The land "Behind the Rocks" is an elevated area south of Moab bounded roughly by the Moab Rim cliffs and the rim of Kane Springs Canyon, which is still farther south and west. The trail follows the most difficult of the several routes in this region, and gets its renown and its high rating mostly for White Knuckle Hill.

The rock layers behind the Moab Rim slope downward, and a virtually impenetrable area of Navajo Sandstone domes and fins is in view most of the time. Canyons, including lovely Hunters Canyon, are cut into older layers. Balcony Arch, Picture Frame Arch, and Pritchett Arch (a distant view) may be seen; other arches and bridges are nearby.

Most of the road is sandy dirt with occasional rock outcrops. To get in and out of the many small canyons is to take a bumpy trip over sandstone ledges.

There is a warm-up hill soon after leaving the highway and numerous minor canyon crossings before reaching High-Dive Canyon. This very steep, rough descent is a short walk upstream from a "high-dive" pouroff into a lovely pool. The climb out of the small canyon can be either via a tricky ledge or the difficult "Upchuck Hill." A few interesting miles farther is White Knuckle Hill, which descends some huge steps from a plateau area to a lower bench.