I missed a great opportunity this last Sunday. The problem is that I work weekends.
A local (AZ) club posts runs nearly every week.
Last Sunday they had a short (5 hour) jaunt on local trails that they rated 2 to 3.5, with bypasses for the worst sections.
Being a noob myself, this would have been perfect.
Others with experience evaluating my abilities on easier sections, then they could encourage or advise not to try the more advanced parts.
If work hadn't changed my usual route, I might have made this.
So I still tentatively venture out alone on weekdays.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

You should buy the latest edition of Charlie Wells' Arizona 4x4 guide. It just came out. They re-drove the trails about 18 months ago.

I started by using his first edition book and a Subaru Tribeca. Yes. Probably the only one ever LOL. Never had a failure and never got stuck. But even the easy trails were often tough for a newbie in a Tribeca. Forget about a moderate in that vehicle. Then I had an Outback and used Wells for Utah and CO. I still use Wells a lot though I am running out of options for reasonable day trips from Phoenix. Be very wary of trails for which he says "brush marks likely" or anything like that because he truly means it.

You should not start from the harder trails, 4R or otherwise. Easy classics like the Senator Highway, Bloody Basin, Four Peaks, Schnebly Hill Rd are must-drives at least once. The latter has become bumpy and annoying but it is still easy (trying to get to low-end moderate).

The majority of trails that offer great scenery are easy or moderate. The difficult rated trails that he calls suitable for stock vehicles like Broken Arrow, Crown King, Red Rock Powerline, CLiffhanger, are very straightforward unless you run optional stuff on Crown King. I am quite familiar with Wells' various books and I am not sure why Cliffhanger is rated difficult but differences between easy/moderate/difficult/hardcore are more like wide frontiers than firm borders. All these are much easier than stock-suitable but difficult rated Moab trails. Crapshoot has one spot where you can roll if you don't know what you are doing. Horseshoe Canyon was downgraded to moderate and I am not sure it deserves that rating either. It was easy a couple weeks ago. Rice Peak was also downgraded to moderate. But it is just far enough from home to be a good day trip with the kids.

Any desert trail, no matter how easy, begs for a firmer than stock suspension. I was totally stock my first times on Broken Arrow or Crown King and that was fine but the stock suspension was a slow-going, bump-stop loving disaster on KOFA and other easier but long and bumpy trails.

I assume you have replaced your tires already. If not, that's the one indispensable mod. I tried hard to use SL Wildpeaks and did so with lots of success between Sedona and the Canadian border but 3 punctures in SW AZ caused me to get stronger tires. So, just go LT. A stiffer suspension can handle heavy tires easily with very good road ride quality.

The trails in the OHV areas and Crown King are totally overcrowded. You would want to stay clear or go mid-week if given the chance. Otherwise, you risk people flying around on UTVs to have very little patience for you. It feels more like trying to enter or exit a stadium before/after a big game than being out in nature.

be safe and enjoy the desert! Soon it will be awesome...for a couple months lol.

Hello There! My first post.

I never really cared for cars all that much, until i got into camping/off road trips, and fell in love with the 4runner. Now i have my first one - 2020 SR5. And i am in total love!

I am total newb not just to a 4runner but to cars in general ....

I am looking for an offroad bumper, I dont want to wait 12 week for CBI to come in. So my question is - will there be installation/compatibility problems with this one?

Offrad Bumper

It says its 2019 will the fact that i have 2020 matter?

Thank you,
Michael.

What part of the bay area? There is not a lot around here. Frank Raines is cool. Hollister is cool. Carnegie is worth it if you live real close or are driving by. Look into the trails around big sur. Tons of wheeling within a few hours drive, but not a lot real close. Be sure to check out Oceano Dunes SVRA. Drive and camp on the beach, get stuck in the sand, lots of fun. Get there before they close it for good someday.

Remember you are an ambassador and representative of all offroaders when you are out there. Stay the trail, don't litter, etc.

If you have a family, use offroading to enhance hobbies they already enjoy. Fishing, shooting, camping, hiking, photography, playing in rivers or streams, you can get to better spots to do these with 4x4, and endear the family to the hobby in the process.

Have fun!

This is a great thread, lots of good advice for us newbies. I've always been a big hunter/hiker but have been falling in love with overlanding the past few years. Been out west to Utah 2 times and its all I think about; planning on longer trips in the future. Which leads me to my tire choice; I know its been talked about to death but wanted to ask in the off-road section and get advice from seasoned overlanders/off-road junkies.
I'm based in Georgia/Florida so i have to drive 2 days to get out to Utah, rig is my daily driver, sees pavement most of the time but i do get out to the dirt on the weekends, rig is a 2019 TRD off-road Bone Stock. With all that said these are the tires I can get locally:

Toyo Open Country AT-III
General Grabber A-TX
General Grabber X3
BFG K02

The only tire i have experience with is the older BFG's, i liked then but not sure if that's my best option for long overlanding trips.

You'll likely get a variety of answers for this, but i'd recommend a C rated BFG KO2. I love them. I got 65,000 miles out my first set, and they still had 7/32 tread when I changed them for a new set. I changed them because I like more tread for snow, and after 5 years the rubber gets hard and doesn't perform as well on ice. Offroad they are indestructable and perfect for the rocks of Utah. Very quiet on the highway - inaudible when new. I daily drive my 4runner and make long highway trips with it. For me the KO2's are an "install and forget" tire for my needs.

Hello again! Is there an online store that has 4runner 2020 offroad bumper in stock instead of 12 weeks wait? At this point anything decent will do, Thanks!

@thenightman , San Mateo County, on the shore :-), Oceano Dunes SVRA - why would they close it for good someday ? Thank you.

It is part of the California Coastal Commission's 5 year plan to shut down all vehicle access to the beach at Oceano Dunes Svra within five years. Their plan is to turn it into a typical walk in type beach.

That are has been a popular riding spot for many years, since the 60 or earlier. My grandpa took his family there and rode motorcycles in the 60s. He cut up a car into a dune buggy to take there. Eventually it was made into a state park, 15,000 acres of dune riding and beach camping.

By the time I was old enough to drive down there, it had gone from 15,000 acres, to only 1,500 acres. They also added another few hundred as season closures.

A year ago they shut down half the camping area. A few months ago they closed all camping, and banned all non street legal vehicles. They are on track to maybe even beat their 5 year plan.

Please get involved! Friends of oceano dunes Is the non profit helping to keep it open. FriendsofOceanodunes is their Instagram, they post great info on who to email, and where and when to comment. Oceanodunes.org. please get involved! I am not affiliated with the organization, other then doing my part to contact the people they say to.

If you like dunes, sand, beach camping, or the idea of being able to drive the family down to the water please help us out.

Just had the BFG K02 installed last week and love them, nice ride on the highway so far. Cant wait to get them in some Utah dirt! Thank for the advice, I'm supper happy with them.

Hi everyone,

Lot's of great advice here. Thank you for sharing your experience that way.

Hello again! Is there an online store that has 4runner 2020 offroad bumper in stock instead of 12 weeks wait? At this point anything decent will do, Thanks!

Call around for Arb bumpers suppliers have them in their inventory from time to time another option is Coastal offroad Diy kit and hire a' welder to do the welding..

Be courteous and respectful, both of others out in the boonies, but also of the land. The road you thrash this week will be closed next year. TREAD LIGHTLY !!!!!!!!!! And stay in the trail! Don't make new roads.