Newby off roader needs advice

[Mishra42]

Can I piggy back here? I get a 1 month Sabbatical at work and am planning a road trip from Pittsburgh to Moab. I leave Sept 2nd and have to be back in Pittsburgh by the 22nd. I've Got a stock 4door Badlands Sasquatch with LOD destroyer rock sliders and some rear shock mount skid plates and a transmission skid plate. I'll probably add a winch before I go too. She's my daily driver so I don't want to get super crazy but I do want to experience a little bit of crawling. Any suggested trails tour groups etc? Colorado is on the way so suggestions there would be awesome as well.

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[Bikeric]

Can I piggy back here? I get a 1 month Sabbatical at work and am planning a road trip from Pittsburgh to Moab. I leave Sept 2nd and have to be back in Pittsburgh by the 22nd. I've Got a stock 4door Badlands Sasquatch with LOD destroyer rock sliders and some rear shock mount skid plates and a transmission skid plate. I'll probably add a winch before I go too. She's my daily driver so I don't want to get super crazy but I do want to experience a little bit of crawling. Any suggested trails tour groups etc? Colorado is on the way so suggestions there would be awesome as well.

I recommend not hitting the trails alone. Have a full tank of gas when you start the day. Bring lots of water and some food because you’ll be out there much longer than you think. If you don’t have High or LUX package, and are inexperienced, stay away from Hells Revenge and part 2 of Fins & Things. Top of the World had the most difficult climbs (for me) but not the pucker factor of Hells or Fins. Any Bronco Sas can get up any 3 of the trails I mentioned (only Moab trails I’ve been on myself). The front camera was invaluable for me and I won’t buy another off-road rig without it.

 

[murphtron]

Do you think the trails you mention are doable with a stock Badlands non-SAS on 33s? Not loaded down with a bunch of overlanding weight?

 

[Moabbob]

Do you think the trails you mention are doable with a stock Badlands non-SAS on 33s? Not loaded down with a bunch of overlanding weight?

A badlands on 33s should do fine on any of those. I have done fins in a stock FJ with no problem. We were in Moab in March with the Bronco and did fins and seven mile rim no issues. You will most likely drag your rear recovery points with the 33s. It should do fine. With the exception of hells gate and the escalator hells revenge is really not that bad other than the price you pay for a mistake lots of cliffs, but that can be said for Shafer trail as well.

 

[woodysfj40]

Last I saw, Corkscrew wasn't cleared yet. You need to check the Ouray County website.

Pic of Corkscrew from a few days ago, per Ouray County.

We'll be in Ouray for 3 weeks in July. Should be interesting to see how many roads have been opened. We've been the first rig down Black Bear a few times. Bronco hasn't been built yet, so we'll have my FZJ80 out there again.

We've done everything in Ouray with our old GX470 Lexus on 285's and no locker (just ATRAC), including "The Wall" on Poughkeepsie (well, my wife drove while I spotted...she crawled it). The key in that area is to PAY ATTENTION...easy to get distracted by the beauty and find yourself closer to the edge than you want to be.

As noted, Moab and others are all best done with a group. There is usually plenty of traffic on any of them, but having a dedicated crew of rigs helps with any spotting or guidance. Water is a must, and plenty of it. Elevation issues are often due to dehydration, so drink way more than you think you need.

 

[murphtron]

A badlands on 33s should do fine on any of those. I have done fins in a stock FJ with no problem. We were in Moab in March with the Bronco and did fins and seven mile rim no issues. You will most likely drag your rear recovery points with the 33s. It should do fine. With the exception of hells gate and the escalator hells revenge is really not that bad other than the price you pay for a mistake lots of cliffs, but that can be said for Shafer trail as well.

Thanks. The only time I offroaded in Moab was in 1989. We rented a Jeep in Moab (not sure if it was a CJ or YJ). Went down Shafer trail and down Potash to the river. I remember being exhilarated. And terrified as a passenger going back up Shafer. It was really cool. But I never pursued off-roading after that. Now in my 50s looking for a new hobby!

been back to Moab many times since but only on backpacking trips. But wow has that place changed since the 80s. The first time I was there was in 1984 on a NOLS program backpacking trip. I remember a bar with mock gravestones out front. Cool spot. Long gone.

 

[Bikeric]

Do you think the trails you mention are doable with a stock Badlands non-SAS on 33s? Not loaded down with a bunch of overlanding weight?

They are doable with a non-Sas BL on 33's since I saw another just like that do them all. I still would not go out by myself, and I would 100% prefer to have the front grill camera.

Here is what my dashcam saw when going up a hill on Fins&Things part 2. The dash cam saw more than I could see out the windshield, but I had a spotter AND my front camera that helped me stay lined up on the marked arrows on the rocks.

 

[murphtron]

They are doable with a non-Sas BL on 33's since I saw another just like that do them all. I still would not go out by myself, and I would 100% prefer to have the front grill camera.

Here is what my dashcam saw when going up a hill on Fins&Things part 2. The dash cam saw more than I could see out the windshield, but I had a spotter AND my front camera that helped me stay lined up on the marked arrows on the rocks.

Thx for the video! That looks similar to the concrete wall at the Hollister off-road area (northernCA). I did that with a spotter. Was scary the first time. Used both lockers after I started to slip. Then did it a second time without lockers. Less scary. But still some puckering!

 

[Bikeric]

On Hells Revenge I saw angles up to 32 degrees going down and a 30 degree angle going up once. But that was only when I was looking at the gage and it could have hit higher numbers at some points. Made me glad I had MGV seats with washout interior.

 

[Mishra42]

So what's the best way to find a group out there if I'm driving out all by myself. wait at the trailhead? post here that I'm looking for partners? hire a guide?

 

[Sewie]

So what's the best way to find a group out there if I'm driving out all by myself. wait at the trailhead? post here that I'm looking for partners? hire a guide?

I would post up in the Clubs section for the area(s) on here. If you can't find other Bronco owners you can always look for local Jeep/Offroad clubs for those areas and see if any are willing to guide you or let you tag along.

 

[the poacher]

Do you think the trails you mention are doable with a stock Badlands non-SAS on 33s? Not loaded down with a bunch of overlanding weight?

Most definitely! I have driven all of them myself in a non SAS 33's. No problem at all.

 

[helifino16]

The best recommendation I can make is to run, don't walk, to one of the Off-Roadeo events. They will show you most of the capabilities of your Bronco along with lots of helpful tips for any off-road situation. There was a couple at ours that had just done the Moab Off-Roadeo and had nothing but good things to say about the trip. You'll leave at the end of the day far more confident in your own off-road abilities and those of the Bronco. Pick up some swag while you're at it. It's unique to Off-Roadeo.

 

[MFP2241]

The best recommendation I can make is to run, don't walk, to one of the Off-Roadeo events. They will show you most of the capabilities of your Bronco along with lots of helpful tips for any off-road situation.

This is excellent advice*, and exactly what the BOR is for.

* I can't believe I'm agreeing with an Aggie... Go Pokes!

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