, we've enjoyed the Upper Helldorado trail for many of the past 20 years since the trail was officially opened. It's sort of a moot point since at the moment Area BFE, the private off-road park on which the Upper Helldorado trail is located, has closed to public traffic.
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