Best State To Live and Off-Road?

[BostonSasquatch]

I love Moab going in May, also want to hit AZ for Grand Canyon where in AZ do you like to off road?

Hiking the Grand Canyon is a life-memorable experience--at least it was for me. (Done it twice!). If you ad that to your itinerary, plan well in advance for your hiking permits, and read up on camping, hiking protocols, and the availability of lodging and food at Phantom Ranch. Just remember--every step you take down calls for a matching step up!

Happy treking, and Godspeed!

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[Arokcrwlr]

I love CA - great place to visit. I could never live there, I'd have to leave half my guns/mags at the border. I do agree that for sheer beauty and outdoor recreation, it probably tops the list.

 

[kahunabob]

Nobody can dispute CA has beautiful scenery, diverse climates and great off-roading.

It’s the “live” part that I just can’t wrap my head around.

Even if you get away from the high-crime/insane traffic population centers like LA and San Fran…you can’t escape the high taxes. Weird motor vehicle laws. And even weirder gun laws. (to name but a few)

Most CA folk are no different than me or any of my friends here. There’s not a damn thing wrong with 90% of that state. But that 10% really screws up the entire state.

I am in the suburbs of LA. No more homeless than other parts of the country. My city always ranks top 10-20 safest city in the nation. I am 40 minutes to ocean. 1.5 hours to mountains. About 10 minutes to wheelin. You can hunt, fish and do all of the outdoor things. I have more firearms then I need. My property taxes are fixed from when I purchased 14 years ago.

House was $400k back then...now worth a million (high point during COVID). Housing has some dips...but generally a rocket up.

Excellent food, diversity and I make a pretty good living. Arguably the best weather in CA (San Diego).

A flight to Hawaii is less than $300 if you buy a month or so ahead.

As of right now...no complaints from me. For reference, I have been to 37 states. Maybe something better in the last 13?

 

[BostonSasquatch]

I love living in CA - we have an abundance of beautiful places to visit, drive, explore, vacation, etc

Stunning, simply stunning shots. Even with the Chevy! Bravo.

 

[Tricky Dick]

I was wondering when PNW would get some love. Snow wheeling, Elbe Hills, Walker Valley, Moses Lake sand, and that crazy rock ravine in eastern WA that almost ruined @Tricky Dick 's rig. Also, has Oregon really not been mentioned? Lots of rock and sand off-roading there, including beach running. Politics too extreme?

There is definitely tons of great wheeling nearby. The living part though, I don't enjoy it.

 

[604Bronco]

There is definitely tons of great wheeling nearby. The living part though, I don't enjoy it.

What’s there not to like in the PNW?! It’s awesome here!

 

[Tricky Dick]

What’s there not to like in the PNW?! It’s awesome here!

Proximity to Canada is the big one.

 

[22Badskwatch]

Stunning, simply stunning shots. Even with the Chevy! Bravo.

thanks ... the Chevy was to hold me over until I got my Bronco allowed me to start playing around with a 4x4 and get my feet wet with off roading ... it was a great truck - all the same goodies as the badlands with the exception of sway bar disconnect ... it had front/rear lockers, 4 hi/lo, full skid plates, DSSV shocks, etc .. .
and, I'm a photographer, so I love going off roading to get me to places to get cool photos

 

[CValencia]

Arizona is horrible, there is no good wheeling and the weather sucks. Those other places are where people should go.

Not sure what your beef with AZ is. I've been living here for over 20 years and yeah the heat sucks and other things about the state suck too. However, it's beautiful right now and there are definitely plenty of trails and surprisingly alot of variation. Just takes a bit of research and maybe a recreation fee.

Not sure if you're trying to avoid more people moving to AZ like the Michigander post but AZ's not that bad IMO.

 

[Bronco1971]

Not sure what your beef with AZ is. I've been living here for over 20 years and yeah the heat sucks and other things about the state suck too. However, it's beautiful right now and there are definitely plenty of trails and surprisingly alot of variation. Just takes a bit of research and maybe a recreation fee.

Not sure if you're trying to avoid more people moving to AZ like the Michigander post but AZ's not that bad.

Sar Chasm; the void between you and the joke.

 

[CValencia]

Sar Chasm; the void between you and the joke.

Lol fair enough. I wasn't sure.

 

[bronc0000]

ARIZONA, Red Rocks of Sedona, Flagstaff and obviously more desert running than you can take! And just plain more land use designated for off roading!

 

[JediMcMuffin]

San Diego!!!

 

[telenerd]

Wyoming. Multiple national forests to choose from. More wildlife than people. Don’t move here.

 

[MnLakeBum]

I spent a couple of years living in CA while I was in the Marines and it's awesome. I flew to mammoth mountain a few years ago and the snow was amazing. I visited again this summer for a wedding and stayed at mission beach for a few days and again it was amazing. I wish I had more time to check out the off-road trails and definitely hope I can make the drive out someday.

CA is expensive, there's no doubt about it but ignore most of these folks that say it's some kind of dystopian hell hole because that's all political. CA gets a lot flak because it's deep blue. Unless you're one of those that can't avoid bringing up politics every second or can't have a civil discussion with someone that disagrees with you, I'd say go for it.

After living in NorCal from 1998-2018, I agree that CA has a lot to offer and I also agree that you can train yourself to mostly ignore the politics. The 39.6 million others in the state often make outdoor recreational activities too crowded for my liking. We had a condo in Lake Tahoe and I spent 45+ days each winter skiing and summers boating/camping in the mountains around Lake Tahoe. I also went Jeeping with some of my neighbors every summer and fall on the many trails(such as the Rubicon) in El Dorado County where we lived. I don’t regret living in CA for two decades but are damn glad we are no longer there, if that makes sense.

We moved back to our native Minnesota 4 years a go and couldn’t be happier. We are big boaters and the lake country where our retirement home is God’s country and I don’t have to share it with millions of others. Plentiful places to boat, hunt, or anything else you like in the world class lakes and wilderness. I haven’t yet done a bunch of summer off-roading yet but was recently introduced to some great fire roads/off road trails only 10 minutes from our home. RZR’s, ATV’s, and snowmobiles are the thing here and after a few days in a RZR Pro last summer, I’m getting one this spring. They are incredibly fun to drive and will give me my speed fix when my snowmobiles are in storage.

Anyone into serious rock crawling or desert running obviously should stick to living in CA or other states in the SW. We don’t want anyone else moving to MN and our cold winters do a great job of keeping most everyone from even considering our state. If we had even 25% of the population of CA, everything would be ruined. States like AZ, TX, NV, ID, and MT having Californians flocking in, hopefully they stay away from MN. We are very strange here with our fond embrace of winter activities as this scene from a lakeside restaurant shows.

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