I wanted to attend Summit but after hearing about how quick it sells out I didn't even bother. What I did is round up some close friends that want to make the trip out to Ouray. we are going to Ouray early in the week and then MOAB towards the end of the week. Lots of camping and wheeling with a few close friends. Best way to do it.

I heard we can still attend the vendor show. I plan to do this and meet up with some people that will be in the area. Should be a great time. Just pack up your camping gear and head west!

Nothing wrong with that at all? Sounds like a blast.

This sounds pretty cool. Have you been before? May have to consider this for next years trip.

Yeah, went 2 years ago. It's like Easter Jeep Safari but on a much, much smaller scale. However they must be getting bigger if they're moving the headquarters to Old Spanish Trail Arena. We really wanted to do the Kokopelli overnight run but weren't able to register in time. Instead we did Hell's Revenge night run which was awesome. Here's a video:
YouTube

Go to Ouray anyway. Better to skip the event. There will be plenty of people there any time of the year including Toyota's. I've been going there since the 80's and it is sad to see the traffic it gets now. Ouray is a special place nonetheless, my favorite.

This. Experience the San Juans when there aren't the huge crowds during FJ Summit clogging the trails.

Agreed that is probably a better option for most. I think the Summit is a better option for me due to I don't know the trails or area and I'm totally new to this type of off-roading. For me I think this is the best way for me to get some experience.

Later I'd love to get a smaller group for here or someone to make a trip out west somewhere. I think that would be killer!!

You won't be. I take my 4-Runner periodically instead of my FJ (I've been to all the Summits) and it's no big deal. There are more and more Toyotas other than FJ's every year.

You might consider hitting Ouray the week before Summit and then head to Moab because there will be a large group getting together there the weekend before Summit and hitting the trails around Moab before heading to Summit. You can check out THIS thread over on the FJ Cruiser forums regarding the get-together. They split up into various groups depending on what level of difficulty people might want to attempt.

That's good to hear!! Thanks.

This is a fun event. More LC focused, but everyone is welcome - even people in non-toyota vehicles. You do have to be a member of the TLCA. I'm going to lead at least one of the days on poison spider mesa this year, so I'll be a trail guide for a few folks. The biggest issue is that it's capped at 200. And it sells out quickly. Very different from EJS. Small groups max of about 15 vehicles on any given trail in a day.

I live 3 hours from Moab - so I'm there all the time and it's easy for me to round up a couple buddies and make a group of 2-5 vehicles and run down for a weekend. The club event is less about offroading and more about seeing old friends from the TLCA for me. But it's a great way to see the moab area trails with a little bit of a safety net that would be hard to do flying solo.