Maze District Trip Stats - Gas Mileage and Driving Time
I recently completed an epic off-roading trip to the Maze District in Canyonlands, Utah, with my 2024 Tacoma Off Road (non-hybrid) equipped with a Tune M1 truck camper. If you're planning a similar adventure, here's what you can expect for gas mileage and travel time.
Trip Overview
Vehicle: 2024 Toyota Tacoma Off Road (non-hybrid)
Camper: Tune M1 truck camper
Starting Point: Hanksville, Utah
Total Distance: ~222 miles
Total Fuel Used: ~15.3 gallons
Overall Average MPG: ≈ 14.5 mpg
Total Driving Time: 15 hours 24 minutes
Key Takeaways
- Highway driving to the trailhead yielded the best fuel economy at around 21-25 MPG
- Flint Trail Road sections averaged around 14.8 MPG - still pretty decent
- Technical terrain like The Wall and sandy washes dropped MPG significantly to 6-8 MPG
- Overall average of 14.5 MPG for the entire trip is reasonable given the challenging terrain
- Plan for slow average speeds (4-15 mph) on technical sections - this is slow, technical off-roading
Detailed Segment Breakdown
Starting from Hanksville, here's the detailed breakdown of each segment:
| Day | Segment | MPG | Miles | Time | Hours | Avg Speed (mph) | Fuel Used (gal) | Cumulative Miles | Cumulative Fuel (gal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed | Hanksville → Start of Flint Trail Rd (near Hite) | 21.0 | 45.5 | 9:20 → 10:20 | 1.00 | 45.5 | 2.17 | 45.5 | 2.17 |
| Wed | Flint Rd → Past Teapot | 14.8 | 34.6 | 10:20 → 12:30 | 2.17 | 15.9 | 2.34 | 80.1 | 4.50 |
| Wed | Past Teapot → The Wall | 7.7 | 9.6 | 12:30 → 2:39 | 2.15 | 4.5 | 1.25 | 89.7 | 5.75 |
| Wed | The Wall → Doll House | 13.0 | 5.8 | 2:39 → 3:20 | 0.68 | 8.5 | 0.45 | 95.5 | 6.20 |
| Wed | Doll House → Camp #3 | 7.4 | 0.5 | 3:20 → 3:25 | 0.08 | 6.0 | 0.07 | 96.0 | 6.26 |
| Thu | Camp #3 → Chimney Rock | 7.0 | 3.7 | 7:10 → 7:50 | 0.67 | 5.6 | 0.53 | 99.7 | 6.79 |
| Thu | Chimney Rock → The Wall | 13.1 | 2.7 | 7:50 → 8:10 | 0.33 | 8.1 | 0.21 | 102.4 | 7.00 |
| Thu | The Wall → Mother & Child | 12.6 | 4.3 | 8:10 → 8:47 | 0.62 | 7.0 | 0.34 | 106.7 | 7.34 |
| Thu | Mother & Child → Wash Junction (combined) | 6.3 | 8.3 | 8:47 → 10:52 | 2.08 | 4.0 | 1.32 | 115.0 | 8.66 |
| Thu | Wash Junction → Overlook/Hans Jct | 8.9 | 6.4 | 10:52 → 11:26 | 0.57 | 11.3 | 0.72 | 121.4 | 9.38 |
| Thu | Overlook Jct Segment (combined two) | 13.0 | 7.4 | 11:26 → 12:10 | 0.73 | 10.1 | 0.57 | 128.8 | 9.95 |
| Thu | 5 mi Before Overlook → Maze Overlook | — | 5.0 | 1:02 → 1:32 | 0.50 | 10.0 | — | 133.8 | 9.95 |
| Fri | Overlook → Overlook/Hans Jct | 8.9 | 12.6 | 8:37 → 10:05 | 1.47 | 8.6 | 1.42 | 146.4 | 11.37 |
| Fri | Hans Jct → Top of Switchbacks | 5.0 | 2.5 | 10:05 → 10:35 | 0.50 | 5.0 | 0.50 | 148.9 | 11.87 |
| Fri | Top of Switchbacks → Hans Flat (combined) | 17.8 | 12.2 | 10:45 → 11:38 | 0.88 | 13.8 | 0.69 | 161.1 | 12.56 |
| Fri | Hans Flat → Highway | 24.8 | 43.8 | 11:38 → 1:16 | 1.63 | 26.8 | 1.77 | 204.9 | 14.33 |
| Fri | Highway → Hanksville | 16.4 | 16.3 | 1:16 → 1:39 | 0.38 | 42.5 | 0.99 | 221.2 | 15.32 |
What This Means for Your Trip Planning
Fuel Planning
- Bring extra fuel! The 14.5 MPG average means a ~200+ mile trip will use around 15 gallons
- My 2024 Tacoma has an 18.1 gallon tank, but I wouldn't want to push it without extra fuel
- The technical sections absolutely guzzle gas - The Wall segment was only 7.7 MPG
Time Planning
- Don't underestimate the time required - 222 miles took over 15 hours of actual driving time
- Technical sections average just 4-10 mph
- The slowest section (Past Teapot → The Wall) averaged only 4.5 mph for over 2 hours
- Add in breaks, sightseeing, and camp setup, and this easily becomes a multi-day adventure
Vehicle Performance
The 2024 Tacoma Off Road with the Tune M1 camper handled the Maze District beautifully. The truck's capability combined with the camper's low profile and relatively light weight made for a capable off-road camping rig.
If you're planning a similar trip, feel free to use these numbers for your own planning. The Maze District is absolutely worth the journey - just make sure you're prepared for the fuel consumption and slow going on the technical sections!