Dan Mick’s Jeep Tours are legendary in Moab for a reason. Don’t book anywhere else.
When a friend of mine told me the absolute highlight of her Mighty 5 Utah trip was Dan Mick’s Jeep Tours, I thought she might have been setting expectations a bit high. She wasn’t. Like OutpostX, I think my teenager was smiling the entire tour (with an occasional “Are we really driving up or down that?”).
I think this picture pretty much sums up this epic experience.
No, my son didn’t actually drive, but yes, this is absolutely a realistic angle for what we drove on the tour (even if this particular shot was a little staged).
Our tour guide, Curtis, was everything you want in a tour guide. Funny, entertaining, informative, great with kids, and most importantly, clearly a very experienced driver. The first thing he said to my teenage son was, “Do you understand how gravity works? Well, forget everything you think you know about gravity.”
We then proceeded to go up and down obstacles at crazy angles that didn’t seem possible for a jeep, but they were.
And I was surprised to hear they take kids of all ages, including as young as 2 months. They have booster seats available, and you can bring your own harness seat. Every tour is private, so the level of adventure can be customized to the group. I was surprised we were the only two in the jeep.
It’s fun and exciting, but you drive the obstacles pretty slowly, and the drivers clearly know what they are doing, so it’s never really scary, even when you are hanging at angles that seem like a car shouldn’t be able to do. But as Curtis explained, that’s exactly what the cars are designed to do. They buy jeeps and completely re-outfit them specifically for this type of adventure.
The first Jeep company in Moab
There are many jeep tour options in Moab. There are all kinds of different vehicles that you can take, and you have the option to drive yourself or have a driver. So, why Dan Mick’s?
As they say, they live and breathe Moab off-road culture. They were the first and original, and the owner, Dan Mick, actually helped build Hell’s Revenge, which is the name of the 4-WD trail.
Dan Mick’s does more obstacles than any other guide out there. We actually saw people watching us, attempting to follow what Curtis did, and then giving up.
Hummers and large vehicles can’t do what Dan Mick’s jeeps can do. I didn’t see anyone else tackling obstacles backwards or repeating them just for fun as we did. And if you drive yourself, you certainly don’t get to do the really tough obstacles. Here’s a great example of how they drive – as I said, fun, exciting, but surprisingly not that scary.
If you are into dinosaurs, there are actual dinosaur prints on the Hell’s Revenge trail, which were cool to see. And some stunning views. They do offer a sunset tour that is probably amazing, but it was already fully booked when we made reservations. The three-hour tour was a perfect experience.
If you need a half-day away from the crowds of the national parks or are just looking for a really fun, family-friendly, non-hiking activity that kids will LOVE, this is it.
Sit back, relax (as much as you can relax when it feels like you are at a 180-degree include on an obstacle), and have fun. It’s a blast and entertaining. I appreciate Dan Mick’s allowing us to have a complimentary tour so I could experience whether this was an activity I would want to recommend to my travel planning clients. Bottom line, I could not recommend Dan Mick’s Jeep Tours enough.
Need more help with vacation planning?
If you love the idea of a national park vacation, but not the hours and hours of research that go with it (and believe me, I’ve planned plenty, that’s not remotely an exaggeration), I can help. I create custom itineraries for busy families and anyone who wants to do really fun things outside without all the planning and researching.
Effortless adventures
Set up a free call with a national park expert for recommendations that are actually personalized for you!
