MOAB, Utah — This is the holy land of four-wheeling.

The small Colorado River town, surrounded by majestic red rock formations, abandoned uranium mines, spectacular canyons and two national parks, attracts visitors year-round, most of whom come with their own four-wheel-drive vehicles suitable for negotiating the scores of off-road trails.

And for those who like to do their four-wheeling in large groups, the annual Easter Jeep Safari is just the thing.

Held during a nine-day period each year leading up to Easter, the safari attracts thousands of off-road-driving aficionados.

During the event, especially the last four days, the trails are crowded, the motels are full and the nearby campgrounds are swamped with tents, trailers and motor homes.

Some people like the big crowds and the camaraderie of four-wheel-drive folks that the Easter event brings.

Others, though, prefer smaller groups or even solo off-roading, and that’s available year-round on the trails in the Moab area, including those inside the Arches and Canyonland national parks.

I’m pretty solidly in the latter group, preferring to avoid the crowds and to do my off-road driving mostly when there are few others on the trail.

But even those who eschew the crowds can enjoy Moab during safari week because there are dozens of trails that the organized safari expeditions do not use.

The event has grown to include dozens of vendors who show off or sell all types of goods of interest to off-roaders, including just about every kind of accessory or modification available for off-road vehicles.

The Moab Chamber of Commerce began the safaris in 1967 as one-day events — the Saturday before Easter. But it has grown exponentially since the chamber turned the event over to the Moab-based Red Rock 4-Wheelers club in the early 1980s.

I’ve been four-wheeling around Moab for years, but this was my first time to visit during the safari.

Just seeing the variety of off-road vehicles that show up for the event is interesting.

Although the event is referred to as the “Jeep” safari, any kind of street-legal, high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicle is allowed on the official event trails. Among the unusual ones I saw were Ford Econoline and Chevrolet Astro vans modified with lift kits and four-wheel-drive systems.

They were in addition to the traditional Jeeps, Land Rovers, Toyota Land Cruisers and other SUVs and four-wheel-drive pickups.

The majority, though, were actual Jeep brand vehicles, particularly the old Jeep CJs and the newer Wranglers.

The people from DaimlerChrysler’s Jeep and Mopar divisions were on hand, too, showing off the latest Jeep vehicle concepts, as well as Mopar accessories designed for Jeeps.

This year, Chrysler Group brought some of its “SkunkWerks” vehicles — Jeep concepts built by Chrysler’s specialty project team. Created in 2002, the SkunkWerks team “is a group of in-house enthusiasts brought together by passion to bring visionary automotive ideas to life,” the company said.

Among the five SkunkWerks vehicles on hand in Moab, my favorite was a Wrangler pickup, built on the chassis of the new long-wheelbase 2007 Wrangler Unlimited four-door.

Although I believe this pickup version of the Wrangler would be a bestseller, the Jeep folks said it’s just a concept for now, and there are no plans to bring it to production. They did hint that their minds could be changed by a strong show of public support, however.

Called the Wrangler JT, the truck was built from the military version of the new Wrangler. A Chrysler spokesman said it is similar to a Wrangler pickup produced for the Saudi army.

Off-road enhancements for the JT included a 3-inch suspension lift, 35-inch B.F. Goodrich Mud Terrain tires, a Mopar rear bumper and rock rails, and a Ramsey 9500 winch mounted on the front.

Among the other SkunkWerks vehicles on hand were a Viper V10 powered Wrangler, a modified version of the new diesel-powered Grand Cherokee, and a jacked-up Wrangler, the Rubicon King, with a 4-inch lift kit, 37-inch B.F. Goodrich Krawler tires, a Rock-Trac transfer case and Tru-Lok equipped Dana 44 axles (this is one truly capable off-road vehicle).

Off-Road magazine editor Phil Howell, who lives in Utah, was on hand with his own specially modified 2007 Wrangler Unlimited — with a 6.1-liter Hemi V8 engine installed in place of the stock 3.8-liter V6. The conversion cost $30,000 — plus the price of the Wrangler Unlimited.

Howell helped lead a group — including some of the SkunkWerks vehicles — on a drive along the Lockhart Basin trail, which was not being used by the regular Easter Jeep Safari crowd. The trail follows the Colorado River for much of its length.

During that drive, Howell suggested that perhaps the Hemi engine was a bit too much for the Wrangler. Just a touch on the accelerator could send the wheels spinning.

“If it had been up to me, I think I’d have kept the stock engine,” he said.

For more information about four-wheeling and sightseeing in the Moab area, also check out the Web site of the Moab chamber, at www.moabchamber.com.

The Red Rock 4-Wheelers group also sponsors the annual Labor Day Campout, which is a smaller version of the Easter Jeep Safari.