Best State To Live and Off-Road?

[indio22]

I vote for Colorado due to the number of trails and varied terrain. It was fantastic when I lived there in the 90's and early 2000's. Things changed as more people showed up, and trails started having gates installed. Once the gates appeared, seems like there was always some excuse for why a trail needed to be closed. That was a drag. We'd drive an hour or more only to find the trail gate locked. Maybe these days there is a way to check online if a gate is open?

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[RC Bronco]

I vote for Colorado due to the number of trails and varied terrain. It was fantastic when I lived there in the 90's and early 2000's. Things changed as more people showed up, and trails started having gates installed. Once the gates appeared, seems like there was always some excuse for why a trail needed to be closed. That was a drag. We'd drive an hour or more only to find the trail gate locked. Maybe these days there is a way to check online if a gate is open?

TrailsOffroad would be the go-to for finding out information on a plethora of trails; onXoffroad has rolled out a feature that allows users to post the trail status too

in Colorado, the CORE group maintains a list of currently open trails

can always call the local authorities and ask them too. Had to do that when I visited Death Valley after all the snow they had

 

[MNBigfoot]

If one enjoys lakes and rivers logging roads and untapped Wilderness, one really can't beat the largest of it's kind East of the Mississippi........... Northern Minnesota.

 

[Spartan]

Utah. ,st George or cedar city.
California. Borrego springs.

Just went through Cedar City on the way from SLC to Lake Powell, Page, AZ and on the way went through Dixie National Forest on the way down and then on the way back went through Zion and the Carmel Road and did Zion the following day.

That area was definitely amazing.

I would suggest looking at the east cost and the Appalachians. Lots of great places in certain ones you're in near the mountains and then a few hours from the beach. Hard to beat that.

 

[brkdncr]

Calif is terrible! They have either paved or closed all the trails…please do not come here…

what?

 

[Kickit]

Ok. Have lived in Wisconsin, New York, Texas, Utah, and now California and my vote goes for Cali hands down. Can’t beat being in the mountains and then to the coast in a one day drive. I’ve done my share of exploring some backroads and sometimes it feels overwhelming just choosing where I want to go next! Alpine lakes, granite batholiths, dramatic coastlines, great basins, good weather. I could go on…….

Next vote goes for Nevada or Utah, I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag but Nevada has so much BLM land that’s got some real hidden gems. Part of the fun is finding them so I won’t be giving anything away, but living in California means I can drive to both Utah and Nevada in just a few hours time.

Bonus points for me that California both pays and treats it’s nurses better than any other state I’ve worked in so I won’t be leaving anytime soon

 

[Lèòn]

Biggest frustrations for me is the change to the atmosphere of my neighborhood. Then the congestion on the inter stating going to Knoxville and congestion in Knoxville.


I could care less that my home went up in value. It costs me money, both in insurance and taxes. I'm on a fixed income. I have no desire to sell, or move. Love living on the lake, and looking at the hills of east TN from my Deck.

Really don't care what the transplants from CA, NY, MA, CT and so on think of me. What I do care about is them destroying the friendly deep south atmosphere of my neighborhood. Transplants want an HOA, which will never happen, but they are pushing it hard. 2 years ago everyone knew everyone, everyone waved, everyone watched out for each other. The Transplants do not wavy, do not speak, do not watch out for their neighbors. Worst of all, its a 8 mile hilly and very curvy road, and they cant stay in their lane.



It's gone up sharply in the last couple years in Knoxville, Nashville and Chattanoga, Memphis has always been bad, but has gotten worse. Several reason but one of the biggest is the soft on Crime policies. Couple that with the population explosion since 2020 in Nashville and Knoxville.

Seeing I know Knoxville best, Rent has gone up 61% since COVID, which is causing much more homeless people. Population of TN went up 23% in 2020, much of that growth in Nashville, and Knoxville. TN according to U-haul was the number 1 destination in 2020 edging out TX and FL

Who are the worst amongst the transplants now. Dont get why people move and try to change the culture to where they left from, I mean if they opened up a home town restaurant (Taste of NY pizza or something) would be one thing, but no bullshit ya escaped from

also dont get not waving, unless you’re not paying attention now

as for Cali, when the state splits into either New California or Jefferson, Ill move to the new one a few years after I know it isnt affected by big city politics

 

[da_jokker]

Ok. Have lived in Wisconsin, New York, Texas, Utah, and now California and my vote goes for Cali hands down. Can’t beat being in the mountains and then to the coast in a one day drive. I’ve done my share of exploring some backroads and sometimes it feels overwhelming just choosing where I want to go next! Alpine lakes, granite batholiths, dramatic coastlines, great basins, good weather. I could go on…….

Next vote goes for Nevada or Utah, I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag but Nevada has so much BLM land that’s got some real hidden gems. Part of the fun is finding them so I won’t be giving anything away, but living in California means I can drive to both Utah and Nevada in just a few hours time.

Bonus points for me that California both pays and treats it’s nurses better than any other state I’ve worked in so I won’t be leaving anytime soon

Yeah...no...just wait for it...reality will sink in eventually.

 

[Kickit]

Yeah...no...just wait for it...reality will sink in eventually.

Don’t you worry about me, I can glass half full my way through almost anything, but I’d definitely rather do it in a place with relatively no humidity and easy access to the eastern sierras. And for all of you with preconceived notions about Californians, just know I’d be happy to welcome you out here for wheeling anytime and can point you to my favorite lesser known spots that are worth visiting.

 

[Jdc]

Who are the worst amongst the transplants now. Dont get why people move and try to change the culture to where they left from, I mean if they opened up a home town restaurant (Taste of NY pizza or something) would be one thing, but no bullshit ya escaped from

also dont get not waving, unless you’re not paying attention now

as for Cali, when the state splits into either New California or Jefferson, Ill move to the new one a few years after I know it isnt affected by big city politics

Most people are moving because of cheap housing. End of story.

 

[bikearch]

There’s nothing wrong with living in California. I’ve lived here my whole life.
it’s just more expensive because y’all don’t like the weather where you live. HAHA.
i really don’t think I could live anywhere else.

Life long 3rd Gen Cali Dude here and for off roading the state offers the most variety!!

 

[broadicustomworks]

Well, living in NW NC most of my life has me partial to it.
We have some really unbeatable weather between March and June, then again Sept-mid Dec.
Summers are hot and humid, winters haven't been bad at all the last several, but it has been known to just take a plunge and not recover for over a month straight with lots of ice buildup.
Snow is one thing, Ice and freezing rain just suck.

We have the beautiful old Mtns with several places to go, but they are getting harder to find as they are being closed down one by one (mainly due to people who do not Tread Lightly and trash the place/destroy the trails). Not much compares to being in the middle of an old-growth forest and just listening to the sounds of nature as the sun filters through the trees.

We have the coast where soaking up some sun, sand, and an ocean breeze are nothing short of perfect. Watch for the summer humidity and the mosquitoes. Nothing like driving down the beach to camp and fish for several days with no place else to be.

Not much in the way of public lands with 4WD trails really, but pay-to-play places are typically within a few hours. But some parts of them are like a gym membership, others comparing what you bring vs. what the bro-crowd brings.

Having lived in East TX, been to Big Bend, West TX and everything in between there and Moab and back across CO, I have delusions of living somewhere a LOT closer to the SW. Just the insane amount of accessible open country and the absence of people is a gigantic draw for me.

But in the end I think my wife put it best when she saw I was serious about looking to move to UT, CO, northern AZ area: "It's really remote and great out here. To visit. But I already miss the Green. So much life back home. It just feels like Mars out here to me. So stark and devoid compared to NC. I could never live here. VIsit? Yes, and happily. But I miss my trees."

 

[Lèòn]

Most people are moving because of cheap housing. End of story.

Should respect where they move, not change it.

if I moved to Tn let’s say, I wouldn’t be demanding shit, just adapt to life there.

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