enginerd4ni's 5th gen adventure thread

[enginerd4ni]

The purpose of this thread is to document my adventures in the 4Runner and hopefully provide tips/recommendations for others interested in similar trips.

I ordered my 2013 Trail with the help of a friend in the business and it arrived last July. I have slowly started building it into an overlanding rig and hopefully my adventures will scale proportionally to the modifications and capability.

For details on the build, check out the build thread

The first big adventure started last December when the 4Runner played an integral part of how I proposed to my wife. We drove all over town on a scavenger hunt that was rigged to include the places we went on dates and ending with the proposal on top of an Austin landmark called Mount Bonnell.

So the real adventure began when we got married earlier this year. What better getaway vehicle than the 4Runner!

I'm very lucky to have a wife that not only likes the 4Runner but really enjoys taking trips and exploring in it. She understands my passion for tinkering and encourages it. On the other hand, I make sure that I don't spend too much time in the garage or on the forum, haha, as spending quality time together is very important. We're very excited about traveling in the 4Runner as it meets both of our needs for adventure and quality time.

 

[enginerd4ni]

Port Aransas

We spent a few days in Port Aransas. The town is great, the hotel was surprisingly clean with friendly staff, and, since school was still in session, we had the seaweed, I mean beach, all to ourselves. So yeah, it turns out this is record level seaweed and it is all up and down the coast. In the areas that maintained, it is piled up into giant stacks 15 feet tall yet the beach is still littered with it. It was 1 foot deep extending 6 feet or more from where the waves sort of disappear into the spongy mess.

Well, we made the best of it and still enjoyed getting some sun and relaxing.

We spent the next day driving up and down every stretch of beach we could. The wife actually enjoyed just putting it in 4Hi and cruising down the coast. We drove from the northernmost part of Port A to the beginning of the Padre Island National Sea Shore by Corpus Christi. There are a few jetties in the way though so it isn't a straight shot. Some backtracking to the main road and then finding the next public access road is all it takes to get back on the beach.

We found the only stretch of beach without massive seaweed on the north side of the Corpus Christi jetty. It was about 40 feet long of actual sand!

The 4Runner had zero issues. I didn't bother airing down because a)I hadn't yet installed my onboard air and b) most of the areas are packed down. Several stretches along Mustang Island park are "unimproved" and I was bogging down quite a bit especially if I got out of the ruts. I put the Trail into "Sand Mode" which works in 4Hi quite well. That combined with strong throttle and significant momentum propelled me through with ease.

 

[enginerd4ni]

Hidden Falls Adventure Park

One of the few places in Texas (especially central Texas) where you can actually wheel legally. Hidden Falls has trails of all difficulty ranging from "just keeping the ole transfer case lubed" to "can someone help roll me back over". It cost $40 for both of us which isn't terrible for a day of wheeling, fun, and reasonably nice facilities/amenities. They have several campground areas including some shower/restroom facilities. The entrance/exit also has several air up stations in case you don't have onboard air.

I met up with a super friendly group called Heart of Texas Off Road Club as they hosted a "beginner's run". The perfect opportunity to meet great like-minded people and get some tips and tours of the park.

They had been camping out for a day or two when I joined on Saturday morning.

Starting to line up.

Walter is a very skilled spotter and helped build a lot of confidence.

Several spots really tested the approach and departure angle. At this point I have stock bumpers, no lift, but full skids and sliders. On this water crossing, bumpers were fine but I finally got to scuff up the front skid plate. That seems to be limit of approach while the trailer hitch receiver saves the bumper from scuffing in the back.

Same crossing but a different view that better illustrates the angles.

Another shot of Walter's rig because it is very nice to view!

One of these things is not like the others...

Getting out of the creek.

Some of the better built rigs doing some medium level shelves.

Enjoying the view.

Overall, the 4Runner did great. I am glad I put on the skid plates as they were definitely scraped up all the way back. I also got a good opportunity to test some of the limits and capabilities of the Trail edition features. On one loose rock hill obstacle, I put it into crawl mode, set the speed control, sat back and just steered. It smoothly made its way up with ease. On another steeper hill, I went up just in 4Lo, lost traction and started spinning tires midway up. A simple flip of the e-locker switch and the next thing I know, I'm at the top of the hill. It was like hitting the easy button.

The capabilities of the 4Runner are very impressive and it feels good to gain confidence as a driver and understanding of the electronic wizardry.

 

[fattire]

Dang!! You must have been there Saturday but not Sunday. Just missed you! That was my first time out as well.

Have to say that HOTORC was a fantastic group. They really made an effort to include my totally stock Limited 4x4 with the low power running boards and everything.

Walter is like the line whisperer. Between him and Bailey who was out on Sunday, they could get a Prius down anything!

Hope to see you out there one of these days.

 

[3wbdriver]

If or when you 2 get tired of Hidden Falls check out Canyons ORV park north of Fredericksburg. Not quite as many big rocks, but narrow trails along the bottoms and can be pretty technical. I went up there with a Facebook group named Central Texas Off Roaders in late May. Prices are comparable with HF.

Pardon the lack of soundtrack. I am new to the GoPro.

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<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2V4nhOjrg7c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Alex T4R]

Nice build, how is the sag with all that extra weight added and no lift. I know when I had my 13 4runner and I installed the winch behind the bumper I had to adjust the coilover height. Now I have stock 14 and contemplating if I should install all the stuff.

 

[enginerd4ni]

Nice build, how is the sag with all that extra weight added and no lift. I know when I had my 13 4runner and I installed the winch behind the bumper I had to adjust the coilover height. Now I have stock 14 and contemplating if I should install all the stuff.

I haven't measured the difference in ride height but I have been adding up the weight of all the things I've added. As of now, I'm at a net 340.6 pounds worth of stuff. It definitely feels heavier and doesn't quite corner as smooth as stock but the KDSS really helps control the body roll still. When I get around to upgrading the suspension, I'm planning on putting on heavier rating springs.

 

[DannyLlama]

Cool thread! thanks for sharing!

 

[BobsTrail]

The capabilities of the 4Runner are very impressive and it feels good to gain confidence as a driver and understanding of the electronic wizardry.

Looks like a great trip.
Did you use the Multi-Terrain settings before engaging the locker?

 

[enginerd4ni]

Looks like a great trip.
Did you use the Multi-Terrain settings before engaging the locker?

Great question! I was in "Loose Rock" multi-terrain select which wasn't quite enough to get up the hill once one of the rear wheels started slipping badly. I forgot to also engage A-TRAC or try with just A-TRAC and no locker...oh well, I'll keep playing around with the settings next trip.

 

[enginerd4ni]

Fall 2014 Road+Trail Trip

Back in September, my wife and I took our first extended camping/overlanding trip. I’ll attempt to describe some of the trails and places that made the trip truly amazing.

A few of the spots we camped at or visited during the trip:

Just getting out of Texas from Austin takes a day of driving so we decided to pack as much as we could into a two week journey. The first leg of our trip was to get to a BLM area just shy of Roswell, NM. This OHV park seems to be primarily suited for dirt bikes and quads based on the single and narrow double tracks but there are definitely some sections that would be fun and interesting for a full size vehicle. We had the park all to ourselves until a group of people showed up around midnight and rode until about 6AM. Fortunately, they stayed away from our campsite so two pairs of earplugs got us through the night.

Campground/Site/Area: Mescalero Sands North Dune OHV
Amenities: vault toilets, picnic tables, sand dunes galore
Cost: BLM entry/camping fee ($5/vehicle includes camping)

Quick campsite at the back of the park.

Looking down at one of many bowls. Lots of opportunities to get stuck in deep sand!

Airing up the next morning before getting back on the highway.

After cruising through Roswell and Albuquerque, we rolled into Mesa Verde National Park with just barely enough time to buy tickets for the next day’s earliest tour of the Cliff Palace cave dwellings. We didn't have much time to spend exploring the park so we will make it back there for sure to see the other dwellings and hike some more trails. From what I could tell, no off-roading options.

Campground/Site/Area: Mesa Verde National Park near Durango, CO. Camping at Morefield Campground
Morefield Campground - Camping Accommodations - Mesa Verde National Park
Amenities: see park website, showers!
Cost: National Parks Pass + Morefield Campground $27
Pro-tip: Get the earliest tour of Cliff Palace cave dwellings so there won’t be people from the previous tour in all of your pictures from the approach.

Camping at Morefield Campground:

Cliff Palace cave dwellings:

We then got back on the road and made it to Moab with enough time to find a spot at Horsethief campground. All the sites inside Canyonlands NP were full but this camp is not too far from the main entrance and pretty inexpensive. Since we were somewhat unfamiliar with the Moab area, we opted to stay at several of the BLM sites as almost all roads reasonably close to Moab and the national parks do not allow camping (except in the designated BLM campgrounds of course). We did find some great spots further away from the city and parks and will hit those up next time. Moab can be explored in many different ways. It seems that there are two main ways we want to try. 1) Using an adventure trailer, set up camp at Horsethief or other centrally located site and explore the trails during the day in an unloaded vehicle without having to set up the RTT and everything else each night. This maximizes the amount of variety and allows easy access to the national parks. 2) Go on a more remote route (true overlanding) such as the White Rim trail (requires permits several months in advance).

Campground/Site/Area: Horsethief campground near Canyonlands NP
Amenities: vault toilets, bearproof trash dumpster just outside the grounds
Cost: BLM, $15 per site

Views inside Canyonlands NP:

Potash Rd. and the Schafer Switchbacks are super easy and very scenic.

 

[enginerd4ni]

2014 Trip ctd.

We followed a little bit of the White Rim trail as well before continuing on Potash.

We tried out a few other campground options along Highway 279. The first was Goldbar. Not much too it, right on the river, no amenities, lots of bugs. We kept going and landed at Williams Bottom. Nicer camp.

Campground/Site/Area: Williams Bottom
Amenities: vault toilet, beehive
Cost: BLM, $10/site

Our first site must have been near a hive because we were swarmed by bees while setting up the RTT.

Moved down to the other side of the camp and had a nice view although the constant sound of cars along the road were not ideal.

Next day checked out Arches NP which was also completely booked. Great hiking trails.

We also took Salt Valley Road and Tower Arch trail in the afternoon. Since our 4Runner doesn't have a lift at the time of the trip, clearance was quite challenging for this moderate rated trail. I spent a lot of time stacking/unstacking rocks and self-spotting. Fortunately, full skid plates prevented any issues. With any reasonable lift, this trail would be much easier.

 

[enginerd4ni]

2014 Trip ctd.

An easy trail leads to a really cool spot to escape the heat and have lunch. Tusher Tunnel:

The Mineral Point Road was in pretty rough shape after a huge rain storm the week before but the 4Runner was fine until the last quarter mile where some ledges were more than the stock suspension could handle without too much effort. This spot, though, is magnificent and I will return here to camp.

We spent another night back at Horsethief CG and enjoyed another beautiful sunset.

On to Colorado! We made a few quick excursions (Mount of the Holy Cross) but mostly stuck to the interstate. Made it to Mount Evans with barely enough time to attempt a summit from Summit Lake but poor weather and the prospect of finding an unknown camp spot and setting up in the dark changed that plan. Summit Lake:

Found a campsite somewhat nearby.
Campground/Site/Area: West Chicago Creek
Amenities: Vault toilet, water?
Cost: $16/site

Next day hung out with some family in the Denver area and then made our way to Colorado Springs. Garden of the Gods:

Pulled in to our next spot and set up camp.
Campground/Site/Area: Piñon Flats Campground, Great Sand Dunes NP
Amenities: Restrooms with sinks, flush toilets, and a sink for dishwashing
Cost: $20/site

The weather was mostly rainy so we explored the Medano Pass trail.

 

[enginerd4ni]

2014 Trip ctd.

Then we made our way to Lake City. After fueling up, we headed west on the southern portion of the Alpine Loop toward Cinnamon Pass. The Alpine Loop is a must and though much of the trail had damage from recent rains, it is totally attainable in a stock 4Runner. Truly beautiful country here.

There is a simple trail that leads off the main trail toward the American Basin. The trail is listed as moderate because of clearance, not technical difficulty. The reward is one of the most picturesque basins, a likely private place to camp, and one of the shortest and least aggressive 14ers, Handies Peak. Most hikers camp at Grizzly Gulch which you pass on the way (and has a vault toilet) so that they can bag three 14ers from one camp site (Redcloud, Sunshine, Handies). We had the entire place to ourselves until joined the next morning by some hikers who parked at the beginning of the basin trail.

Between Cinnamon Pass and Animas Forks, the trail is slightly worse but again totally within the realm of the 4Runner.

Descending down to Animas Forks.

This historic mining ghost town is being restored and is a really cool place to visit. You can walk around in most of the old buildings and imagine life 100 years ago without a 4Runner.

We made our way to Eureka and camped with a fantastic view of the old Eureka mill ruins.

Campground/Site/Area: Eureka Campground
Amenities: Portable Toilet, non-potable water
Cost: $10/rig

From this area, there are many trails to explore. We enjoy looking at old mining ruins and this place delivers.

This basin used to be a lake but drained into an active mine many years ago.

 

[enginerd4ni]

2014 Trip ctd.

Always wondered what it was like to be inside a mine. The Old Hundred Mine offers tours and the tour guide live demonstrates the various tools and equipment used for mining.

A brief visit to the Ice Park in Ouray where I try to go once a year to get my ice climbing fix.

What it looks like in winter (I'm the guy in the middle of the picture).

Between Ouray and Silverton, there are several really great trails to explore as well.

And on the way back home, we stopped by and camped at Palo Duro Canyon State Park. We didn't have time to do any of the trails there so we'll have to visit again. It is a great halfway point option and very scenic.

Campground/Site/Area: Palo Duro Canyon State Park (near Amarillo, TX)
Amenities: All sorts of options, water, restrooms
Cost: $12-$24 / site

Overall, the trip was very educational for us, very enjoyable, and very exhausting. We have a better idea of what to bring, what to leave, and how to plan/prepare for our next big trip. The 4Runner was fantastic even with stock suspension and tires. My wife agrees that the next trip, though, needs to be traveled 3+ inches higher off the ground.

 

[nb rob]

Outstanding thread! I really enjoyed your photos. You sure make a damn good case for a rooftop tent !

You'd better not argue with your wife. Make sure she picks out some nice UCA's too.

 

[KCcarguy]

Awesome thread! Well thought-out build and I LOVED the trip reports....REALLY inspiring!

 

[Slow]

Great read and pics. Cannot wait to see the rig unfold

 

[wadle5]

Awesome pics, and just reminded me of the trip we took like that about 2 months ago. After moab and colorado though we went to Teton National Park. I will say out of our entire 2 week trip that was our favorite part. Although quite a drive definitely recommend that area. Awesome truck, awesome pics. Keep the adventures rolling.

 

[jdtaylor42]

What an awesome write-up! Looks like a blast all the cool places you got to see. When I went to Moab we were in our car and man I so badly wished I had been in a high-clearance vehicle to explore some of the roads in Canyonlands and around Moab. Can't wait to go back