New to off-roading in Nevada
- Thread starter genesyn
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
2flyfishin
New member
Popular trail is Rocky Gap road at Red Rock. I haven’t done it in years so I can’t comment on the difficulty now, was too popular for my tastes. Logandale Trails out by Lake Meade has something for just about everyone from sand to hardcore rock crawling and everything in between. There are a lot of places to go around Vegas. Vegas 4runner’s has a Facebook page and you might want to hit them up and they might already have something going when you’re out here and tag along with them.
BCMUSA
New member
BCMUSA
New member
I've been meaning to go there. Any particular spots you recommend there to go off roading?
MAST4R
New member
I think you should FORGET about Rocky Gap as your first solo trail with family. The last thing you want is to turn them off unpaved roads right away.
If JeepTheUSA rates it 3.0, that means it is a bottom 50% difficult trail in print guides.
Las Vegas Jeep Trails GPS tracks. - Jeep the USA
This site has very short descriptions but priceless GPX files.
I can translate their ratings to 4Runners, but for a first experience, stick to 2.0 (=easy in print guides) or maybe consider a short 2.5 (moderate). The vehicle itself will handle 3.0s in stock form but that requires a driver with some experience.
Personally, I like this description, sounds family friendly and this is a BLM Byway.
Bitter Springs, Buffington Pockets, petroglyphs and great scenery - Jeep the USA
Last edited:
Amazing. I wish they had something similar for the East Coast but this makes things so much easier for newbies. Thanks!
2flyfishin
New member
Rocky Gap must have changed a lot since the last time I did it. Like I said it’s been a while. The last time I ran it I was in a stock 2001 Chevy S-10 supercrew. I have seen some videos from up there that looked difficult in the past but most of them I knew where they were and knew there was a bypass around the obstacles where they were.
WhiteBoomer04
New member
Suggest you check into NVTTORA.com as well. Lots of people with 4Runners and Tacomas running trails all over the state. Would get good advice from there too.
MAST4R
New member
I suppose so. You said it is very popular and very popular trails can get chewed up very quickly. For example, Wells' new AZ guide edition will upgrade Backaway to the Desert Bar from moderate straight to very difficult. Top of the World near Moab went from low-end difficult to very difficult over just a few years. I know from old-timers that some Moab obstacles are literally twice the size of what they used to be.
The good news is that for now that seems to be a limited number of trails in each area. But this constant deterioration due to overuse and abuse is one reason I got the 4R. Many of the moderate and low-end difficult trails that Peter Massey drove in stock Suburbans in the mid-2000s now require Wranglers and 4Runners or heavy mods.
Lukesaysrelax
New member
Mormon wells road is fun and easy. Really nice views along the way as well, including the hidden Joshua tree forest and peak a boo canyon. You can do the whole thing in 2wd if necessary.
chuffaluffigus
New member
Trails — 702 Xventures
Edited to add: If you download the .gpx files (free) for the trails from the above site they'll include helpful waypoints along the trail such as "beginning of steep narrow descent" or "narrow section of trail. Pinstriping likely". You can grab the .gpx file, then upload it to an app like Gaia, download the map for offline use, and have good solid info for your trip. Really nice.
Edited to add: If you download the .gpx files (free) for the trails from the above site they'll include helpful waypoints along the trail such as "beginning of steep narrow descent" or "narrow section of trail. Pinstriping likely". You can grab the .gpx file, then upload it to an app like Gaia, download the map for offline use, and have good solid info for your trip. Really nice.
Last edited:
JohnTheLuck
Member
I was there a couple of weeks ago for the first time. I read somewhere that the last half (if going counter clockwise) had "some" sandy areas. It was more than just some areas.
2flyfishin
New member
Mormon Wells road is definitely an easy trail that could be considered and like you said the whole trail can most definitely be run in 2wd barring heavy rain or snow up top. The first third of it is quite bumpy and I would air down to somewhere between 25 and 30 lbs just to make it more comfortable. I ran it at the end of December with Vegas 4runner’s but was a little disappointed because I was hoping for some good snow up there and there wasn’t.
