- First Name
- Nate
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- Feb 4, 2021
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- Chicago, IL
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- Badlands
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- #1
I just returned from a trip to the Moab Bronco Off-Roadeo with a buddy as my guest (gift for his Bday). If you are on the fence about going, throw yourself off and sign up. This speaks more to Moab and the surrounding parks/terrain in general than just the Off-Roadeo experience but it certainly was a major contributor. I'm well traveled but had never been to Utah yet.
I left religious.
In 48 hours we were able to do the following:
Friday 3PM+:
- Land at Moab Airport (CNY) from (ORD->DEN->KNY... 6 hour trip).
- 3:30p 2 hour self guided tour of Arches National Park
- 6p Steak dinner in Moab
- 7p Check-in at Red Cliffs Lodge (the partner property. it's not cheap but the value is there)
- Beers on property
- 7AM Bronco Off-Roadeo (more on that below)
- 5PM Return from the tour with dinner provided for us when we got back
- Beers at Moab Brewery
- 9AM Redtaill Flight tour of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks (90 min) Worth every penny. Would do it again without question.
- 11AM 3 Hour self guided tour of Canyonlands National Park
- 2p 40 min on Schaefer Trail (out and back)
- 3p 20 minutes to get dino souvenirs for our kids on the way back to the airport.
- 3:45 Fly out
Too many pictures to post them all but I'll concentrate on the Off-Roadeo event. Check the bottom two pics for a bizarre find.
There was only one hiccup. I was scheduled for the 7:30a departure time in all the confirmations I received from Ford. When I arrived they had swapped me to the 9a departure time. So I was 90 minutes early. I killed the time with my buddy for an hour looking at Broncos and chatting up the tour guides. We were assured (and later proved correct) that we wouldn't lose trail time.
The Terrain:
Two big differences from the other Off-Rodeos:
- The is the only Off-Roadeo event where you drive on public paved roads (so I'm told)
- Thusly, you get to know the Bronco's road manners too
- This is the only Off-Roadeo event on public trails
- The others are built and maintained by Ford (so I'm told)
This is high-desert with loose sandy shale and hard limestone caps. We took the Sevenmile Trail. Moderately difficult. We did some major rock climbing (see below pics).
The Format:
Arrive, check-in, get your Bronco branded YETI water bottle, your band, grab some snacks, shop a bit and chat with others about anything. We met some wonderful people at the start which made the driving all the more fun knowing who was in front and behind. It made the radio chatter a laugh too.
Then you're off to Introductions, Ground School and Sluice Box training.
They ask some questions of everyone to get the group familiar with one another.
Ask some trivia, get some stickers (I'll brag that I had the most correct questions answered. my kid's collection of stickers just grew)
They have a map where every participant marks from where they hailed.
You're then instructed to head outside an pick your Bronco.
Someone snagged the only two door (Badlands OW), so we snagged a Rapid Red 4DR Badlands. I'm glad I got the Badlands since it's what I ordered.
Top down for pics only. They dont allow top down driving because it upsets the folks who have to clean the cars afterward.
Then it's off to the trails.
The instructors were affable, knowledgeable and just plain fun to be with.
Over the course of the next 5 or 6 hours, they run you through all the GOAT modes, when to use them, how they work, how lockers work, how to choose a line, how to manage throttle and braking. I race on track and more HDPEs than I can count but am a novice with trail driving.
It was one of the most enriching tours I've had. I learned a ton.
You then break for lunch between a pair of magnificent buttes before hitting more sandy terrain where you can get into Baja mode and really get carried away.
We hit water and mud from melting snow which ticked the last box on every type of terrain.. mud, rock, sand, dirt, gravel, paved asphalt.
We then returned to base on the River Road back to Red Cliffs Lodge. For perspective, you are basically driving in the Grand Canyon. It's awe inspiring.
After dinner, we took one last look before heading out on the town.
Again, this trip was amazing. I've been to Austin, Vegas and New Hampshire. Not with Ford but on my own trips. I'm sure they're wonderful and traveling to the event is a factor, but if you could have the choice of any of the four I dont see any argument to choose elsewhere.
One interesting find...
The rear right taillight of EVERY SINGLE ONE of the Bronco's with LED taillights had moisture in it.
The left one did not. Only the right.
I took these pics at the end of the trip when we all noticed this. No one had an explanation. We were constantly moving so it wasn't like the sun was concentrated on one side or the other. Maybe it's the washing technique?
These are only two pics but 16 of 18 Broncos had this problem and, again, every one of those with LED tails had this (two were standard taillights).
Totally bizarre.
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