Wasn't really offroading just down dirt/gravel roads to Kansas's highest point and out to Monument Rocks.
I don't like wheeling goals and I think in terms of seasons, but since desert season is over for us, I can tell you how that went.
Desert season for me=Nov-Feb when temps are fine and the snakes are not out in droves. In reality, it does not work quite that way for us, with Nov, Feb, and Mar being the better months for day trips.
My main goal was to explore KOFA near California and Quartzsite and more generally the central section of Western AZ. There are 17 or 18 trails in/to KOFA, depending on how you count them. Eleven of these are combined into 10 trails by Massey and 4 into 2 by Wells. The other trails are not described.
The southern section of KOFA has 4-5 trails that are just far enough from home to be too much for me with the kids on a day trip. The 3 main trails total 65 miles, and consist of two easy trails and a dirt road. The 1-2 remaining ones are unknown. But they are legal 4x4 roads on the refuge map. The southern section connects to the northern section via one trail.
The remaining 12 trails are in the northern section. Of these we drove 1 moderate trail with lots and lots of brush over a 6 mile section, 4 easy trails, and 4 dirt roads. We have two unknown condition trails left and 1 dirt road left.
So, I would say that KOFA went very well for us, but not great. The problem is that Quartzsite has no good camping and the only nearby camping cabins are too pricey for what they are and for being just 2hr from home. So that is a limiting factor with the kids.
The best trail we drove was actually just to the north of KOFA. It features a very long hogsback and a fantastic stretch of Sonoran desert. We had it to ourselves. It was gorgeous.
Other than those 10 total trails in/around KOFA, we also drove Harquahala Mountain, a trail where the conditions had defeated me in a stock Subaru Tribeca on street tires 10 years ago. I had also turned back in my Outback after seeing two rattlesnakes one after the other on the road itself. Spring is the wrong time! This year it started no better as I aired down my P metric tires against my own advice and promptly burst a sidewall. So, it was fourth time the charm. It is funny how an easy trail can find a way to fool around with you!
We also drove a trail that offered great scenery in the same area. Near home, we only drove Crapshoot. I drove Crapshoot just because it is rated difficult but it is really one spot that is borderline difficult. Crapshoot is a long, two-section hill, very loose. But only the very bottom is difficult as it is severely eroded and an IFS rig can flip if not careful.
Other than desert trails, we also drove some Sedona trails back in November, including two difficult rated ones, one of which is really just upper-end moderate for a short while, and yesterday we went back to finish the last major Sedona trail we had not yet driven.
Also in November, we drove Backaway to Crown King just because everyone is supposed to have driven it lol. We went on a Saturday which was a terrible mistake as the trail is severely overcrowded. There was one nasty spot where I dragged a slider and a big step where I dragged the skids. The scenery is not bad, but the traffic really diminishes the experience.
All in all, it was a great winter season. Thanks to the 4Runner, we drove more in a winter than ever before.
I have to say that the locker and MTS for uphill (as well as crawl control for descending bad spots) make a world of difference. A-trac alone is okay but not all that great. And 4L alone is pretty bad on any hill, at least in AZ conditions.
